U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5155

Apparent Consumption vs. Total Consumption—

A Lead-Acid Battery Case Study

Apparent Consumption vs. Total Consumption—

A Lead-Acid Battery Case Study

By David R. Wilburn and David A. Buckingham

Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5155

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Mark D. Myers, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2006

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Suggested citation:

Wilburn, D.R., and Buckingham, D.A., 2006, Apparent consumption vs. total consumption—A lead-acid battery case 

study: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5155, 9 p.
iii

Contents

Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1

Study Methodology........................................................................................................................................3

Analysis of Results.........................................................................................................................................4

Summary..........................................................................................................................................................8

References Cited............................................................................................................................................8

Figures

1. Chart showing U.S. total consumption of lead metal for 2004 ..............................................2

2. Photograph showing a lead-acid automotive battery............................................................2

3–4. Graphs showing—

 3. Comparison of lead apparent consumption data with total consumption data 

for the lead-acid battery sector for the years 1989 through 2004 .................................4

 4. Comparison of new lead-acid battery imports to the United States with 

imports from Mexico.............................................................................................................5

Tables

1. Average lead content estimates ................................................................................................3

2. Lead contained in U.S. imported and exported lead-acid batteries and 

battery parts for selected years between 1989 and 2004 ......................................................6

Apparent Consumption vs. Total Consumption—

A Lead-Acid Battery Case Study

By David R. Wilburn and David A. Buckingham

Introduction

This report compares estimates of U.S. apparent consumption of lead with estimates of total U.S. consumption of 

this mineral commodity from a materials flow perspective. 

The difference, attributed to the amount of lead contained in 

imported and exported products, was found to be significant 

for this sector. The study also assesses the effects of including 

mineral commodities incorporated in manufactured products 

on the interpretation of observed trends in minerals consumption and trade.

Materials flow is a systems approach to understanding 

what happens to the materials we use from the time a material is extracted, through its processing and manufacturing, to 

its ultimate disposition. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 

provides accurate and detailed mineral production and mineral 

commodity consumption statistics that are essential for government, nongovernment organizations, and the public to gain 

a better understanding of how and where materials are used 

and their effect on the environment and society.

Published statistics on mineral apparent consumption are limited to estimates of consumption of raw material forms (ore, concentrate, and [or] refined metal). For this 

study, apparent consumption is defined as mine production + 

secondary refined production + imports (concentrates and 

refined metal) – exports (concentrates and refined metal) + 

adjustments for government and industry stock changes. These 

estimates do not account for the amount of mineral commodities contained in manufactured products that are imported 

to the United States, nor do they deduct the amount of these 

mineral commodities contained in manufactured products that 

are exported from the United States.

When imports or exports of manufactured products 

contribute significantly to the total use of a particular raw 

material, an estimate of consumption that does not consider 

the incorporated forms of these mineral commodities within 

imported or exported manufactured products can be either 

under- or overreported (depending on the net trade flow). 

Factors that influence consumption and trade patterns include 

variations in industry structure, labor or financial markets, 

legislation, and technology. As U.S. trade patterns of manufactured products change, omitting mineral commodities 

incorporated into these goods as part of U.S. mineral commodity consumption estimates may affect the interpretation of 

observed trends in minerals consumption and trade.

Although it may be desirable to include minerals contained in manufactured products as part of consumption 

estimates, collection and estimation of these data are sometimes difficult. Consumption and trade data for every traded 

product may not be readily available. Compiling comprehensive consumption statistics for mineral commodities, which 

have many end uses, each including multiple products, may be 

time consuming. For these reasons, studies of all mineral commodities are not feasible. Mineral commodity selection for 

this study is based on data accessibility considerations and the 

relative importance of lead contained in imported and exported 

products when considered part of total U.S. lead consumption.

Lead was selected for this initial evaluation of total 

mineral consumption because of the need to understand the 

consumption pattern of this potentially toxic metal and its 

compounds, the relative simplicity of this sector’s end-use 

structure, and the availability of trade data. This study draws 

upon the findings of an earlier lead consumption study (Biviano and others, 1999) conducted by the USGS for the period 

1984 to 1993, but uses a different study methodology for an 

industry whose structure has changed from that considered in 

the earlier study.

