Imerys

What Imerys does

Imerys S.A. is a publicly traded French specialty minerals company (Euronext Paris: NK) founded in 1908 with its first carbon manufacturing operation in the Swiss canton of Ticino. The company mines or processes more than 30 different minerals drawn from over 100 mineral deposits globally, holding world #1 positions in andalusite, diatomite, expanded perlite, calcined refractory products, graphite conductive additives, and conductive carbon black, plus world #2 in calcium carbonates. It operates across 21+ countries on five continents, with headquarters in Paris and dedicated technology centers in France, Switzerland, China, Japan, the United States, and Austria, while maintaining an average of 20 years of mineral reserves.

The company's core capabilities span mineral extraction, high-temperature processing for fused and calcined products, synthetic graphite production with over 99% carbon purity, proprietary CVD coating for carbon-coated graphite, and engineered mineral formulation. Imerys sells both mineral commodities (calcium carbonate, talc, kaolin, bentonite, perlite, diatomite, etc.) and specialty engineered solutions marketed under brands such as ALODUR®, ImerCare®, MULCOA®, Timrex®, C-NERGY™, FilmLink®, Celite®, and SECAR®. Its horizontal go-to-market serves ten or more end markets including ceramics, refractories, batteries and fuel cells, construction, cosmetics, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, abrasives, advanced ceramics, and animal care, with technical-services and formulation-support bundled into product sales.

Revenue is generated through B2B direct enterprise sales of mineral products to industrial customers, primarily via multi-year contracts negotiated on volume, specifications, and long-term supply arrangements. Distribution relies on Imerys's owned mines, processing plants, and logistics infrastructure spanning EMEA, North America, South America, and Asia Pacific. Recent strategic moves include the January 2025 acquisition of Chemviron's European diatomite and perlite assets, the June 2026 acquisition of Great Lakes Minerals in the United States, the February 2026 French State equity participation in the EMILI lithium project at Beauvoir (targeting 34,000 tonnes/year of battery-grade lithium hydroxide), and the early-2026 placement of the British Lithium project into care and maintenance pending a long-term partner.

Name

Imerys

Legal name

Imerys S.A.

Website

https://imerys.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1908

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Imerys S.A. is a publicly traded French specialty minerals company mining and processing over 30 minerals from 100+ deposits globally, serving industrial customers across ceramics, batteries, construction, refractories, cosmetics, food and beverage, and pharmaceuticals with world-leading positions in multiple mineral categories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Minerals

NAICS

Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying (2123), Ground or Treated Mineral and Earth Manufacturing (327992), All Other Miscellaneous Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (327999)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Exploration & Resource Development (Critical Minerals) (IMAKAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Minerals Trading (Phosphate, Potash, Sulfur, Borates, Barite, Talc) (IMAKAJAF), Mine Development & Processing EPC (Critical Minerals) (IMAKAFAM)

Keywords

• Industrial minerals
• Specialty minerals
• Mineral processing
• Refractory materials
• Mineral-based solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices26 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. Mineral Product Sales: Imerys generates revenue through mining and processing over 30 different minerals and selling them to industrial customers across diverse end markets including construction, automotive, ceramics, batteries, cosmetics, food & beverage, and more. The company continuously replaces and develops mineral reserves and resources, maintaining an average of 20 years worth of production in reserves.
2. Specialty Mineral Solutions: Revenue generated from engineered mineral solutions tailored for specific customer applications, including ready-to-press powders, bodies, glazes, and kiln furniture for ceramic producers. Includes technical services and formulation support bundled with mineral product sales.
3. Strategic Raw Materials (Lithium): Future revenue stream from the EMILI lithium project in France, designed to address the dual challenge of energy transition and economic sovereignty by supplying lithium for electric vehicle batteries in Europe.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Imerys mines and processes over 30 different specialty minerals extracted from more than 100 mineral deposits worldwide. The company engineers these raw minerals into tailored solutions for industrial customers across diverse end markets including construction, ceramics, refractories, batteries and fuel cells, automotive, cosmetics, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture. Their portfolio spans andalusite, bentonite, calcium carbonate, carbon black, diatomite, graphite, kaolin, lithium, mullite, perlite, talc, and many others.

