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What we use zirconium for

Where does it go, and why this element?

About half of all zirconium goes into ceramics, such as glazes. Refractories, foundry molds and chemicals take most of the rest. Only a few percent becomes metal, mainly for nuclear fuel tubes and chemical plants, because it absorbs few neutrons and resists corrosion.

Last updated 10 October 2026.

Where it goes

Where it goes (undefined)
Ceramics 50%
Refractories 13%
Foundry 13%
Chemicals 11%
Other 7%
Pigments 3%
Superalloys and nuclear 3%
2023. Shares of zirconium use from SCRREEN (2023), as used by the British Geological Survey. The table does not state the region. The year is the year of the study, not of the data1

About 95% of zirconium is used as zircon, zirconium oxide or other zirconium chemicals2. Only a small part becomes metal.

The European SCRREEN project (2023), as used in the UK assessment of 2024, gives ceramics 50%, refractories 13%, foundry 13% and chemicals 11%. Pigments take 3%, and superalloys and nuclear uses 3%1. USGS gives the same order for the world in 2021: ceramics first, then refractories and foundry, then chemicals3.

Ceramics. Finely milled zircon is common in the glazes of ceramic tiles and sanitary ware. It is an opacifier: it makes the glaze opaque4. Zirconia, the oxide, reflects much light and is stable at high temperatures. It is also used as an opacifier and as a pigment in glazes for pottery3. Zircon mixed with vanadium or praseodymium makes blue and yellow pigments for glazes5.

Foundry and refractories. Zircon is used on the faces of foundry molds. It resists the molten metal and gives castings a smooth finish3. Bricks and blocks with zircon line furnaces that hold molten metal3.

Engineered zirconia. Zirconia stabilized with yttria is used in oxygen sensors that control combustion in car engines and furnaces3. It is also used for dental bridges and crowns. These have two to three times the fracture resistance of alumina products3. Cubic zirconia, a synthetic gem, is made from zircon2. Zirconium chemicals also go into cosmetics, antiperspirants and food packaging5.

Metal. Zirconium metal is used in corrosive environments, in nuclear fuel cladding and in special alloys3. A nuclear reactor can contain more than 100,000 meters of zirconium alloy tubing5.

Why this element

In a reactor, the metal around the fuel must let neutrons pass. Hafnium-free zirconium absorbs few thermal neutrons, so it is used as cladding for fuel rods3. Hafnium does the opposite. It absorbs neutrons strongly, so it is used in control rods3.

Commercial-grade zirconium still contains hafnium. It is used in chemical plants because it resists corrosion very well3. A thin oxide layer protects the metal from acids, alkalis and seawater5.

Zircon itself stands very high temperatures. USGS gives a melting point of 2,550 °C or more, and for this reason zircon is used on the faces of foundry molds2. Before it melts, zircon breaks down into zirconium oxide and silica, at about 1,800 °C according to the IAEA4.

What could replace it

For some foundry uses, chromite and olivine can replace zircon. Dolomite and spinel refractories can replace it in some high-temperature uses6.

In nuclear uses, niobium, stainless steel and tantalum can replace zirconium in part. In chemical plants, titanium and synthetic materials may replace it6.

Where demand is going

Demand for zircon can change with building activity. In 2012, demand fell when house building slowed in China2. In 2017, USGS expected world use to grow with demand from ceramics, chemicals and metals2. This is a forecast. In 2021, world use of zircon rose again as COVID-19 restrictions eased3. In its yearbook for 2021, published in 2025, USGS expected supply to fall short if demand grows and new mines do not keep up3. This is also a forecast.

Sources

  1. 1

    UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, British Geological Survey, 2024. UK 2024 Criticality Assessment , Table 1 (criticality results); appendix tables of end uses (Zirconium, from SCRREEN 2023) and end-of-life recycling rates (Zirconium, from ZIRCOMET 2019).

    Zirconium is not critical for the UK; world end-use shares and a recycling rate of 0%.

    • Zirconium (Zr) 217 ... Ceramics 50 (SCRREEN, 2023d) ... Refactories 13 ... Foundry 13 ... Chemicals 11 ... Pigments 3 Superalloys, nuclear 3 Others 7
    • Ceramics 50 (SCRREEN, 2023d) … Refactories 13 … Foundry 13 … Chemicals 11 … Pigments 3 Superalloys, nuclear 3 Others 7
  2. 2

    U.S. Geological Survey (James V. Jones III, Nadine M. Piatak and George M. Bedinger), 2017. Zirconium and Hafnium, chapter V of Critical Mineral Resources of the United States (Professional Paper 1802) , Pp. V1-V26: summary, uses, supply and demand, geology, deposit types, resources, environmental considerations.

