Talc minerals

Product information

LKAB Minerals Talc products are ’off white’ and therefore more suited for bulk applications where colour is less critical. These applications include Kiln furniture manufacturers, agriculture, roofing, industrial coating applications and plastics.

Product Uses of Talc

Talc is used for a number of different applications including the following:

• Kiln furniture manufacture
• Ceramics
• Agriculture
• Roofing
• Coating applications
• Plastics

Our magnesitic talc lump is milled in the UK to produce carefully controlled particle-sized products.

Coatings

Within the surface coatings industry S2 Talc is used in a variety of industrial coating applications including primers and undercoats. It is used as a filler / extender as it imparts corrosion resistance and increases paint stability. It can be used in solvent and waterborne paint applications.
LKAB Minerals have developed a Talc product specifically for the coatings industry. Talc S20 is suitable for use in anticorrosive and marine coatings. This 40% Magnesitic Talc will provide a barrier effect reducing oxygen and water transmission to the substrate. The S20 Talc product improves weathering resistance and reinforces the coating making it a viable alternative to other Talc products.

Agriculture

In agricultural applications, S2 talc’s anti-caking properties and lubricity make it effective for free flow carrier uses. Used in fertiliser, it can be used as an anti-blocking agent which enables the feed cake to be broken up easily.

Ceramics

S2 Talc is used in ceramics because of its high fusion point being used as a low expansion flux in ceramic bodies and glazes. Its low level shrinkage helps to improve craze resistance in ceramic applications.

Standard Talc Grades

Our standard grades are

• S2 100#
• S2 200#
• S2 300#
• S20

Talc Packaging

Our product range is available in paper sacks or big bags. Due to the conditions of the product, no bulk solution is available.

Applications

Talc Minerals are “off-white” products from LKAB Minerals, ideally suited for bulk applications where colour is less critical. Talc has diverse uses across industries, including kiln furniture manufacturing, agriculture, roofing, industrial coatings, and plastics. Some key applications include:

Kiln furniture manufacture

• Used in the production of kiln furniture due to its high resistance to heat and thermal shock.
• Provides excellent dimensional stability under high temperatures, ensuring reliable performance in ceramic firing processes.

Agriculture

• S2 Talc’s anti-caking and lubricating properties make it ideal as a carrier in fertilisers and pesticides.
• Helps to prevent blockages, ensuring the free flow of materials, and also improves the spread of agricultural products.

Roofing

• Talc is used in the production of roofing materials, such as asphalt shingles, to improve durability and flexibility.
• Helps to enhance the workability and performance of roofing products in harsh weather conditions.

Industrial coatings

• Applied in industrial coatings, including primers and undercoats, as a filler/extender.
• Imparts corrosion resistance and enhances paint stability, suitable for both solvent-based and waterborne systems.

Plastics

• Used in plastic manufacturing to improve the rigidity and heat resistance of products.
• Acts as a processing aid, reducing friction and improving the flow of plastic materials during moulding or extrusion.

Mineral information

Talc, with the chemical composition of Mg₃Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂, is a Hydrous Magnesium Silicate made up of Magnesium, Silicon, Oxygen, and Hydrogen.

Technical Data

Talc occurs mainly in metamorphosed ultra basic rock, it is a soft hydrous magnesium silicate mineral. The term talc covers a range of these minerals from pure magnesium silicate to talc magnesite which contains up to 33% MgO.

Silicon as SiO₂ (30.2%)
Magnesium as MgO (33.3%)
Aluminium as Al₂O₃ (0.35%)
Calcium CaO (0.2%)
Iron as Fe₂O₃ (6.6%)

Talc Mineral origin

LKAB Minerals’ raw material is quarried in Shetland, an island at the top of the British Isles. This Talc product is milled in the UK from British sourced magnesitic talc which has a granular particle shape and is off-white in colour.

Talc toxicology

A non-toxic, non-hazardous stable mineral. You can download the Safety Data Sheet in the data centre.