Product overview

Imerys is a world leader in mineral-based solutions, mining and processing over 30 different minerals extracted from over 100 mineral deposits globally. The company operates a platform-plus-portfolio model, offering an extensive range of industrial minerals including Andalusite, Bentonite, Calcium carbonate, Carbon black, Diatomite, Graphite, Kaolin, Lithium, Mullite, Perlite, Talc, and many others. Imerys transforms these raw minerals into engineered solutions across diverse markets including refractories, ceramics, batteries & fuel cells, construction, cosmetics, food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture. The company's product portfolio includes branded product lines such as ALODUR® for abrasives and refractories, C-NERGY™ for battery carbon blacks, ImerCare® for cosmetics, and MULCOA® for calcined products. With Technology Centers in Lyon, Tianjin, Bironico, Kawasaki, and Toulouse, Imerys provides technical expertise and formulation services alongside its mineral products. The company maintains over 20 years of reserves on average and serves customers across Europe, Americas, and Asia Pacific through a network of production sites and ore deposits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ALODUR®: Brand for fused aluminum oxide products for abrasives and advanced ceramics applications.
• C-NERGY™
• FilmLink®
• ImerCare®
• Powerate™
• ReMined®
• SECAR®
• Sewper®
• Ternal®
• MULCOA®
• MULGRAIN®
• ENSACO®
• Super P® Li
• Timrex®
• Celite®
• EMILI

Products and services

• Andalusite A naturally occurring alumino-silicate mineral with up to 60% alumina content, prized raw material for refractories and foundry castings. Transforms into mullite at temperatures between 1,200°C and 1,550°C. World's leading producer of alumino-silicates for the refractory industry.
• Bentonite A highly absorbent, viscous plastic clay consisting predominantly of montmorillonite. Presents strong colloidal properties and swells 20 times its original volume when in contact with water, enabling binding, sealing, and absorbing applications.
• Calcium Carbonate An essential and versatile mineral found in chalk, limestone, and marble. Available as Ground Calcium Carbonate (GCC) and Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC). Over 250 grades available worldwide with operations in 21+ countries and 48 production sites.
• Carbon Black Amorphous para-crystalline carbon produced from partial combustion of hydrocarbons. Imerys produces high-quality, high purity conductive carbon blacks for lithium-ion batteries, polymers, fuel cells, and powder metallurgy. Leading supplier of conductive carbon black for lithium-ion batteries powering electric vehicles.
• Diatomite Sedimentary rock composed of fossilized skeletal remains of diatoms. A naturally occurring versatile mineral with elaborate honeycomb structure used in filtration, cosmetics, paints, plastics, and pharmaceuticals. World leader in diatomite production and leading producer of diatomite for filtration.
• Graphite Available as natural and synthetic graphite with purity over 99% carbon. Prized for electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, softness, chemical inertness, heat resistance and lubricity. Used in lithium-ion batteries, alkaline batteries, refractories, brake pads, fuel cells, and polymers.
• Lithium A light alkali element critical for lithium-ion batteries. Imerys has launched the EMILI project for lithium mining and refining in central France, with projected production of 34,000 tonnes/year of lithium hydroxide capable of powering 700,000 electric vehicles annually.
• Mullite Extremely rare in natural form, artificially produced by melting or firing various alumino-silicates. Outstanding thermo-mechanical properties make it key for refractories and foundry applications. World's leading producer of calcined products for the refractory industry.
• Perlite Naturally occurring volcanic rock that expands 4 to 20 times its original volume when heated at temperatures from 750 to 1,250°C. Lightweight, fireproof rock used in filtration, cosmetics, construction, and horticulture. World's leading supplier of expanded perlite.
• Kaolin Rock from which the clay mineral kaolinite is derived. Used for millennia in porcelain and today in paper, paints, fiberglass, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Includes extra-white kaolins and halloysites for ceramics.
• Talc The softest rock on the planet, an ultra-versatile mineral valued for diverse properties in wide range of applications including ceramics, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.
• ALODUR® Fused Aluminum Oxides World's leading brand of pure, high-performance fused aluminum oxides for abrasives, advanced ceramics, investment casting, and refractories. With 12 production sites, Imerys is the market leader in fused alumina.
• Timrex® Graphite Powders Wide range of natural and synthetic graphite powders for batteries, fuel cells, polymers, and component manufacturing. Including carbon-coated graphite using a proprietary chemical vapour deposition (CVD) process.
• ImerCare® Cosmetic Minerals Range of engineered minerals for cosmetics and personal care including diatomaceous earth, kaolin, mica, perlite, calcium carbonate providing exfoliation, mattifying, opacity, transparency, coverage, rheology, absorption, and skin feel benefits.
• Ceramic Bodies and Glazes Ready-to-use ceramic bodies, powders, glazes, and kiln furniture for ceramic producers including sanitaryware, tableware, tiles, and technical ceramics applications.
• Celite® Filtration Products World-leading diatomite products for filtration, adhesives, sealants, food and beverage filtration (beer, wine, fruit juices, edible oils), and pharmaceutical-grade filtration including blood plasma fractionation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Bentonite swells 20 times its original volume when in contact with water, enabling binding, sealing, and absorbing applications
• +4 more outcomes