Figure 1 shows the quantity of material contributing to 

U.S. total consumption of lead metal from domestic and foreign industrial sectors in 2004, based upon trade data reported 

by the USGS and the U.S. International Trade Commission 

(USITC). For this study, total consumption is defined as 

primary and secondary refined lead production + refined metal 

imports for consumption + refined lead contained in imported 

products – refined lead exports – refined lead contained in 

exported products + adjustments for government and industry 

stock changes. The U.S. total consumption of lead metal is the 

sum of U.S. production from primary refineries and secondary 

recyclers, refined metal imports and exports, and shipments of 

lead scrap into and out of the United States. Included are estimates for the amount of lead contained in manufactured products that are imported and exported (of which about 85 percent 

are lead-acid battery products). Changes in U.S. Government 

stockpiles and industry stock changes are also included. For 

2004, the U.S. apparent consumption of lead metal is reported 

as 1.44 million metric tons (Mt) (Gabby, 2006); however, 

when the quantity of lead contained in imported and exported 

manufactured products (colored boxes) is taken into account, 

the total U.S. consumption of lead metal is estimated to 

be about 1.78 Mt. Most of the difference between the two 

estimates, approximately 340,000 metric tons (t), can be 
attributed to the inclusion of lead contained in imported and 

exported manufactured products in the total consumption 

statistics. Minor variations in data comprehensiveness and estimation methodology may also affect results.

The lead-acid battery sector is the principal end use of 

lead in the United States, accounting for approximately 81 percent of the reported U.S. lead consumption in 2003 (Matos 

and others, 2005), 83 percent in 2004 (Gabby, 2005), and 

85 percent in 2005 (Gabby, 2006). Lead-acid batteries include 

starting-­lighting-ignition batteries for vehicles (accounting 

for about 87 percent of lead-acid batteries by weight), stationary, uninterruptible power-supply equipment for computer and telecommunications networks and hospitals (about 

8 percent), and as a source of motive power in airline ground 

equipment, golf carts, industrial forklifts, and mining vehicles 

(about 5 percent) (Battery Council International, 2005a). The 

lead-acid battery, similar to the automotive battery shown in 

figure 2, is an example of a manufactured product that can 

be tracked through the economy. These widely used batteries are highly recyclable, are an important component of total 

U.S. lead consumption, and are reported separately in trade 

statistics. The potential toxicity of lead-acid batteries makes 

quantifying the use of these products within the United States 

important. For these reasons, the lead-acid battery sector was 

selected as a case study for this lead consumption analysis.

The potentially toxic effects of lead on organisms have 

become widely recognized since the mid-1980s, resulting in 

U.S. total consumption

of lead metal for all sectors

1,780

U.S.

primary

refined lead

production

U.S.

secondary

production

(old scrap)

U.S.

imports for 

consumption,

refined lead

Lead

contained

in imported

products

U.S. exports,

 refined lead

Lead

contained in

exported products

(including scrap)

Industry

stocks

(59)

Government

stockpiles

148

1,100

202

596

26 42

83

252

Figure 1. U.S. total consumption of lead metal for 2004. Total consumption defined as primary refined 

lead production + secondary lead metal production + refined lead metal imports for consumption + lead 

contained in imported products – refined lead contained in exported products + adjustments for government 

and industry stock changes. Boxes represent sources of lead; numbers represent 2004 flow estimates 

expressed in thousand metric tons of lead metal, as adapted from data reported by the U.S. International 

Trade Commission, 2005 (colored boxes) and the U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2006 

(Gabby, 2006). Numbers may not total because of individual rounding.

Figure 2. Approximately 81 percent of all lead 

consumed in the United States goes into lead-acid 

storage batteries. A typical lead-acid automotive 

battery contains about 9.75 kilograms of lead. 

Photograph courtesy of Delphi Automotive 

Systems, Inc.

