Lime

Lime is a white or greyish material derived from limestone and used in a variety of industrial processes. It is produced by heating limestone in kilns to create quicklime (calcium oxide) or slaked lime (calcium hydroxide). The leading producers of lime are China, India, and the United States. Lime is primarily used in steelmaking, water treatment, and construction.

Sub-Category	Core Content Range	Size Range
Calcined Lime	Various	n/a
Crude Dolomite	Various	n/a
Dolomite	MgO+CaO 91-100%	2-50 mm
Fused Dolomite	CaO 57-63%	2-4 mm
Lime Fines	CaO 54-100%	0-70 mm
Limestone	Various	n/a
Nitrided Lime	Various	n/a
Slaked Lime	Ca(OH)2 95-100%	0-4 mm
Soft Burnt Lime	CaO 93-100%	5-50 mm

Please note that the above listed sub-categories including its core content and size ranges are just a snapshot of Metalshub’s currently traded raw materials. We are adding new sub-categories on a monthly basis and would be happy to assess your specific requirements to this category.

Metalshub provides producers and consumers of lime with a software solution to improve the way they buy or sell it. Our software connects over 2,000 companies in a joint trading network. This allows sellers to discover new buyers of lime and buyers to discover new suppliers of lime.

For buyers, Metalshub’s Procurement Solution allows steel mills, refractory producers, and other consumers to digitalise their procurement process in order to increase sourcing efficiency, ensure compliant buying, and take data-driven decisions. For sellers, Metalshub’s Sales Solution allows miners, traders, and other sellers to digitalise their sales process, manage inventory, and optimise their sales book.

The top producers of lime are:

• China – ~60% of global production
• India – ~10% of global lime production
• United States – ~<10% of global lime production
• Russia – ~5% of global lime production
• Brazil – ~5% of global lime production

Some of the key producers of lime include:

• Carmeuse (Belgium) – ~10% of global lime production
• Lhoist (Belgium) – ~10% of global lime production
• Graymont (Canada) – ~<10% of global lime production
• Tata Chemicals (India) – ~5% of global lime production
• Imerys (France) – ~5% of global lime production

Lime is produced by heating limestone in kilns at high temperatures to produce quicklime (calcium oxide). Quicklime can be further processed by adding water to produce slaked lime (calcium hydroxide). Lime is used in steelmaking to remove impurities and in construction for cement and plaster. It is also used in environmental applications, such as water treatment and pollution control.

Lime is primarily used in steelmaking (~40%), where it helps remove impurities from molten steel. It is also used in construction (~30%) as a key ingredient in cement and plaster. Lime is essential in water treatment (~10%) to neutralise acidity and remove contaminants. Quicklime and slaked lime are the most common forms used in these applications.