Montana Resources

What Montana Resources does

Montana Resources, LLC operates a single integrated open-pit copper and molybdenum mining operation at the Continental Pit in Butte, Montana, where it has produced over 2.5 billion pounds of copper and 300 million pounds of molybdenum since beginning operations in 1986. The mine processes approximately 15.7 million tons of ore annually through a conventional drill-blast-crush-mill-flotation circuit, with an integrated concentrator facility and the Yankee Doodle Tailings Impoundment for tailings storage. The company employs approximately 400 people and reports reserves projected to support mining through 2054 under current permitting. A distinctive environmental component is the joint treatment of over 3 million gallons of Berkeley Pit water daily with Atlantic Richfield Company, alongside an emerging research effort to extract rare earth elements (zinc, manganese, yttrium, lanthanum, cerium) from that water in partnership with Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology and West Virginia University.

Montana Resources is a privately held, 100% owned subsidiary of The Washington Companies, a diversified conglomerate. The company operates as a B2B mining enterprise, selling copper concentrate to smelters in North America and overseas and molybdenum concentrate to U.S. roasting facilities, with international sales historically accounting for roughly half of total revenue. Products are shipped via CPKC rail and truck transport. The company emphasizes concurrent reclamation, the Courageous Leadership safety program, and Field Level Risk Assessment as core operational practices, and it has received multiple regional awards including the 2016 Governor's Exporter of the Year, the 2019 Montana Ambassador Business of the Year, and the 2025 CPKC Safe Shipper Award. The business model is commodity-concentrate sales priced against prevailing market benchmarks, with no disclosed pricing model or revenue figures publicly available.

Name

Montana Resources

Legal name

Montana Resources, LLC

Website

https://montanaresources.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Montana Resources operates the Continental Pit open-pit copper and molybdenum mine in Butte, Montana, processing 15.7 million tons of ore annually to produce metal concentrates sold to domestic and international smelters, with reserves projected through 2054 and 100% ownership by The Washington Companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Copper and Molybdenum Mining

NAICS

Other Metal Ore Mining (21229), Mining (except Oil and Gas) (212)

SIC

Miscellaneous Metal Ores (1090), Metal Mining (1000)

akta.pro primary industry

Surface Mine Development & Pre-Strip (Earthworks, Overburden Removal, Haul Roads) (IMAKAOAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling) (IMAKAKAA)

Keywords

• Copper mining operations
• Molybdenum concentrate production
• Open-pit mineral extraction
• Mining concentrate sales
• Tailings storage management

Headquarters

HQ city

Butte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Copper Concentrate Sales: Production and sale of copper concentrates extracted from open-pit mining operations. Copper is used in infrastructure, electrical wiring, plumbing, and technology applications.
2. Molybdenum Concentrate Sales: Production and sale of molybdenum concentrates. Molybdenum is used in super-strong steel alloys for infrastructure (skyscrapers, bridges), national security (armor plating, aircraft parts), technology (electronics, smart home systems), and renewable energy (wind turbines, solar panels).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Montana Resources operates the Continental Pit, an open-pit copper and molybdenum mine in Butte, Montana, producing copper concentrate and molybdenum concentrate through drilling, blasting, crushing, milling, and flotation extraction. The operation processes approximately 15.7 million tons of ore per year and ships products to smelters and roasting facilities in North America and overseas via rail and truck. The company also operates the Berkeley Pit water treatment facility and the Yankee Doodle Tailings Impoundment as integral components of the mining operation.