   Apparent Consumption vs. Total Consumption—A Lead-Acid Battery Case Study
Federal, State, and local legislation governing lead production, trade, domestic use, and disposal, which in turn have 

influenced lead end-use patterns, the amount of product 

recycling, and U.S. trade. Compliance with environmental 

regulations has significantly reduced or eliminated the use of 

lead in nonbattery applications (such as gasoline, nonmilitary 

ammunition, paints, solders, and water systems). Since 1989, 

most states have passed legislation prohibiting the disposal of 

lead-acid batteries in landfills and incinerators and requiring 

retailers to accept used batteries for recycling when consumers purchase new batteries (Battery Council International, 

2005b). Lead-acid battery recovery for recycling has increased 

from about 70 percent in 1980 to about 93 percent in 2003 as 

a growing number of communities and States have restricted 

lead-acid batteries from disposal at landfills or combustors 

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2005). In 2005, 

the Battery Council International released a study reporting 

a recycling rate for lead-acid batteries of about 99 percent 

for the 1999 to 2003 period (Battery Council International, 

2005a). While lead use in other applications has declined, the 

total amount of lead contained in lead-acid vehicle batteries 

has generally continued to grow, primarily because of increasing vehicle sales in the United States.

Study Methodology

In 1999, the USGS reported the amount of lead contained 

in imported and exported products from 1972 through 1993 

based upon an input-output methodology developed by the 

U.S. Department of Commerce in consultation with the USGS. 

This methodology used U.S. gross domestic product data, 

manufactured products import and export data by industrial 

sector, and raw material consumption data. The study covered 

a time period when lead-acid battery consumption increased 

from about 50 percent to about 84 percent of total lead 

consumption. Owing to the changed structure of the sector 

and the dated nature of the prior study data, a reevaluation of 

consumption was thought to be warranted; however, a simpler 

methodology was selected to study the lead-acid battery sector. 

The earlier study estimated total annual lead-acid battery 

consumption using data provided for the entire U.S. economy 

and assigning a set of mathematical relationships between the 

lead-acid battery sector and the domestic economy. The current study, however, used actual U.S. consumption statistics 

reported for specified products as the basis of evaluation; data 

for each product category were aggregated to develop annual 

consumption values for the sector under study. A comparison 

of study results is given below.

The authors evaluated apparent consumption statistics 

reported by the USGS from its Mineral Commodity Summaries series (U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1994; Smith, 1995–2004; 

Gabby, 2005–06) and lead-acid battery import and export trade 

data, reported either in terms of number of lead-acid batteries 

or kilograms of contained lead, obtained from data collected 

by the U.S. Bureau of the Census and reported by the USITC 

(U.S. International Trade Commission, 2005) based on Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) codes. Import and export data 

were collected for new and used lead-acid batteries, vehicle 

imports and exports (which included lead-acid batteries), 

stationary lead-acid batteries, other motive power lead-acid 

battery types (for example, aircraft ground maintenance, general utility vehicles, golf cart, and marine), and battery parts 

containing lead (plates and posts).

Estimates of the average lead content included in each 

HTS code were developed. Because individual HTS codes may 

include more than one lead-acid battery type, it was necessary to review each classification to determine the appropriate 

distribution of battery types reported for each. For codes where 

only the numbers of batteries were reported, an estimate for the 

average amount of lead contained within each lead-acid battery 

type reported under that classification was developed, so that 

an estimate of the total amount of lead contained in that classification could be made. Lead content estimates were based 

on generalized data provided by the Battery Council International (Battery Council International, 2003, 2005a) and by 

Peter Gabby, the USGS lead commodity specialist (USGS, oral 

commun., 2006). Estimates for the average amount of lead contained in generalized battery types are summarized in table 1. 

Table 1. Average lead content estimates.

