Lead production spans mine output, refined metal, recycled feed, trade and market balances. The statistics below distinguish those measures by geography, period and definition, with 2024 figures from the International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG) explicitly preliminary and 2024 U.S. figures from the USGS estimates.
Key Lead Production Statistics
The most broadly useful lead production figures include:
- World lead mine production reached 4,555 thousand tonnes in 2024, measured as lead content and reported as a preliminary global estimate.
- World lead mine production increased 1.9% in 2024 compared with 2023, according to the preliminary ILZSG comparison.
- Global refined lead metal production was 13,013 thousand tonnes in 2024, down 1.7% from 2023 in preliminary ILZSG data.
- Secondary raw materials supplied 67.5% of global refined lead production in 2024, where secondary means scrap-derived refined lead.
- Global refined lead output was 1,109.2 thousand tonnes in November 2024, according to the ILZSG monthly table.
- China produced 1,941 thousand tonnes of mined lead in 2024, a preliminary 1.0% decrease from 2023.
- Australia produced 502 thousand tonnes of mined lead in 2024, a preliminary 6.2% increase from 2023.
- The United States produced 302 thousand tonnes of mined lead in 2024 in the ILZSG series, a preliminary 11.5% increase from 2023.
- Mexico produced 198 thousand tonnes of mined lead in 2024, up a preliminary 8.3% from 2023.
- Peru produced 291 thousand tonnes of mined lead in 2024, up a preliminary 6.7% from 2023.
- USGS estimated U.S. mined lead production at 300 thousand metric tons in 2024, measured as lead content.
- U.S. secondary-refinery output from old scrap was estimated at 1,000 thousand metric tons in 2024, a measure separate from mine production.
- U.S. refined unwrought lead imports for consumption were estimated at 420 thousand metric tons in 2024, representing trade rather than domestic production.
- Teck’s Red Dog operation produced 109,100 tonnes of lead in Alaska in 2024, according to company-reported operating data.
- Teck guided Red Dog lead production to 85,000–105,000 tonnes for 2025, a management forecast subject to grades and operating conditions.
- Teck’s Trail Operations produced 61,100 tonnes of refined lead in British Columbia in 2024, with output affected by a rail labour dispute and localized fire.
- Global refined lead supply exceeded demand by 36 thousand tonnes in 2024, according to the preliminary ILZSG market balance.
- Reported global lead inventories rose by 104 thousand tonnes to 549 thousand tonnes at the end of 2024, covering selected exchanges and market participants.
- The average 2024 LME cash settlement price for lead was US$2,073 per tonne, 3.1% below the 2023 average.
Contents
- Global lead mine production statistics and five-year trends
- Refined lead production data: primary, secondary and monthly output
- Country-level lead production statistics from major regions
- U.S. lead production, refining and trade statistics
- Lead production at Teck’s Red Dog and Trail operations
- Lead production outlook, inventories and price measures
Global Lead Mine Production Statistics and Five-Year Trends
The ILZSG defines mine production as lead content in ores and concentrates intended for lead recovery. It is therefore not the same as ore tonnage, and the series should not be compared directly with refined-metal output without keeping that definition in view.
| Year | World mine production | Status and unit |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 4,437 thousand tonnes | Observed; lead content |
| 2021 | 4,552 thousand tonnes | Observed; lead content |
| 2022 | 4,433 thousand tonnes | Observed; lead content |
| 2023 | 4,469 thousand tonnes | Observed; lead content |
| 2024 | 4,555 thousand tonnes | Preliminary estimate; lead content |
Source: ILZSG, “Review of Trends in 2024: Lead”.
The 2024 total was 1.9% higher than 2023. Regional and national results moved in different directions: Europe reached 453 thousand tonnes, up 1.0%, while China reached 1,941 thousand tonnes, down 1.0%.
Australia’s 2024 mined-lead output was 502 thousand tonnes, up 6.2%, and U.S. output in the ILZSG series was 302 thousand tonnes, up 11.5%. These figures are preliminary, and the ILZSG notes that the U.S. series differs slightly from USGS estimates because reporting conventions and sources differ.
Refined Lead Production Data: Primary, Secondary and Monthly Output
Refined lead metal includes refined pig lead and refined alloys, while the ILZSG secondary category means refined lead made from scrap and processing residues. Remelted lead without full refining is excluded from the cited refined-metal definition.
| Year | Global refined lead metal | Secondary share |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 12,545 thousand tonnes | Not stated in supplied series |
| 2021 | 13,000 thousand tonnes | Not stated in supplied series |
| 2022 | 12,780 thousand tonnes | Not stated in supplied series |
| 2023 | 13,241 thousand tonnes | 67.0% |
| 2024 | 13,013 thousand tonnes | 67.5%; preliminary |
Source: ILZSG, “Review of Trends in 2024: Lead”.