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Nippon Power GraphitecoreTechnology or Integration2017 acquisition of Japanese company Nippon Power Graphite specialized in graphite coating technologies widened Imerys' graphite portfolio to include carbon-coated graphite using a proprietary chemical vapour deposition process (CVD coating).

Scale indicators22 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Huber Engineered Materials: U.S.-based specialty minerals and fire retardant additives business (part of J.M. Huber Corporation). Comparable to Imerys in calcium carbonate, kaolin, and engineered mineral solutions for construction, plastics, and industrial customers.
• Quarzwerke Group: German family-owned specialty industrial minerals producer focused on high-purity quartz, silica, nepheline, feldspars, and kaolin. Comparable to Imerys in serving specialty fillers, refractories, and industrial applications with European-centered operations.
• Minerals Technologies Inc. U.S.-listed specialty minerals company (MTX) producing precipitated calcium carbonate, bentonite, perlite, talc, and refractory products. Directly comparable to Imerys across construction, consumer products, and industrial minerals segments with overlapping product portfolio.
• Omya: Swiss privately-held global producer of calcium carbonates and specialty mineral ingredients serving paper, plastics, paints, agriculture, and pharma. Directly comparable to Imerys as a fellow #1/#2 player in calcium carbonates with overlapping end markets and similar B2B technical selling model.
• Sibelco: Belgian-headquartered global leader in specialty industrial minerals including silica, nepheline, feldspars, ball clays, and high-purity quartz. Directly comparable to Imerys in serving ceramics, glass, construction, and specialty industrial applications with a similarly broad multi-mineral portfolio and global footprint.

Emerging players

• Nabaltec AG: German specialty alumina producer serving refractory, ceramic, and flame-retardant markets with aluminum hydroxide and boehmite products. Comparable to Imerys' specialty aluminas (ALODUR®) for refractories and advanced ceramics applications.
• Toda Kogyo Corporation: Japanese specialty materials producer focused on battery materials, iron oxide pigments, and functional materials. Comparable to Imerys in graphite and battery materials supply for lithium-ion batteries, though with greater focus on cathode materials than Imerys' graphite and carbon black.

Broad incumbents

• Tronox Holdings: U.S.-listed vertically integrated producer of titanium dioxide pigments and zircon. Operates mining and mineral processing assets globally with end markets in paints, plastics, and paper, sharing Imerys' mine-to-finished-product operating model and cyclical end-market exposure.
• Albemarle Corporation: U.S.-listed global leader in lithium and bromine specialty chemicals. Overlaps with Imerys' emerging critical minerals strategy (lithium for EV batteries) and is comparable for investors assessing Western lithium supply chain exposure, though broader in chemicals than Imerys.

Others

• Element Solutions Inc: U.S.-listed specialty chemicals company providing electronic materials, industrial, and energy solutions. Adjacent peer — comparable in B2B specialty materials go-to-market and serving electronics/energy end markets including battery materials, but with broader chemicals exposure than Imerys.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/imerys

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A18 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Imerys