How much do you use?
Each person in the UK uses over ten tonnes of minerals and metals in one year, on average. This figure includes minerals commodities you use at home and a share of minerals, metals and fuels used in leisure, retail, transport, work and public facilities.
In your lifetime, this can add up to quite a lot:
Click the video cameras to see more animations for Metals, More metals and Fuel.
Bulk minerals
Metals
More metals
Fuel
Average quantities of the main minerals and metals that are used in a person's lifetime in the UK at 2004 rates of consumption. The volume of the mineral, metal or fuel used depends on both the mass and density.
| tonnes | tonnes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregates: | Aluminium | 0.694 | ||
| Crushed rock | 165.66 | Copper | 0.474 | |
| Sand and gravel | 112.26 | Gold | 0.001 | |
| Secondary aggregates | 0.06 | Lead | 0.394 | |
| Building stone | 3.99 | Magnesium | 0.014 | |
| Cement | 14.45 | Manganese | 0.151 | |
| Clays | 26.75 | Nickel | 0.022 | |
| Coal | 79.32 | Phosphorus | 0.022 | |
| Gypsum | 4.03 | Silicon | 0.079 | |
| Other bulk minerals: | Silver | 0.002 | ||
| Barytes | 0.13 | Steel | 17.190 | |
| Feldspar | 0.04 | Tin | 0.007 | |
| Fluorspar | 0.09 | Titanium | 0.024 | |
| Potash | 0.51 | Zinc | 0.312 | |
| Talc | 0.09 | Petroleum | 103.34 | |
| Salt | 6.95 | Natural Gas | 126.45 | |
| Silica sand | 6.42 | |||
Find out more
To find out more read Mineral Matters 7: Minerals in our lives.
The Mineral Information Institute shows how much an American will consume in a lifetime. Figures are given in pounds. For comparison there are 2204.6 pounds in a tonne.
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