[Lead content in pounds (lbs) reported by Battery Council International (2005a); lead content in kilograms (kg) based on 2.2046 lbs/kg conversion factor]

Classification Lead-acid battery types Weight of lead 

in battery, in pounds

Weight of lead 

in battery, in kilograms

Golf cart Golf carts or similar vehicles 41.1 18.6

Marine Speed boats, trolling craft 30.9 14.0

Military vehicle Motorized fighting vehicles, tanks 44.0 20.0

Large stationary Uninterruptible power supply equipment 1,800 816

Small motive Airline ground equipment or similar motive equipment 38.0 17.2

Passenger car/light truck Passenger cars, light trucks 21.5 9.7

Speciality vehicle Industrial forklifts, mining equipment, or similar equipment 25.0 11.3

Tractor Tractors 33.0 15.0

Truck and heavy duty Trucks, heavy duty vehicles 38.7 17.5

Utility Special purpose motor vehicles 9.1 4.1

Study Methodology 
The amount of lead contained in lead-acid batteries varies 

significantly with battery type and slightly by manufacturer. 

Estimates of average lead content were developed using representative lead content values for each battery classification.

Analysis of Results

Table 2 summarizes the data for the amount of lead 

contained in U.S. lead-acid battery imports and exports for 

selected years within the 1989 through 2004 study period. 

Trade classifications included in this analysis are also reported 

in table 2. Estimates for 2004 suggest that the United States 

imported about 2.4 times more lead contained in lead-acid 

battery products than it exported. About 75 percent of the 

imported lead in batteries was contained in new lead-acid 

batteries, and about 22 percent comes into the United States 

as batteries contained in vehicles. Less than 3 percent of the 

lead contained in imported lead-acid batteries comes into the 

United States as either used batteries or battery parts. About 

66 percent of the lead exported in lead-acid batteries is in the 

form of new batteries; 14 percent is exported in used lead-acid 

batteries; about 10 percent is exported in batteries contained 

in vehicles; and another 10 percent is exported in battery 

parts. The data also suggest that, for the study period, the 

United States is a net importer of lead contained in lead-acid 

batteries. In 2004, it imported about 293,000 t more lead contained in lead-acid batteries than it exported.

Figure 3 compares annual U.S. lead-acid battery apparent consumption with estimated U.S. lead-acid battery total 

consumption of lead. Apparent consumption data (blue line) 

were modified from USGS data to reflect that part of U.S. lead 

metal consumption attributed to the lead-acid battery sector, 

based on USGS end-use statistics (Matos and others, 2005). 

Total consumption data (red line) were developed in this 

analysis to include the U.S. consumption of lead in concentrate, refined metal imports and exports, and as lead contained 

in imported and exported manufactured lead-acid battery products. Figure 3 does not include lead from other end-use sectors 

(or about 15 percent of total lead consumption).

Because the United States imported more lead contained 

in lead-acid batteries than it exported in lead-acid batteries for 

the period 1989 through 2004, the difference between these 

two data sets reflects the net amount of imported lead contained in lead-acid batteries, which is also shown in figure 3 

(green line). The estimated value of U.S. total lead consumption for the lead-acid battery sector was found to be larger than 

the estimated value of apparent consumption for each year of 

the 16-year study. The difference between these two values 

varied from a minimum of approximately 74,000 t in 1997, 

when U.S. total lead-acid battery consumption was about 

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

1,600,000

1,800,000

1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

LEAD CONTAINED IN LEAD-ACID BATTERIES, IN METRIC TONS

U.S. total lead consumption from the lead-acid battery sector, this study

U.S. total lead consumption from the lead-acid battery sector,

Biviano and others, 1999 

U.S. apparent lead consumption from the lead-acid battery sector, this study

U.S. lead apparent consumption from the lead-acid battery sector, Biviano and others, 1999

Net imported lead from lead-acid battery sector, this study (Lead embedded in

imported lead-acid batteries - lead embedded in exported lead-acid batteries) 

Figure 3. Comparison of lead apparent consumption data with total consumption data for the lead-acid battery 

sector for the years 1989 through 2004. [Lead apparent consumption is defined as mine production + secondary 

refined + imports (concentrates and refined) – exports (concentrates and refined) + adjustments for government 

and industry stock changes. Total consumption is defined as primary and secondary refined lead production + 

refined lead metal imports for consumption + lead contained in imported lead-acid battery products – refined 

lead exports – lead contained in exported lead-acid battery products + adjustments for government and industry 

stock changes. Data from this study are also compared to data from a 1999 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study, 

Biviano and others, 1999].

