Sibelco

What Sibelco does

Sibelco (SCR-Sibelco NV) is a Belgian-headquartered, publicly listed global material solutions company founded in 1872 that mines, processes, and sells industrial minerals across 31 countries and 118 production sites. Its multi-mineral portfolio spans silica, clays, feldspathics, olivine, nepheline syenite, kaolin, baryte, feldspar, cristobalite, and aluminium trihydrate, served by four technical centres and a global workforce of approximately 5,075 employees. The company is also a leader in glass recycling, processing over 3 million tonnes of glass waste annually into cullet — capacity materially expanded through the June 2024 acquisition of Strategic Materials Inc. (SMI), which added more than 40 recycling facilities across the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

The company's high-purity quartz franchise, marketed as IOTA, is sourced from uniquely pure ore bodies at Spruce Pine, North Carolina, and supplies semiconductor manufacturers (Czochralski crucibles for wafer production), photovoltaic producers, optical fiber makers, and quartz lighting customers. Other premium offerings include nepheline syenite from the Stjernøy deposit in Norway and recycled glass cullet for container, flat, and wool glass producers. Sibelco sells primarily through B2B enterprise channels with dedicated technical support, supplemented by a direct eCommerce platform (shop.sibelco.com) launched to streamline product ordering for industrial customers.

Sibelco generates revenue via one-time industrial mineral sales and recycling service transactions, serving glass, ceramics, construction, electronics, coatings, polymers, and water purification end markets. The company has issued EUR 1.2 billion in bonds across 2022–2024 via its financing subsidiary Silfin NV, completed a share buyback of 18.93% of outstanding shares in early 2024, and in March 2025 announced its Build 2030 strategy targeting global leadership in industrial silica, high-purity quartz, and recycled glass. Notable ESG credentials include EcoVadis Gold and Silver sustainability ratings, Wildlife Habitat Council certification at three U.S. sites, and signatory status to the United Nations Global Compact.

Name

Sibelco

Legal name

SCR-Sibelco NV

Website

https://sibelco.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1872

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Sibelco is a Belgian-headquartered global industrial minerals company that mines, processes, and sells silica, clays, feldspathics, high-purity quartz (IOTA), and recycled glass cullet across 31 countries, serving glass, ceramics, construction, semiconductor, photovoltaic, and coatings customers from 118 production sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Minerals

NAICS

Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (327), All Other Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (32799)

SIC

Mining & Quarrying Of Nonmetallic Minerals (No Fuels) (1400), Abrasive, Asbestos & Misc Nonmetallic Mineral Prods (3290)

akta.pro primary industry

Silica & Quartz Mining (Industrial Silica Sand, High-Purity Quartz) (IMAKAGAK)

Keywords

• Industrial minerals
• Silica sand
• High purity quartz
• Glass recycling
• Nepheline syenite

Headquarters

HQ city

Antwerp

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Industrial Minerals Sales: Mining, processing and selling of industrial minerals including silica, clays, feldspathics, olivine, high purity quartz, nepheline syenite, kaolin, baryte, and feldspar to various industries.
2. Glass Recycling: Sourcing and processing over 3 million tonnes of glass waste annually to produce cullet for glass manufacturers, supporting circular economy and reducing energy usage and emissions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sibelco mines, processes and sells industrial minerals including silica, clays, feldspathics, olivine, high purity quartz, nepheline syenite, kaolin, baryte, feldspar, cristobalite, and aluminium trihydrate. The company also operates large-scale glass recycling, transforming over 3 million tonnes of glass waste annually into premium cullet for container glass, glass wool, flat glass, and filtration applications. Products are sold via B2B direct sales and an online shop (shop.sibelco.com), serving industries such as glass manufacturing, ceramics, construction, electronics/semiconductors, photovoltaics, coatings, polymers, and water treatment.

Product overview

Sibelco is a global material solutions company that mines, processes, and sells industrial minerals through a multi-mineral portfolio. The company's product offering is organized around core mineral products including High Purity Quartz (IOTA® brand), Nepheline Syenite, Kaolin, Baryte, Feldspar, Silica, Cristobalite, Recycled Glass (Cullet), and Aluminium Trihydrate. These materials serve diverse industries including glass, ceramics, construction, coatings, polymers, electronics, filtration, and water purification. Sibelco also operates an eCommerce platform (eShop) enabling direct customer ordering. The Build 2030 strategy positions Sibelco for global leadership in industrial silica, high-purity quartz (HPQ), and recycled glass, with regional leadership in selected silicate materials including olivine, feldspathics, and clays.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IOTA: High purity quartz product range including IOTA 6, IOTA 8, IOTA CG, and IOTA STX, used in semiconductors, photovoltaic cells, optical fiber, and quartz lighting.
• High 5

