Cyanco
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersReno, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Cyanco does
Cyanco is a US-based specialty chemical manufacturer founded in 1988 and headquartered in Reno, Nevada, focused on producing and supplying cyanide in both liquid and solid forms. The company serves gold and silver mining operations as its primary end-market, alongside secondary applications in electroplating and chemical intermediates. According to third-party market research, Cyanco is one of only two leading global producers of potassium cyanide alongside Evonik Industries, operating within a global market valued at approximately USD 1.2 billion in 2025 and projected to reach USD 1.5 billion by 2035 at a 2.8% CAGR. Gold mining accounts for approximately 70% of total potassium cyanide demand, with the remainder distributed across electroplating and chemical synthesis applications.
The company's product portfolio is differentiated by its solid briquette format, which reportedly holds 80% market share due to advantages in safety handling and regulatory compliance during transport and use. Cyanco employs between 51 and 100 people and maintains a private ownership structure with no disclosed parent company or institutional investors in the source data. Its leadership team includes Michael Lefenfeld (President & CEO), Phil McCormick (CFO), and Michele Duttlinger (COO). The business model is industrial B2B chemical supply, monetized through volume sales to mining operators and industrial chemical buyers.
The competitive structure is oligopolistic, with high capital intensity, hazardous-materials regulation, and qualified-vendor requirements serving as structural barriers to entry. Cyanco's revenue is not disclosed in the source material, and the firm's financial scale must be inferred from its position in a duopolistic global market. Note: the company's own materials describe its product as sodium cyanide, while third-party market research characterizes the market and Cyanco's offering as potassium cyanide — this product taxonomy discrepancy is a data quality issue that should be reconciled before any investment decision.
Cyanco firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cyanco
- Legal name
- Cyanco
- Website
- https://cyanco.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Cyanco is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Reno
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Cyanco business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel
Cyanco product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cyanco produces and supplies sodium cyanide in both liquid and solid (briquette) forms for use in gold and silver mining operations, electroplating, and chemical intermediate applications. The solid briquette format accounts for an estimated 80% of the market due to safety and regulatory compliance benefits, and gold mining accounts for approximately 70% of total potassium cyanide consumption.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sodium Cyanide Sodium cyanide supplied in both liquid and solid (briquette) forms for industrial gold and silver mining operations, electroplating, and chemical intermediate applications. The solid briquette format accounts for an estimated 80% of the market due to safety and regulatory compliance benefits and is used primarily for cyanide leaching to extract gold from low-grade ores; gold mining applications account for approximately 70% of total potassium cyanide consumption.
Quantifiable outcome
- Gold mining accounts for approximately 70% of total potassium cyanide consumption
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Cyanco
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Cyanco technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Cyanco partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Cyanco competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Orica: Orica is a leading global supplier of sodium cyanide for gold mining, operating three manufacturing facilities and a global transfer station network. It competes head-to-head with Cyanco in the same product category and serves the same gold mining customer base.
- Evonik Industries: Evonik is identified alongside Cyanco as one of the two leading producers in the global potassium cyanide market. It is a large German specialty chemicals conglomerate with a cyanide production footprint that directly competes with Cyanco.
- Australian Gold Reagents: Australian Gold Reagents (AGR) is a dedicated sodium cyanide producer serving gold mining operations in Australia and surrounding regions. It is a focused competitor in the same product category as Cyanco, primarily in the Asia-Pacific market.
Broad incumbents
- BASF: BASF is the world's largest chemical company with a broad industrial chemicals portfolio that includes precursors and intermediates adjacent to cyanide chemistry. While not a dedicated NaCN producer, it is a potential competitive force in adjacent mining and industrial chemicals.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cyanco social profiles
Digital presenceCyanco financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cyanco leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Cyanco funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cyanco M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cyanco
What does Cyanco do?
Cyanco produces and supplies sodium cyanide in both liquid and solid (briquette) forms for use in gold and silver mining operations, electroplating, and chemical intermediate applications. The solid briquette format accounts for an estimated 80% of the market due to safety and regulatory compliance benefits, and gold mining accounts for approximately 70% of total potassium cyanide consumption.
Is Cyanco a public or private company?
Cyanco is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Cyanco founded?
Cyanco was founded in 1988. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Cyanco based?
Cyanco is headquartered in Reno, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Cyanco's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Orica, Evonik Industries and Australian Gold Reagents. BASF is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Cyanco have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cyanco.