Beryllium and the Economy

The United States is the leading producer of beryllium and a major exporter of the material. Beyond the favorable economic impact the beryllium industry makes directly, beryllium materials support the growth of many high technology industries from energy to medical to consumer electronics that employ hundreds of thousands of workers.

Since its commercial infancy in the 1920s and 1930s, beryllium has grown into a global industry. Worldwide revenues for beryllium and beryllium-containing materials are estimated to be $700 million per year.

Beryllium industry jobs provide competitive salaries and benefits, including medical and pension plans.

Beryllium producers and fabricators in the U.S. make an important economic contribution to their communities through employment, taxes, purchase of goods, materials and services, civic involvement and charitable giving.

Equally important, beryllium plays a unique and vital role in the success of many downstream high technology industries from energy to medical to consumer electronics.

The U.S, China and Kazakhstan are the only countries creating beryllium products from beryllium ores and concentrates, and the U.S. has the largest capacity to process beryllium ores and concentrates into finished products used by the rest of the world. The U.S. is a major exporter of beryllium materials.