Products and services

• IOTA® High Purity Quartz

Quantifiable outcome

• Revenue CAGR of 10% from 2020 to 2025
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 July 2026Sibelco contributed to UNEP's new report on sand and sustainability, contributing expertise on industrial minerals and sustainable resource management.
• Saint-GobainmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2026Sibelco and Saint-Gobain announced the separation of their Jundu joint venture. This separation concludes a significant partnership arrangement in Brazil.
• BiR&D (Brightlands Innovation Research & Development)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Sibelco joined BiR&D to advance collaborative industrial innovation, supporting the growth company strategy and sustainable world objectives through silicate materials.
• Innoptus Solar TeamminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 August 2025Sibelco supports the Belgian Innoptus Solar Team participating in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge / Solar Homerun 2026, driving innovation, safety and sustainability through collaboration on solar vehicle technology.
• KU LeuvencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership with KU Leuven for the Growing Exceptional Minds (GEM) leadership development programme. The programme combines academic learning with practical application and mentoring for selected employees from across the business.
• Strategic Materials Inc. (SMI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024Acquired in June 2024, SMI is a major glass recycling company with over 40 facilities across USA, Canada, and Mexico. This acquisition strengthened Sibelco's capacity to supply recycled materials and support circular economy initiatives in North America.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Quarzwerke Group: German family-owned industrial minerals group producing silica, feldspar, nepheline syenite, and related fillers for glass, ceramics, construction, and industrial applications. Quarzwerke was historically a Sibelco reference shareholder (LL/Quarzwerke group) until the 2024 share buyback, and is a direct competitor in European silica and silicate markets.
• Imerys: Paris-listed global leader in mineral-based specialty solutions for industries including ceramics, construction, filtration, and electronics. Imerys is the closest direct peer to Sibelco given its multi-mineral portfolio (kaolin, feldspar, perlite, HPQ via The Quartz Corp JV), global production footprint, and overlapping customer base in glass, ceramics, and performance materials.
• Covia: North American producer of industrial minerals including silica sand, nepheline syenite, kaolin, and calcium carbonate. Covia serves glass, ceramics, coatings, and construction end markets with comparable mineral families, making it a direct peer in the regional and product overlap with Sibelco's North American silica and silicate businesses.
• U.S. Silica Holdings: U.S.-listed producer of silica sand and other industrial minerals serving oil & gas, glass, building products, and specialty chemicals end markets. U.S. Silica is a direct competitor in North American industrial silica sand and overlaps significantly with Sibelco's U.S. glass, construction, and specialty silica customers.
• Badger Mining Corporation: Privately held U.S. producer of high-quality industrial silica sand serving glass, foundry, oil & gas, and construction end markets. Badger Mining is a direct peer in North American industrial silica sand with comparable product specifications and customers.
• KaMin LLC / CADAM: Global producer of kaolin and specialty minerals serving paper, coatings, construction, adhesives, and rubber end markets. KaMin/CADAM is a direct peer in industrial kaolin and overlaps with Sibelco's kaolin and performance minerals portfolio in coatings, construction, and specialty applications.
• Sibelco HPQ Competitors (The Quartz Corp): Joint venture between Imerys and Nippon Sheet Glass producing high-purity quartz for semiconductor, photovoltaic, and optical applications. The Quartz Corp is the most direct competitor to Sibelco's IOTA HPQ franchise, operating the comparable Spruce Pine-area HPQ assets and competing head-to-head for semiconductor and solar customers.

Others

• PPG Industries: Global coatings and specialty materials manufacturer that consumes industrial minerals (kaolin, feldspar, silica, barytes) as functional fillers and extenders. PPG is not a direct competitor but represents a key customer archetype for Sibelco's coatings and polymers minerals segment, illustrating downstream demand dynamics.

Broad incumbents

• Saint-Gobain: Global building materials and glass manufacturer with extensive operations in flat glass, construction products, and high-performance materials. Saint-Gobain is both a major Sibelco customer (was JV partner in Jundu) and a broad incumbent competitor across glass and construction value chains that consumes Sibelco's industrial minerals.
• Mineral Technologies (a subsidiary of Vale): Global minerals processing and engineered materials business owned by Vale, supplying mineral-based products and processing technologies to industrial customers. Mineral Technologies overlaps with Sibelco's specialty mineral processing capabilities, particularly in industrial fillers and engineered mineral products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sibelcogroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/sibelcogroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scr-sibelco
• Instagraminstagram.com/sibelcogroup

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A4 records

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sibelco