Graphite Mining in Canada: 12 Facts & Statistics

12 Canadian Graphite Mining Facts

#1 – Canada was the eighth largest global graphite producer in 2024, producing 12,000 tonnes of natural graphite ^[2]

#2 – Canada is home to the world’s tenth largest graphite reserves, estimated at a total of 5.9 million tonnes ^[2]

#3 – Canada’s 2024 production of 11,697 tonnes of natural graphite was a significant increase year-over-year

#4 – Canada was home to just one producing graphite mine in 2024, the Lac des Iles mine in Quebec, however, several other companies are actively advancing graphite projects ^[2]

#5 – Backed by the federal government, the Matawinie open-pit graphite mine in Quebec broke ground in May of 2026, which is expected to be the largest of its kind in North America and across the G7 ^[3]

#6 – The Matawinie mine is expected to generate $2 billion in economic activity, create 1,000 careers, and have a maximum production capacity of 106,000 tonnes of natural graphite concentrate over 25 years – more than eight times Canada’s current production ^[3]

#7 – Canada’s graphite exports totalled $43.9 million in 2024, down 36% year-over-year, while imports increased 6% to $34.4 million ^[2]

#8 – Natural graphite accounted for 59% of Canada’s total exports and 30% of imports in 2024, with synthetic graphite accounting for the remainder ^[2]

#9 – Canada exported approximately $25.8 million worth of natural graphite and $18.1 million of synthetic graphite in 2024, primarily to the United States ^[2]

#10 - Canada's first graphite mining operation was the Miller mine, located in Grenville, Quebec, first being worked way back in the mid 1840s ^[4]

#11 - The Black Crystal Mine in British Columbia is located about 35 kilometres west of Nelson, standing as one of North America’s only fully permitted, production-ready natural graphite mining operations ^[5]

#12 – The Black Donald Mine, situated about 100 kilometres southwest of Ottawa, produced approximately 77,000 tonnes of graphite between 1896 and 1954 – about 75% of Ontario’s total production as of 2024 ^[6]

Where is Graphite Found in Canada?

Canada is fortunate to have graphite in several areas. However, the country’s largest known reserves are concentrated overwhelmingly in Quebec and Ontario, where favourable geology, known deposits, and advanced projects have positioned Canada to become a more important supplier of this critical mineral ^{[2][7][9][10]}.

Graphite in Canada is most commonly associated with high-grade metamorphic rocks, and in Ontario especially, it is most often found in the Grenville geological province of eastern Ontario, where it occurs as disseminations in rocks such as marble and paragneiss ^[11]. This geology helps explain why so many of the country’s best-known graphite occurrences, historic workings, and development-stage assets are clustered in the same broad belt stretching through eastern Ontario and southern Quebec ^[8][11].

In Ontario, graphite is found mainly in the province’s southeast, particularly in and around the Grenville region. Ontario geological sources have long documented graphite occurrences, including in Bancroft and the broader Algonquin-Grenville belt ^[11][12]. This gives Ontario an important place in Canada’s graphite future, especially as North America looks to strengthen domestic supply chains for batteries, manufacturing, and advanced materials.

In Quebec, graphite is also concentrated in the southern portion of the province, and Quebec remains the heart of Canada’s producing graphite industry today. According to Natural Resources Canada, the Lac des Iles mine in Quebec was the only active graphite-producing mine in Canada in 2024, making Quebec the current anchor of the country’s natural graphite production ^[2]. Quebec’s provincial geological authority identifies graphite as an established mineral commodity in the province and highlights Lac-des-Îles as the operating mine ^[13].

Outside of Quebec and Ontario, graphite also occurs elsewhere in Canada, though on a much smaller scale. In British Columbia, for example, the Black Crystal property is recorded in the provincial mineral inventory as a graphite quarry/project, showing that western Canada also has graphite potential ^[14].

