Nickel alloys are used in the turbine blades and other 

parts of jet engines where temperature and pressure 

can reach 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit and 40 atmospheres, 

respectively. Photograph courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.

Printed on recycled paper

As part of a broad mission to 

conduct research and provide 

information on nonfuel mineral 

resources, the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS) supports science 

to understand

• How and where nickel 

resources form and 

concentrate in Earth’s crust

• How nickel resources 

interact with the environment 

to affect human and 

ecosystem health

• Trends in the supply of 

and demand for nickel 

in the domestic and 

international markets

• Where undiscovered nickel 

resources might be found

Why is this information 

important? Read on to learn 

about nickel and the important 

role it plays in the national 

economy, in national security, 

and in the lives of Americans 

every day. 

Nickel is a silvery-white metal that is used mainly to make stainless steel and other alloys stronger 

and better able to withstand extreme temperatures and corrosive environments. Nickel was first 

identified as a unique element in 1751 by Baron Axel Fredrik Cronstedt, a Swedish mineralogist and 

chemist. He originally called the element kupfernickel because it was found in rock that looked like 

copper (kupfer) ore and because miners thought that “bad spirits” (nickel) in the rock were making it 

difficult for them to extract copper from it.

Nickel is an essential trace element for some animals. Some people are sensitive to nickel and may 

develop contact dermatitis if their skin comes in close contact with it. Although many nickel alloys, 

including stainless steel, do not cause health problems, special precautions must be taken to ensure the 

safety of those working with certain other nickel compounds and even metallic nickel because they have 

been known to cause cancer.

How Do We Use Nickel?

Approximately 80 percent of the primary (not 

recycled) nickel consumed in the United States in 

2011 was used in alloys, such as stainless steel and 

superalloys. Because nickel increases an alloy’s 

resistance to corrosion and its ability to withstand 

extreme temperatures, equipment and parts made 

of nickel-bearing alloys are often used in harsh 

environments, such as those in chemical plants, 

petroleum refineries, jet engines, power generation 

facilities, and offshore installations. Medical 

equipment, cookware, and cutlery are often made of 

stainless steel because it is easy to clean and sterilize.

All U.S. circulating coins except the penny are 

made of alloys that contain nickel. Nickel alloys 

are increasingly being used in making rechargeable 

batteries for portable computers, power tools, and hybrid and electric vehicles. Nickel is also plated 

onto such items as bathroom fixtures to reduce corrosion and provide an attractive finish.

Where Does Nickel Come From?

Nickel is the fifth most abundant element in the Earth, but most of that nickel is located in the core, 

more than 1,800 miles below the surface. In Earth’s crust, two major types of ore deposits supply most 

of the nickel used today: magmatic sulfide deposits (such as those found at Norilsk, Russia; Sudbury, 

Canada; and Kambalda, Australia) and laterite deposits (including those found in Cuba, New Caledonia, 

and Indonesia). Also, manganese nodules and crusts on the deep sea floor may contain as much nickel as 

the deposits known onshore, but they are not currently being mined.

Magmatic sulfide deposits contain about 40 percent of global nickel resources and currently are 

the source of more than one-half of the world’s nickel supply. Nickel deposits may develop if magma 

that contains low amounts of silica and high amounts of magnesium becomes saturated in sulfur, usually 

through reacting with rocks in Earth’s crust. A sulfur-rich liquid may separate from the magma; ions 

of nickel, and some other elements, may move into it. Because the sulfur-rich liquid is denser than the 

magma, the liquid sinks and accumulates along the base of magma chambers, intrusions, or lava flows, 

where nickel-bearing sulfide minerals may then crystallize. The sulfide minerals often contain cobalt, 

copper, or platinum-group metals as well. The Sudbury Igneous Complex is Canada’s leading source of 

nickel and the second largest nickel sulfide deposit in the world. The complex is unique because it was 

formed when an extraterrestrial body, likely a comet, hit Earth about 1,850 million years ago. Parts of 

Earth’s crust near the impact melted and formed a large layer of magma in the resulting crater; nickelbearing sulfide liquid collected along the base of the magma layer, and nickel- and copper-bearing 

sulfide minerals crystallized from it.

Laterite deposits host approximately 60 percent of the world’s nickel resources. Laterite deposits form 

in warm, humid, tropical or subtropical environments when igneous rocks with low amounts of silica and 

high amounts of magnesium are broken down by chemical weathering. Weathering removes some of the 

original rock components, creating residual deposits where elements such as nickel may be concentrated.

