Australian Silica Quartz Group

What Australian Silica Quartz Group does

Australian Silica Quartz Group Ltd (ASX:ASQ) is a Western Australia-based, ASX-listed mineral exploration and development company that has historically been associated with Darling Range bauxite and over time has repositioned itself around high-grade silica products. The company's core focus is on (i) hard rock quartz and silica sand assets in Western Australia and Queensland, (ii) the White Swan Kaolin Project near Esperance, acquired via Australian Kaolin Pty Ltd in July 2026, and (iii) legacy bauxite and multi-metal exploration interests including Koolyanobbing (gold, nickel, lithium, copper). ASQ holds a 47 Mt inferred kaolin resource with an approved 250,000 tpa free-dig, near-surface, open-pit DSO mining operation, a 17.3 Mt Quartz Hill MGSi Mineral Resource at 99.04% SiO2 (JORC 2012, December 2023), and rock chip samples up to 99.85% SiO2 at Gilbert Ranges (late 2025).

The company's product portfolio spans commodity silica products — high-grade silica sand (>99.5% SiO2) and high-purity hard rock quartz — alongside an active R&D program aimed at ultra high purity quartz (>99.997% SiO2, IOTA standard) targeting semiconductor, solar PV, fibre optic, medical and lighting end-markets. Bauxite is being advanced through a joint venture with HD Mining & Investments Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of China's Shandong Bureau No.1 Institute for Prospecting of Geology & Minerals, with HDM working towards a 40% interest in bauxite rights. The company's stated mission is to identify and unlock critical mineral resources for the clean energy transition.

ASQ monetises through direct export sales of mineral products to industrial customers in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan — including Mitsubishi, Taiwan Glass Industry, Xinyi Golden Ruite Quartz Materials, Zhuzhou Kibing, and the Toyota/Tochu Austsand partnership in Albany — and through DSO mining at White Swan. The company is small (1–10 employees, A$6.29M market capitalisation as of August 2026, no disclosed revenue, and EBITDA losses of approximately A$2.0–2.75M per annum from 2021 through 2024), and remains pre-commercial on most assets, with commercialization of the kaolin operation only just beginning in 2026.

Name

Australian Silica Quartz Group

Legal name

Australian Silica Quartz Group Ltd

Website

https://asqg.com.au

Company type

Public

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Australian Silica Quartz Group Ltd (ASX:ASQ) is a Western Australian mineral exploration and development company producing high-grade silica sand and hard rock quartz for Asian glass and industrial customers, and developing kaolin, bauxite, and ultra high purity quartz assets for semiconductor and clean-energy applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Minerals Mining

NAICS

Industrial Sand Mining (212322), Sand, Gravel, Clay, and Ceramic and Refractory Minerals Mining and Quarrying (21232)

SIC

Mining & Quarrying Of Nonmetallic Minerals (No Fuels) (1400)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial Sand (Silica Sand for Foundry, Glass & Industrial Uses) (IMAKAHAK)

Keywords

• Industrial silica mining
• High purity quartz
• Kaolin production
• Bauxite exploration
• Critical minerals export

Headquarters

HQ city

Subiaco

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Kaolin Production and Sale: Production and sale of kaolin industrial mineral used in ceramics, paper, and chemical applications. ASQ holds the White Swan Kaolin Project with 47 million tonnes inferred resource and has received DSO mining approval for 250,000 tonne per annum operation.
2. High Grade Silica Sand: Production of washed, sized and classified high grade silica sand (>99.5% SiO2) for glass, chemical, foundry and filter industries. Primary export destinations are China, Japan and Korea.
3. High Purity Hard Rock Quartz: Production and sale of high purity hard rock quartz products from Queensland and Western Australian projects for use in semiconductors, solar PV cells, fibre optics, medical and lighting industries.
4. Bauxite Royalty and Joint Venture: ASQ retains royalty rights over Felicitas and Fortuna bauxite resources and has joint venture with HD Mining & Investments for further bauxite project development.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Australian Silica Quartz Group Ltd is a publicly listed Australian mineral exploration and mining company that produces high grade silica sand (>99.5% SiO2) and high purity hard rock quartz for export to industrial customers in glass, chemical, foundry, semiconductor, solar PV, and fibre optics markets. The company also holds the White Swan Kaolin Project near Esperance with a 47 million tonne inferred resource, plus bauxite assets in Western Australia developed through a joint venture with HD Mining & Investments.

