Sibelco
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.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1872
- HeadquartersAntwerp, Belgium
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
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.
Sibelco firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Sibelco industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Sibelco is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Antwerp
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices8 records
Markets served
Sibelco business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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
Sibelco product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Sibelco
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles7 records
Sibelco technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Sibelco partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)majorSibelco contributed to UNEP's new report on sand and sustainability, contributing expertise on industrial minerals and sustainable resource management.
- Saint-GobainmajorSibelco 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)coreSibelco joined BiR&D to advance collaborative industrial innovation, supporting the growth company strategy and sustainable world objectives through silicate materials.
- Innoptus Solar TeamminorSibelco 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 LeuvencorePartnership 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)coreAcquired 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
Sibelco competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
Sibelco social profiles
Digital presenceSibelco compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Sibelco financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sibelco leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles20 records
Sibelco subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Sibelco funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sibelco M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A4 records
Investments3 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sibelco
What does Sibelco do?
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.
Is Sibelco a public or private company?
Sibelco is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Sibelco founded?
Sibelco was founded in 1872. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Sibelco based?
Sibelco is headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does Sibelco make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Industrial Minerals Sales are the primary driver. The others are glass Recycling.
Who are Sibelco's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Quarzwerke Group, Imerys, Covia, U.S. Silica Holdings, Badger Mining Corporation, KaMin LLC / CADAM and Sibelco HPQ Competitors (The Quartz Corp). PPG Industries is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Saint-Gobain and Mineral Technologies (a subsidiary of Vale).
Does Sibelco have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sibelco.
What industry is Sibelco in?
Sibelco's product category is Industrial Minerals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAKAGAK, Silica & Quartz Mining (Industrial Silica Sand, High-Purity Quartz). Its NAICS code is 327 and its SIC code is 1400.