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2012–3024

March 2012

USGS Mineral Resources Program

Nickel—Makes Stainless Steel Strong

The three graceful 

spires of the Air Force 

Memorial in Arlington, 

Va., are coated in a 

3⁄4-inch-thick skin of 

stainless steel that 

contains about 

12 percent nickel. 

Photograph from the U.S. Department of Defense.
Did you know... Beer kegs made of nickel-bearing stainless steel often stay in use for 30 to 40 years.

Did you know... The 5-cent circulating coins (“nickels”) produced currently by the United States Mint 

 contain 25 percent nickel and 75 percent copper, by weight. 

Did you know... Chondrites, the most common type of meteorite, contain 100 to 1,000 times more nickel 

 than almost any Earth rock.

Did you know... Special nickel-titanium alloys, known as shape memory alloys, are used in some 

 eyeglass frames because they can bounce back into shape after being bent.

A portion of the open pit at the 

Medvezhy Ruchey (Bear Creek) mine, 

Norilsk-Talnakh area, Russia. This 

region is one of the largest mining and 

metallurgical centers in the world. 

Although some of the nickel–copper–

platinum-group element ores are 

extracted from open pits, such as the 

one shown here, most are extracted 

from underground mines. Photograph 

by Tapio Halkoaho, 1994, used 

with permission.

Nickel ore from the 

Thayer Lindsley mine, 

Sudbury, Canada. The 

massive nickel ore consists 

of the minerals pentlandite 

and pyrrhotite, which 

surround fragments of 

igneous, sedimentary, and 

metamorphic rocks that 

were ripped from the walls 

of the crater by the impact 

of an extraterrestrial body.

How Do We Ensure Adequate Supplies of Nickel for the Future? 

Text prepared by M.A. Boland.

United States coin image from the United States Mint.

The USGS Mineral Resources Program is the principal Federal 

provider of research and information on nickel and other nonfuel 

mineral resources. For more information, please contact:

Mineral Resources Program Coordinator

U.S. Geological Survey

913 National Center

Reston, VA 20192

Telephone: 703–648–6100

Fax: 703–648–6057

Email: minerals@usgs.gov

Home page: http://minerals.usgs.gov

For More Information

• On production and consumption of nickel:

http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/nickel/

• On the nickel deposits of North America:

http://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/1223/report.pdf

• On magmatic sulfide-rich nickel-copper deposit models:

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1179/

• On recycling of nickel in the United States:

http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1196-Z/

• On the use of nickel in rechargeable batteries:

http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5141/

Worldwide Supply of and Demand for Nickel

There were no active nickel mines in the United States in 2011, although 

small amounts of nickel were recovered as a byproduct from processing copper and 

palladium-platinum ores. Several deposits in Minnesota and Michigan are scheduled 

to come into production by 2015. Recycled nickel accounted for approximately 

43 percent of U.S. nickel consumption in 2011. Russia was the leading producer 

of nickel in 2011, followed by Indonesia, the Philippines, and Canada. From 2007 

through 2010, Canada supplied approximately 38 percent of U.S. nickel imports 

followed by, in order of the amount imported, Russia (17 percent), Australia, Norway, 

and other countries. The bulk of the world’s known nickel reserves are concentrated 

in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, New Caledonia, and Russia.

The United States relies on imports and recycling 

for its supplies of nickel, and this situation is unlikely to 

change significantly for at least the next 25 years. The 

risk of a disruption in supply is low, however, because 

there are sufficient global reserves, spread across more 

than 10 countries, to meet projected demand for nickel 

for many years to come. The U.S. Government no longer 

holds nickel in the National Defense Stockpile. Production 

from laterite deposits is likely to increase as the nickel 

resources in existing sulfide mines are depleted.

To help predict where future nickel supplies 

might be located, USGS scientists study how and where 

nickel resources are concentrated in Earth’s crust and use that knowledge to assess the likelihood that undiscovered nickel deposits may 

exist. Techniques to assess mineral resources have been developed by the USGS to support the stewardship of Federal lands and to evaluate 

mineral resource availability in a global context. The USGS also compiles statistics and information on the worldwide supply of, demand for, 

and flow of nickel. These data are used to inform U.S. national policymaking.