Pure beryllium is a hard grayish metal that is a chemical component of certain kinds of rocks. The mineral rocks bertrandite and beryl are mined commercially for the recovery of beryllium.
Beryllium is also present in a variety of compounds in coal, soil, and volcanic dust.
Most of the beryllium ore mined is converted into copper alloys. Beryllium is important in nuclear-reactor technology as a cladding material for nuclear fuel elements due to its excellence as a neutron reflector and moderator. Beryllium oxide is the second largest production item. It is used as a base material in ceramics and in nuclear reactors. The Department of Energy has used beryllium metal and ceramics in weapons, reactor moderators and reflectors, and as fuel element cladding.