Product overview

Australian Silica Quartz Group Ltd is a mineral exploration and mining company operating a diversified portfolio of industrial mineral and metal projects. The company operates as a single entity offering multiple product lines: high grade silica quartz products (silica sand and hard rock quartz) for glass, chemical, and industrial applications; an R&D program developing ultra high purity quartz (>99.997% SiO2) for semiconductors and solar PV; kaolin products from the White Swan project; bauxite for the alumina industry; and exploration projects targeting gold, nickel, lithium, and copper. The company conducts exploration and development activities through multiple tenements across Western Australia and Queensland, with products targeted at export markets including China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• High Grade Silica Sand

Quantifiable outcome

• White Swan Kaolin Project - 47 million tonne inferred resource with DSO mining approval for 250,000 tpa operation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HD Mining & Investments Pty LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture with HD Mining & Investments Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shandong Bureau No.1 Institute for Prospecting of Geology & Minerals. The BRL-HD Mining Joint Venture focuses on bauxite projects in Western Australia where HDM is working towards obtaining a 40% interest in the bauxite rights of several tenements wholly owned by ASQ, with additional 20% interest upon feasibility study decision. ASQ maintains 100% interest in all other minerals.
• Toyota & Tochu PartnershipcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorToyota and Tochu Partnership operates the Austsand project at Albany, utilizing Australian high grade silica resources for supply to South East Asian markets
• Shandong Bureau No.1 Institute for Prospecting of Geology & MineralscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company of HD Mining & Investments Pty Ltd, providing technical expertise and funding for joint venture bauxite exploration and development in Western Australia

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Perpetual Resources Limited: ASX-listed small-cap explorer with silica sand and bauxite assets in Western Australia. Closely comparable to ASQ on portfolio mix, scale and development stage — a useful benchmark for the ASX small-cap silica/bauxite peer set.
• Diatreme Resources Limited: ASX-listed emerging silica sand developer with projects in Queensland and Western Australia targeting glass and foundry markets. Directly comparable in commodity, geography and stage to ASQ's silica sand portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Tronox Holdings plc: Global vertically integrated producer of titanium dioxide and zircon, with mineral sands operations including silica/zircon products. Broad industrial minerals incumbent whose scale and customer base provide reference points for ASQ's longer-term trajectory.
• Imerys SA: Global industrial minerals leader with significant kaolin operations used in paper, ceramics and paints. Directly comparable to ASQ on the kaolin side through its dominant position in the same downstream markets ASQ's White Swan project targets.
• Iluka Resources Limited: ASX-listed major mineral sands and industrial minerals producer with zircon, titanium dioxide feedstock and rare earths operations. Broad Australian-listed incumbent whose diversified industrial minerals model ASQ aspires to in a smaller form.
• Covia Holdings Corporation: North American industrial minerals producer (formed from the merger of Unimin/Sibelco NA and Fairmount Santrol) supplying silica sand, nepheline syenite and other industrial minerals. Broad incumbent comparator for ASQ's silica sand business.
• Sibelco: Global industrial minerals company producing silica, nepheline, feldspar and other industrial minerals across multiple continents. Broad incumbent serving the same glass, foundry and chemical customers ASQ targets, with established high-purity quartz capability.

Regional players

• Jiangsu Pacific Quartz Products Co Ltd: China-based high purity quartz producer and major global supplier to the semiconductor and solar PV industries. Regional incumbent with comparable HPQ product targeting the same Asian customers ASQ seeks to supply.

Direct peers

• VRX Silica Ltd: ASX-listed silica sand developer with multiple Western Australian silica sand projects. Directly comparable to ASQ as a fellow small-cap Australian silica sand explorer targeting similar glass and foundry end-markets.
• The Quartz Corp: Specialty producer of high purity quartz for solar, semiconductor and lighting applications. Directly comparable to ASQ's UHPQ R&D ambitions as one of the established players ASQ would seek to compete with in the IOTA-standard HPQ market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/australian-silica-quartz-group-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Australian Silica Quartz Group