 Apparent Consumption vs. Total Consumption—A Lead-Acid Battery Case Study
4 percent higher than U.S. apparent consumption for the sector, to a maximum of approximately 293,000 t in 2004, when 

U.S. total lead-acid battery consumption was about 24 percent 

higher than U.S. apparent consumption for the sector.

Overlapping data from the 1999 lead consumption study 

(Biviano and others, 1999) are also presented in figure 3. On 

average for the 5-year period where the studies overlapped 

(1989 to 1993), the earlier study showed that including 

the amount of lead contained in lead-acid battery products 

increased the total U.S. lead consumption about 16 percent, 

while the present study suggests an increase of about 18 percent. The average difference between the two studies, less than 

5 percent, is believed to be the result of source data and study 

methodology differences.

Considering lead contained in manufactured products 

provides more comprehensive data for analyzing the use, disposal, and recycling of lead in the United States and for better 

understanding the factors that affect consumption. Including 

the lead contained in imported products as part of the analysis 

of lead consumption makes it easier to understand how U.S. 

secondary lead production has grown since regulations were 

implemented to require the recycling of products containing lead. In 2004, the United States recovered approximately 

1.1 Mt of lead scrap metal from lead product recycling 

(fig. 1), about twice the amount that was recovered by recycling in 1985. It would be difficult to tell where the bulk of 

this recycled material originated without considering the 

amount of lead contained in imported manufactured products. 

Ignoring residence time, figure 1 suggests that the combination of 2004 U.S. primary production and refined lead imports 

could only supply about one-third (350,000 t) of the feed 

material necessary to account for the annual production level 

reported for the U.S. secondary (recycling) lead production 

sector in 2004 (1.1 Mt).

Consumption studies of this type can also provide data 

in sufficient detail to evaluate the effects of such things as 

industry structural changes, domestic and foreign legislation, 

and changing trade patterns of the sector under review. For 

example, figure 4 compares the quantity of new lead-acid 

batteries imported into the United States from all countries 

with the quantity imported from Mexico. Data suggest that a 

large part of the increase in the number of new lead-acid batteries (and the amount of lead coming into the United States) 

since 1997 is the result of a corresponding increase in U.S. 

lead-acid battery imports from Mexico. Legislation such as 

the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which 

became effective January 1, 1994, between Canada, Mexico, 

and the United States, as well as bilateral trade agreements 

initiated between 1994 and 1996, removed many product trade 

restrictions applied to such products as lead-acid batteries 

between these three neighboring countries (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1998). In a report to Congress in 1999, 

the increase in lead-acid battery trade with Mexico after the 

implementation of NAFTA was specifically noted (U.S. International Trade Administration, 1999).

0

5,000,000

10,000,000

15,000,000

20,000,000

1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

NUMBER OF IMPORTED

LEAD-ACID BATTERIES

U.S. passenger car imports with new

lead-acid batteries from Mexico

U.S. passenger car and light truck imports with

new lead-acid batteries from all countries

Figure 4. Comparison of new lead-acid battery imports to the United States with imports from Mexico. Data from 

International Trade Commission (2005).

Analysis of Results 
Table 2. Lead contained in U.S. imported and exported lead-acid batteries and battery parts for selected years between 1989 

and 2004.

[Data are reported in kilograms of contained lead contained in selected manufactured products, modified from U.S. International Trade Commission 

(ITC, 2005) using lead content data from Battery Council International (2003, 2005a), and discussions with Peter Gabby (U.S. Geological Survey, 

oral commun., 2005)]

Classification 1989 1992 1995 1998

Imports Exports Imports Exports Imports Exports Imports Exports

New lead-acid batteries

Motive1 21,725,000 624,000 23,521,000 770,000 63,214,000 12,479,000 109,694,000 18,302,000

Vehicle2 141,389,000 41,840,000 202,953,000 70,516,000 65,088,000 86,029,000 90,828,000 116,380,000

