Sources of silica sand and quartz are ubiquitous, and as such are produced and consumed in most countries of the globe. Annual production of what can be termed high grade silica is around the 140-150m tonnes, but this could be as much as doubled if low quality material is also taken into account. Because of its high availability, international trade in the material is relatively minor. Notable exceptions do exist, particularly for specialised, high grade material needed for certain applications. For example, one producer in Malaysia exports a large proportion of output to Japan for TV glass manufacture, However, generally the comparatively low price of raw silica sand makes it uneconomical to freight over large distances. A table is shown for global output of high grade silica sand.
