A. Commodity Summary

Approximately 95 percent of all manganese ore is consumed in the manufacture of steel, primarily as ferromanganese and silicomanganese, and other minor alloy-related industries. The other five percent is used by the non-alloying industries, including the chemical, paint, fertilizer, and battery industries, and in the prod uction of manganese metal.1 Manganese ore was consumed mainly by about 20 firms with plants principally in the Eastern and Midwestern United States. Metallic manganese is often too brittle and unworkable to be widely used.2 Howev er, leading ide ntifiable end uses o f manganes e were con struction, mac hinery, and tran sportation, w hich were estim ated to be 14 perc ent, 9 percent, and 9 percent of total manganese demand, respectively. The other end uses include a variety of iron and steel applications.3 Manganese ore containing 35 percent or more manganese was not produced domestically in 1993.4 The mangane se industry in the U nited States re lies almost entire ly on foreign o res containing 35 to 55 percent m anganese. The small amount of manganese ore produced in the United States is generally used as a pigment in the manufacture of brick.5 As of 1992, there were four companies that produced manganese, manganese oxide, ferromanganese or silicon manganese in six plants in the United States. Exhibit 1 presents the names, locations, products and types of processes used by the facilities involved in the production of manganese, manganese oxide, ferromanganese, and silicomanganese