Used lead-acid batteries

Motive3 198,000 29,907,000 502,000 12,625,000 326,000 241,000 0 0

Vehicle4 555,000 1,315,000 4,407,000 233,000 8,668,000 845,000 5,099,000 1,685,000

Other5 4,099,000 5,884,000 1,891,000 2,169,000 2,779,000 17,349,000 3,205,000 27,432,000

Subtotal: Lead-acid 

batteries 167,966,000 79,570,000 233,274,000 86,313,000 140,075,000 116,943,000 208,826,000 163,799,000

Vehicles containing batteries

General utility6 152,400 28,600 5,000 34,200 12,000 45,400 81,400 58,800

Military7 1,000 16,000 1,000 29,000 4,000 12,000 2,000 8,000

Motorcycles8 1,161,000 196,000 739,000 391,000 771,000 308,000 911,000 329,000

Passenger cars and 

light trucks9 87,884,000 8,714,000 87,437,000 10,796,000 98,961,000 12,095,000 70,394,000 11,950,000

Tractors10 1,761,000 893,000 1,522,000 766,000 2,312,000 973,000 2,535,000 1,271,000

Trucks and heavy duty 

vehicles11 16,408,600 3,240,400 13,533,000 2,820,800 10,668,000 4,115,600 10,344,600 5,493,200

Subtotal: Vehicles 

containing leadacid batteries 107,368,000 13,088,000 103,237,000 14,837,000 112,728,000 17,549,000 84,268,000 19,110,000

Battery parts12 5,944,000 10,310,000 6,546,000 8,545,000 5,110,000 8,740,000 3,466,000 14,388,000

Total 281,278,000 102,968,000 343,057,000 109,695,000 257,913,000 143,232,000 296,560,000 197,297,000

Net lead-acid 

battery imports 178,310,000 233,362,000 114,681,000 99,263,000

1

 Includes batteries contained in airline ground equipment, industrial forklifts, mining vehicles, golf carts, and similar equipment; uninterruptible power supply 

equipment [HTS codes 8507200040 (9.75 kg/unit), 8507200060 (97 kg/unit), 8507200090 (2.86 kg/unit), 8507208040 (9.75 kg/unit), 8507208060 (97 kg/unit)].

2

 Includes batteries contained in commercial and passenger vehicles such as automobiles, boats, buses, motorcycles, and trucks [HTS codes 8507100030 (2.86 

kg/unit), 8507100060 (9.75 kg/unit), 8507100090 (17.6 kg/unit), 8507200030 (2.86 kg/unit), 8507200080 (13.7 kg/unit), 8507208030 (2.86 kg/unit), 8507208090 

(2.86 kg/unit)].

3

 Includes batteries contained in airline ground equipment, industrial forklifts, mining vehicles, golf carts, and similar equipment; uninterruptible power supply 

equipment [HTS codes 8507200020 (3.8 kg/unit), 8507208020 (2.86 kg/unit)].

4

 Includes batteries contained in commercial and passenger vehicles such as automobiles, boats, buses, motorcycles, and trucks [HTS codes 8507100020 (9.4 kg/

unit), 8507204000 (18.6 kg/unit), 8548100540 (2.5 kg/unit)].

5

 Includes obsolete batteries and scrap [HTS codes 8548100580 (2 kg/unit), 7802000030 (kg reported)].

6

 Includes batteries contained in special purpose motor vehicles such as concrete mixers, fire fighting vehicles, mobile cranes and workshops, and wreckers [HTS 

code 8709 (4.1 kg/unit), 20 percent of category 8705 (15.4 kg/unit)].

7

 Includes batteries contained in tanks and other motorized armored fighting vehicles [HTS code 8710 (20 kg/unit)].

8

 Includes batteries contained in motorcycles [HTS code 8711 (2.86 kg/unit)].

9

 Includes batteries contained in passenger cars and light trucks [HTS code 8703 (9.75 kg/unit)].

10 Includes batteries contained in tractors [HTS code 8701 (15 kg/unit)].

11 Includes batteries contained in trucks and heavy duty vehicles [HTS codes 8702 (17.5 kg/unit), 8704 (17.5 kg/unit), and 8705 (15.4 kg/unit)].

