Average price of common clay 2007-2019

The average price of the construction material, common clay, was about 17 U.S. dollars per ton in 2019. The United States produces about a quarter of the world’s refined clay, excluding common clay and shale. In the U.S., clay is primarily used for floor and wall tiles (ball clay), as pet waste absorbents and drilling mud (bentonite), and as brick, lightweight aggregate, and cement (common clay).

What is clay and what is it used for?

Clay is a natural rock or soil material with a fine grain which usually contains clay minerals. The color of clay can also vary greatly, from white to brown to an orange-red, depending on the soil’s content. Clays can be quite plastic when mixed with water, hard when it is dried, and permanently altered both physically and chemically if heated. Clay can be used for decorative purposes and as construction products – e.g. bricks and tiles. Loam, a mixture of clay, silt, and sand, is one of the oldest building materials in the world. An estimated third of the population still reside in buildings created with clay. The versatility of clay makes it an ideal substance for a variety of natural building techniques.