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Commodity Profile – Lead |
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Lead is a metallic chemical element with a symbol Pb. It is a heavy, soft, grey-blue metal present in a large variety of products. It is one of the oldest metals. The Romans used it for pipes and in solder. It was one of the first metals mined in North America, where it was sought after especially for making shot.
Lead is one of man's most valuable commodities in present scenario. The metal is mined and processed in some 60 countries. It is a naturally occurring element and is usually associated with other minerals, notably zinc, silver and copper. Lead is usually found in ore with zinc, silver and (most abundantly) copper, and is extracted together with these metals. Trace amounts of other elements, including gold, are sometimes found with lead ore. The main lead mineral is galena (PbS), which contains 86.6% lead. |
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Economic importance |
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Lead is a dense, ductile, very soft, highly malleable, bluish-white metal. |
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Lead is used in the manufacture of lead-acid storage batteries for automotive, industrial and consumer purposes. |
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It is used in manufacturing of lead foil, plumbing, solder, sound proofing, ammunition, addition to glass to block harmful radiation from television and computer screens. |
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It is also used as an ultraviolet ray protector in PVC plastics. |
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Red lead is lead tetroxide, Pb3O4; lead peroxide or dioxide, PbO2, is used in matches, as a mordant in dyeing, and as an oxidizing agent. |
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White lead, 2PbCO3·Pb(OH)2 (basic lead carbonate), is an important pigment used in paints, putty, and ceramics. |
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Global Scenario |
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Lead is traded mostly as soft lead, animated lead, lead alloys and copper-based lead scrap. Lead ore is mined in many countries around the world, though three quarters of world output comes from only six countries: China, Australia, USA, Peru, Canada and Mexico. China and Australia are the leading suppliers of lead in the world. Small amounts are mined in several countries of Europe, with the biggest producer being Sweden. China, India, Japan, USA and European Union are the main consumers of lead in the world. |
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Domestic Scenario |
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India’s lead production rate is not stagnant as it keeps change year by year. India's production is highly effected by zinc because domestically lead mining is done as co-product of zinc and if any case the zinc supply is increased or decreased then it will same reflect to lead. |
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