12 Includes battery parts containing lead [HTS code 8507904000 (1,000 kg lead/$2,000 value)].

 Apparent Consumption vs. Total Consumption—A Lead-Acid Battery Case Study
Table 2. Lead contained in U.S. imported and exported lead-acid batteries and battery parts for selected years between 1989 

and 2004.­—Continued

[Data are reported in kilograms of contained lead contained in selected manufactured products, modified from U.S. International Trade Commission 

(ITC, 2005) using lead content data from Battery Council International (2003, 2005a), and discussions with Peter Gabby (U.S. Geological Survey, 

oral commun., 2005)]

Classification 2001 2003 2004

Imports Exports Imports Exports Imports Exports

New lead-acid batteries

Motive1 117,670,000 20,298,000 151,658,000 14,387,000 160,216,000 20,933,000

Vehicle2 180,580,000 132,343,000 205,773,000 127,074,000 217,442,000 120,509,000

Used lead-acid batteries

Motive3 0 0 0 0 0 0

Vehicle4 4,591,000 1,134,000 10,299,000 1,364,000 11,788,000 1,047,000

Other5 639,000 12,119,000 305,000 27,350,000 385,000 28,607,000

Subtotal: Lead-acid 

batteries 303,480,000 165,894,000 368,035,000 170,175,000 389,831,000 171,096,000

Vehicles containing batteries

General utility6 175,600 65,400 179,000 63,200 160,000 91,600

Military7 1,000 9,000 2,000 5,000 2,000 18,000

Motorcycles8 3,170,000 293,000 10,281,000 389,000 12,925,000 351,000

Passenger cars and 

light trucks9 70,619,000 12,737,000 73,783,000 13,425,000 78,954,000 13,743,000

Tractors10 2,097,000 761,000 3,219,000 773,000 4,116,000 978,000

Trucks and heavy duty 

vehicles11 14,136,400 4,861,600 13,850,000 5,567,800 12,922,000 6,224,400

Subtotal: Vehicles 

containing leadacid batteries 90,199,000 18,727,000 101,314,000 20,223,000 109,079,000 21,406,000

Battery parts12 5,993,000 21,347,000 5,526,000 20,272,000 7,353,000 21,236,000

Total 399,672,000 205,968,000 474,875,000 210,670,000 506,263,000 213,738,000

Net lead-acid 

battery imports 193,704,000 264,205,000 292,525,000

Analysis of Results 
Summary

Including statistical data on mineral commodities contained in manufactured products provides a more complete 

perspective of mineral use, disposal, and recycling in the 

United States. Inclusion of net trade data on lead-containing 

products added about 340,000 t to the reported 2004 U.S. lead 

apparent consumption value from all sectors, an increase of 

about 24 percent. For the lead-acid battery sector, inclusion 

of lead contained in imported and exported batteries, vehicles 

containing batteries, and battery products increased 2004 U.S. 

lead consumption by approximately 293,000 t. Considering 

lead contained in manufactured products as part of total lead 

consumption allows for a more complete understanding of 

the use, disposal, and recycling of lead in the United States. 

Observing trends related to trade of these products allows for 

more detailed analysis of the effects of domestic and foreign 

legislation, economic activity, and evaluation of sector trade.

The data suggest that approximately 293,000 t of lead 

contained in net imports of lead-acid battery products were 

consumed in the United States in 2004. Assuming lead-acid 

batteries account for 85 percent of total U.S. lead consumption, an additional 340,000 t of lead contained in net imports 

from all sectors can be added to the U.S. lead consumption. 

This quantity is over twice the U.S. refined lead production for 

2004 from the primary lead industry and almost three times 

the net amount of refined lead metal imported for consumption 

in 2004.

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Manuscript approved for publication, October 2, 2006

Edited by M.A. Billone

Graphics by J.E. Banton

Layout by K.A. Waltenbaugh

For more information concerning research in this report, contact USGS 

Minerals and Materials Analysis Section, telephone: 303-236-8747