Categorization of industrial clays of Australia and New Zealand

Categorization of industrial clays is a useful guide to assessing the level of technical and economic inputs required to develop the resource. Based on resource studies in Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere, four categories of industrial clay resources are recognized. Category 1: clays of high quality requiring major capital investment to supply large tonnage, international markets. Category 2: unique specialty clays for which advanced technologies are required to produce small tonnages for niche markets. Category 3: moderate quality clays requiring relatively low technologies, to supply predominantly local markets. Category 4: clays of low quality requiring little or no processing. Categories 1 and 2 clay projects require extended development times (from green-field to investment decisions) and significant pre-development capital investment. On the other hand, the development of Categories 3 and 4 clays requires shorter times and lower levels of capital investment.