As global demand for graphite continues to rise, especially for EV batteries, energy storage, and advanced manufacturing, Canada’s graphite endowment gives the country a major strategic advantage. With deposits concentrated in mining-friendly jurisdictions like Quebec and Ontario, Canada is well positioned to grow from a modest producer into a much more important North American supplier of this essential critical mineral.

What is Graphite Used For?

Although graphite is a non-metallic mineral, it has properties comparable to those of metals, including the ability to conduct heat and electricity. Compared with synthetic graphite, purified natural graphite offers superior electrical and thermal conductivity and is preferred in global markets for its lower cost ^[15].

Graphite has a plethora of uses for both personal and commercial aspects of our day-to-day lives, including ceramic manufacturing, advanced batteries, fuel cells, aerospace manufacturing, sports equipment, semiconductors, household appliances, electrodes, valves, rotors, lubricants, nuclear reactor components, resistors, and steel manufacturing, to name a few ^[7].

History of Graphite Mining in Ontario

Eastern Ontario’s Black Donald graphite mine is a reminder that Canada’s critical minerals advantage has been built over generations. Discovered in 1889 with development beginning in 1895, the mine became one of Ontario’s most important graphite operations, helping to supply a mineral essential to industry and wartime production ^[8].

The site grew after new processing methods and mine upgrades in 1902 and 1906, and it thrived in the years leading up to the First World War, when demand for graphite surged. After a series of significant setbacks, including reduced demand due to the Second World War and full structural collapses, the mine finally closed. After shuttering operations in 1954, the former mine site was submerged beneath Black Donald Lake in 1967 after a hydro dam project reshaped the area ^[8].

Fast forward to today, and graphite demand is surging worldwide. As the world looks for secure, reliable supplies of critical minerals, Ontario’s mining history shows Canada has long had the resources, expertise and communities needed to lead.

Join Us Today!

Join us in supporting the development of Canada’s graphite resources so we can help meet rising global demand for this essential critical mineral while supporting a stronger economy here at home.

By advancing new projects, Canada can strengthen secure supply chains, create jobs, generate government revenues, and support technologies that bolster our national defence while underpinning our modern quality of life.

Canada has the resources and project pipeline needed to achieve the federal government’s goal of doubling uranium exports by 2035, but success will hinge on execution.https://t.co/5qXwAHqPjF

— Canada Action (@CanadaAction) August 5, 2026

SOURCES:

_{1 - https://www.researchandmarkets.com/report/graphite}

_{2 - https://natural-resources.canada.ca/minerals-mining/mining-data-statistics-analysis/minerals-metals-facts/graphite-facts}

_{3 - https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/speeches/2026/05/19/prime-minister-carney-breaks-ground-nouveau-monde-graphites-matawinie-mine}

_{4 - https://www.canadacarbon.com/miller-graphite-project}

_{5 - https://weaverenergy.ca/about-high-purity-graphite-mine/}

_{6 - https://www.ontario.ca/files/2024-10/mines-graphite-en-2024-10-11.pdf}

_{7 - https://uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences-museum/resources/detailed-rocks-and-minerals-articles/graphite}

_{8 - https://magazine.cim.org/en/in-search/graphites-sterling-history-in-eastern-ontario/}

_{9 - https://geo.ca/initiatives/critical-minerals/}

_{10 - https://atlas.gc.ca/critical-minerals/en/index.html}

_{11 - https://prd-0420-geoontario-0000-blob-cge0eud7azhvfsf7.z01.azurefd.net/lrc-geology-documents/publication/IMR020/IMR020.pdf}

_{12 - https://www.geologyontario.mndm.gov.on.ca/mndmfiles/mdi/data/records/MDI31E11NE00004.html}

_{13 - https://gq.mines.gouv.qc.ca/portail-substances-minerales/graphite/}

_{14 - https://minfile.gov.bc.ca/summary.aspx?minfilno=082FNW260}

_{15 - https://www.benchmarkminerals.com/glossary/what-is-graphite}