    Crustal abundance, deposit types, Kovdor, Trail Ridge, metal production, recycling, prices in 2011 and 2012, health and environment.

    • Approximately 95 percent of all zirconium consumed is in the form of zircon, zirconium oxide, or other zirconium chemicals
    • may be processed to produce cubic zirconia, which is a synthetic gemstone and diamond simulant
    • Zircon is highly refractive, with a melting point of 2,550 degrees Celsius (°C) or greater. Thus, zircon is used for facings on foundry
    • was in response to weakened demand, particularly in China, because of a slowdown in housing construction
    • Global consumption of zirconium mineral concentrates is expected to increase in the future, as demand from such consumers as the ceramics, chemicals, and metals industries increases
  3. 3

    U.S. Geological Survey (Joseph Gambogi), 2025. Zirconium and Hafnium, in Minerals Yearbook 2021 , Text pp. 86.1-86.6: uses, prices, world review by country.

    Uses of zircon, zirconia and the metal, prices in 2021, Chinese imports, and output of the main producers.

    • Globally, the leading end uses for zircon were, in descending order, ceramics, refractories and foundry, and zirconium-base chemicals
    • Zirconia exhibits high light reflectivity and good thermal stability and was used primarily as an opacifier and pigment in glazes and colors used for pottery and other ceramic products.
    • Zircon, used for facings on foundry molds, increases resistance to metal penetration and gives a uniform finish to castings.
    • Refractory bricks and blocks containing zircon were used in furnaces and hearths for containing molten metals.
    • Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) was used in the manufacture of oxygen sensors that control combustion in automobile engines and furnaces.
    • YSZ was used in biomedical applications, such as dental bridges, crowns, and inlays, because it has two to three times the fracture resistance and 1.4 times the strength of alternative products based on alumina.
    • Zirconium metal was used in corrosive environments, nuclear fuel cladding, and various specialty alloys.
    • Because of its low thermal neutron absorption cross section, hafnium-free zirconium metal was used as cladding for nuclear fuel rod tubes.
    • Hafnium was used in nuclear control rods because of its high thermal neutron absorption cross section.
    • Commercial-grade zirconium, unlike nuclear grade, contains hafnium and was used in chemical process industries because of its excellent corrosion resistance.
    • Global production and consumption of zircon increased in 2021 primarily owing to easing restrictions related to the global COVID-19 pandemic
    • Short- and long-term supply deficits are expected if increasing demand is not matched with sufficient additional mine production
  4. 4

    International Atomic Energy Agency, 2007. Radiation Protection and NORM Residue Management in the Zircon and Zirconia Industries (Safety Reports Series No. 51) , Sections 2.2.3 (uses of zircon, Table 4), 3.2 (radiological aspects), 4.3.4 (worker doses in milling), 7.1.1 (fusion of zircon).

    Uses of zircon in ceramics and cathode ray tubes (TZMI figures for about 2003), uranium and thorium in zircon, worker doses, and the breakdown of zircon at about 1,800 °C.

    • The use of micronized zircon and zircon flour in ceramic products accounts for almost half of the worldwide consumption of zircon. It is a common opacifying constituent of glazes applied to ceramic tiles and sanitary ware
    • The zircon dissociates into ZrO2 and SiO2 at about 1800°C
  5. 5

    Royal Society of Chemistry, 2026. Zirconium - Element information, properties and uses , Sections History, Uses and properties, Biological role, Natural abundance.

    Discovery, name, isolation and first pure metal, uses, biological role.

    • Zircon mixed with vanadium or praseodymium makes blue and yellow pigments for glazing pottery.
    • it also goes into various chemicals that end up as cosmetics, antiperspirants, food packaging, and even fake gems
    • Nuclear reactors can have more than 100,000 metres of zirconium alloy tubing.
    • Zirconium metal is protected by a thin oxide layer making it exceptionally resistant to corrosion by acids, alkalis and seawater.
  6. 6

    U.S. Geological Survey (Shelby N. Johnston), 2026. Zirconium and Hafnium, in Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 , Pp. 1-2: production and use, salient statistics, events, world mine production and reserves, resources, substitutes, footnotes.

    World mine production and reserves by country, prices of zircon, sponge and hafnium from 2021 to 2025, US uses, trade, recycling and substitutes.

    • Chromite and olivine can substitute for zircon for some foundry applications. Dolomite and spinel refractories can also substitute for zircon in certain high-temperature applications.
    • Niobium (columbium), stainless steel, and tantalum provide some substitution in nuclear applications, and titanium and synthetic materials may substitute in some chemical processing plant applications.