Global refined output fell 1.7% in 2024 compared with 2023, even as the secondary share increased from 67.0% to 67.5%. The share describes the source of refined feed, not the amount of mine production.
The monthly ILZSG figures show output of 1,090.9 thousand tonnes in September 2024, 1,101.5 thousand tonnes in October, 1,109.2 thousand tonnes in November and 1,104.8 thousand tonnes in December. These are monthly global refined-metal figures, not quarterly or annual totals.
Country-Level Lead Production Statistics from Major Regions
The ILZSG’s 2024 country data are preliminary and measure mined lead content. The table keeps the reported countries and residual grouping together without combining them with differently defined U.S. series.
| Geography | 2024 mined lead | Change from 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| China | 1,941 thousand tonnes | Down 19 thousand tonnes; 1.0% |
| Australia | 502 thousand tonnes | Up 29 thousand tonnes; 6.2% |
| Peru | 291 thousand tonnes | Up 18 thousand tonnes; 6.7% |
| United States | 302 thousand tonnes | Up 31 thousand tonnes; 11.5% |
| Mexico | 198 thousand tonnes | Up 15 thousand tonnes; 8.3% |
| India | 223 thousand tonnes | Down 3 thousand tonnes; 1.3% |
| Other countries | 645 thousand tonnes | Up 10 thousand tonnes; 1.6% |
Source: ILZSG, “Review of Trends in 2024: Lead”.
China was the largest named producer in this table, while India was the only named country besides China with a reported decline. “Other countries” is an ILZSG residual grouping, not a single nation.
U.S. Lead Production, Refining and Trade Statistics
USGS reports several related but non-interchangeable measures: mined lead in concentrates, recoverable lead from mines, secondary-refinery output from old scrap and refined unwrought lead imports for consumption. The 2024 values are estimates rather than final audited totals.
| U.S. measure | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mined lead, lead content | 306 | 294 | 273 | 270 | 300 |
| Recoverable lead from mines | 297 | 286 | 264 | 263 | 290 |
| Secondary refinery output from old scrap | 1,090 | 1,050 | 1,010 | 1,010 | 1,000 |
| Refined unwrought lead imports for consumption | 382 | 614 | 652 | 519 | 420 |
All values are thousand metric tons. Source: USGS, “Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Lead”.
The distinction matters: old-scrap refinery output is not mine production, and imports are trade quantities rather than domestic output. For example, USGS estimated 1,000 thousand metric tons of secondary-refinery output from old scrap in 2024 alongside 300 thousand metric tons of mined lead.
Lead Production at Teck’s Red Dog and Trail Operations
Teck’s operation-level reporting illustrates how a mine and a refinery can show different production patterns. Red Dog is in Alaska, while Trail Operations is in British Columbia.
Red Dog produced 93,400 tonnes of lead in 2023 and 109,100 tonnes in 2024; Teck attributed the higher 2024 result to increased throughput. Management guidance then placed Red Dog production at 85,000–105,000 tonnes for 2025, 70,000–90,000 tonnes for 2026, 60,000–80,000 tonnes for 2027 and 50,000–65,000 tonnes for 2028.
Trail produced 65,900 tonnes of refined lead in 2023 and 61,100 tonnes in 2024. The company said the 2024 result was affected by a rail labour dispute and a localized fire.
Trail’s recycling process treated 25,800 tonnes of material in 2024, with a plan to treat about 27,200 tonnes in 2025. Material treated is throughput, not refined lead output.
Source: Teck, “2024 Annual Report”.
Lead Production Outlook, Inventories and Price Measures
Production statistics are only one part of the lead market. The ILZSG estimated that global refined supply exceeded demand by 36 thousand tonnes in 2024, while global refined demand fell 0.8% from 2023.
Reported global inventories rose by 104 thousand tonnes to 549 thousand tonnes at the end of 2024. The inventory measure covers LME and SHFE stocks plus reported producer, merchant and consumer inventories, so it does not necessarily capture every stockpile.
China’s net imports of lead contained in concentrates rose 9.6% to 712 thousand tonnes in 2024. China also shifted from net exports of 183 thousand tonnes of refined lead in 2023 to net imports of 126 thousand tonnes in 2024; both are trade-flow measures, not mine or refined-production totals.
Price data provide market context but do not represent production costs. The average 2024 LME cash settlement price was US$2,073 per tonne, 3.1% below 2023; its 2024 high was US$2,291 per tonne on May 21 and its low was US$1,905 on August 6.
The average 2024 SHFE cash settlement price was RMB17,395 per tonne, 10.3% above 2023. These LME and SHFE prices use different exchanges and currencies, so they should be read as separate market measures.
Source: ILZSG, “Review of Trends in 2024: Lead”.