Industrial Minerals
What it is
Barytes, or barite, is barium sulphate. It is bought almost entirely for one property — specific gravity above 4.2 — which makes it the standard weighting agent in drilling fluids and a useful filler wherever mass, sound deadening or radiation shielding is the point.
Why buyers specify it
- API-grade material meeting the 4.20 minimum specific gravity for drilling mud.
- Chemically inert and insoluble, so it does not interfere with a mud chemistry.
- High density gives sound deadening in automotive and building products.
- White, low-iron grades available for paint and plastics filler duty.
Grades we supply
Grade names are ours; the fineness and the duty are what you match against your current material.
| Grade | Specific gravity | Fineness | Usually bought for |
|---|---|---|---|
| XR-API | ≥ 4.20 | 200 mesh | Water- and oil-based drilling fluids |
| XR-Paint | ≥ 4.30 | 325 mesh | Primers, automotive coatings |
| XR-Micro | ≥ 4.30 | 800 – 1250 mesh | Plastics, sound-deadening compounds |
| XR-Lump | ≥ 4.20 | Lump | Chemical conversion, grinding on site |
Other finenesses and surface treatments are available against a firm enquiry. If you are switching from another supplier, send their data sheet and we will match the curve rather than the mesh number.
Typical analysis
Chemistry
| Component | Typical range | Note |
|---|---|---|
| BaSO4 | 90 – 98 % | Paint grades at the top |
| SiO2 | 0.5 – 4.0 % | — |
| Fe2O3 | 0.05 – 0.5 % | Lower for white grades |
| Soluble alkaline earth as Ca | ≤ 250 mg/kg | API limit |
Physical properties
| Property | Typical range | Method basis |
|---|---|---|
| Specific gravity | 4.20 – 4.45 | The defining figure |
| ISO brightness | 88 – 95 % | Paint grades |
| Oil absorption | 8 – 15 g/100 g | Very low |
| Moisture as packed | ≤ 0.5 % | — |
| Mohs hardness | 3 – 3.5 | — |
These are typical ranges for barytes (barite), not a specification. The values that govern your order are the ones measured on your lot and printed on its mill test certificate. Ask for a sample and the certificate that goes with it before you commit a production trial.
Where it is used
Barytes (Barite) is not one product sold 4 ways — it is 4 different conversations about the same mineral. We supply it into oil & gas drilling, paint & coatings, plastics & masterbatch and rubber, and in each of those the grade that works is chosen for a different reason: fineness in one, brightness in another, oil absorption or purity in the next.
Each industry below has its own page on this site, written for the people who formulate in it rather than for a general reader. If you work in one of them, start there — it will tell you which barytes (barite) grade we would quote for your application and what we need to know before quoting it.
- Oil & Gas Drilling — Weighting agent; the largest single use worldwide.
- Paint & Coatings — High-solids primers and automotive undercoats.
- Plastics & Masterbatch — Density and sound-deadening filler.
- Rubber — Weight and cost control in moulded goods.
API 13A matters. Drilling-grade barytes is tested against specific gravity, soluble alkaline earth metals and particle size limits. A paint-grade barytes will not pass, and an API grade is not the whitest material we sell. Tell us which one you need.
Packing
| Pack | Detail | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| 25 kg paper or PP bag | Palletised 40 bags per pallet, stretch-wrapped | Powders |
| 50 lb bag | US-standard weight where the plant prefers it | Powders |
| 1,000 kg / 1 MT jumbo bag | Four-loop FIBC with discharge spout | Powders, sand, granules |
| Bulk | Pneumatic tanker or loose in container, where volume justifies it | Sand, granules, lump |
Private-label bags with your own artwork are available from one container. How private label works.
Documents with every shipment
- Mill test certificate for the lot, with the measured values, not the range
- Certificate of analysis signed by the processing plant
- Safety data sheet in the US 16-section GHS format
- Certificate of origin and the commercial invoice and packing list
- Asbestos test report where the mineral and the application call for one
Related minerals
Need a price on barytes (barite)?
Send the grade, the tonnage and the delivery ZIP code. Quote and free sample back within one business day.