Product overview

Montana Resources operates as a copper and molybdenum mining company with a single integrated operation: the Continental Pit mine in Butte, Montana. The company produces two core metal concentrate products—copper concentrate and molybdenum concentrate—through a mechanical and chemical processing chain that includes drilling, blasting, crushing, milling, and flotation extraction. The operation also includes the Berkeley Pit water treatment services and the Yankee Doodle Tailings Storage Facility as integral components of the mining process. Products are transported via rail and truck to domestic and international smelters and roasting facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Copper Concentrate High-grade copper concentrate produced from the Continental Pit mine through crushing, milling, and flotation processes. Shipped to smelters in North America and overseas for refinement into copper products used in electrical wiring, plumbing, infrastructure, and industrial applications. B2B industrial product.
• Molybdenum Concentrate Molybdenum concentrate extracted during the flotation process, bagged and transported to roasting facilities in the US. Used in molybdenum steel alloys for construction, national security applications, renewable energy systems, and technology products.
• Continental Pit Mining Operations Open-pit copper and molybdenum mining operation in Butte, Montana, including the Continental mine, crushers, and concentrator facility. Processes raw ore through drilling, blasting, loading, hauling, crushing, milling, and extraction into high-grade metal concentrates.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.5 billion pounds of copper produced since 1986
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• CPKC (Canadian Pacific Kansas City)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025CPKC is the railroad partner for shipping Montana Resources' products. Montana Resources received the 2025 CPKC Safe Shipper Award for safe transportation of hazardous materials with zero non-accidental releases. CPKC provides railroad transportation services for copper concentrate shipments (loaded into 100-ton rail cars).
• Montana Bureau of Mines and GeologystrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Montana Resources partnered with Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology and West Virginia University to study rare earth element extraction from Berkeley Pit water. Research found significant quantities of zinc, manganese, yttrium, lanthanum, and cerium in the pit's water. The collaboration supports efforts to pull rare earth elements from the Berkeley Pit for national security and technology applications.
• West Virginia UniversitystrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024West Virginia University researchers partnered with Montana Resources and Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology to analyze Berkeley Pit water for critical minerals and rare earth elements. Their findings demonstrated feasibility of extracting zinc, manganese, yttrium, lanthanum, cerium, and high-grade rare earth elements from the pit water.
• Montana Folk FestivalminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Montana Resources and Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation have been major supporters of the Montana Folk Festival since its inception in 2008. Extended funding commitment of $600,000 in 2022 ($200,000 annual level for three additional years). Festival brings world-class music, art, and cultural experiences to Butte.
• Atlantic Richfield CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMontana Resources and Atlantic Richfield Co. jointly operate the Berkeley Pit waterfowl observation and hazing program under direction of EPA and State of Montana. They also jointly treat over 3 million gallons of Berkeley Pit water daily. Both companies are involved in the Superfund site remediation in Butte.
• Dennis and Phyllis Washington FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Foundation, supported by annual contributions from Montana Resources and other Washington Companies, funds community programs. Montana Resources and the Foundation jointly support the Montana Folk Festival ($200,000 annually), Stodden Park improvements ($10 million), student scholarships, and other community initiatives. Foundation focuses on youth, economically and socially disadvantaged individuals and families.
• Montana Tech FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMontana Tech Foundation manages the Rolin Erickson Montana Resources Scholarship and Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation Highlands College Scholarship programs for Butte students pursuing education at Montana Technological University and Highlands College.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Glencore: Major diversified miner and commodity trader with significant copper mining operations and integrated smelting/marketing business. Comparable as a copper concentrate supplier with global distribution.
• Newmont: Largest gold miner globally with growing copper exposure through recent acquisitions. Operates large open-pit mines in North America with overlapping domestic U.S. presence and similar concentrate product sales model.
• Rio Tinto: Global diversified mining major with substantial copper portfolio across the Americas. Comparable as a copper concentrate producer though operates at vastly larger scale across multiple commodities and geographies.
• BHP: Global diversified miner with the world's largest copper mining operation (Escondida) and historic molybdenum exposure. Overlapping copper concentrate production and global smelter customer base.

Direct peers

• Teck Resources: Diversified miner with significant copper operations in the Americas and historical interest in molybdenum as a by-product. Comparable scale and product mix with similar B2B concentrate sales to smelters.
• Freeport-McMoRan: One of the world's largest publicly traded copper miners with major open-pit operations in the Americas. Directly comparable as a copper-focused producer serving global smelter markets with similar concentrate-based revenue model.
• Codelco: Chilean state-owned copper mining company, the world's largest copper producer. Direct competitor in the global copper concentrate market serving similar smelter customers with comparable open-pit operating model.
• Capstone Copper: Mid-tier pure-play copper producer focused on open-pit mines in the Americas. Highly comparable as a copper concentrate producer at smaller scale, competing in the same North American and international smelter markets.
• KGHM Polska Miedź: Integrated copper and silver producer operating large open-pit and underground mines. Comparable business model producing copper concentrates for sale to international smelters.
• Southern Copper: Major integrated copper and molybdenum miner operating open-pit mines primarily in Peru and Mexico. Highly comparable given overlapping copper and by-product molybdenum production sold to international smelters.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/montanaresources
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/montana-resources-llp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Montana Resources