HOME ABOUT BORAX ABOUT BORATES PRODUCTS MARKETS PRACTICES & SERVICES LIBRARY NEWS & EVENTS RIO TINTO MINERALS 1.0 AGRICULTURE Borax is the world's leading supplier of borates into the agricultural industry. 2.0 CERAMICS Borates have been an essential ingredient in ceramic glazes and porcelain (vitreous) enamels for centuries. 3.0 DETERGENTS Forms of borates are used to produce laundry detergents, household or industrial cleaners and personal care products. 4.0 GLASS Borosilicate glass is typically used for its heat and / or chemical resistance. 5.0 INSULATION Borates are an important ingredient in insulation fiberglass. 6.0 SPECIALTY APPLICATIONS Borates contribute to a vast number of diverse end uses. 7.0 TEXTILE FIBERGLASS In textile fiberglass manufacture, borates act as a powerful flux and lower glass batch melting temperatures. 8.0 WOOD PROTECTION Borate treated wood is on the rise as a safe and long-lasting method to protect homes from wood destroying organisms. Preserving maritime history with borates In Baltimore’s Inner Harbor sits the U.S.S. Constellation In Baltimore’s Inner Harbor sits the U.S.S. Constellation, a more than 150-year-old wooden ship that served the United States Navy for nearly a century. Its age, however, is just a number. The historic vessel is channeling its youth through the use of borates. Launched in 1854, the Constellation was the last all-sail ship designed and built for the U.S. Navy. Its missions were many, including freeing would-be slaves from Africa, relieving famine in Ireland, transporting art across the Atlantic, and providing a training base for U.S. sailors. Through ongoing applications of Tim-bor, a highly water-soluble borate product created by Rio Tinto Minerals (U.S. Borax), its maritime history won’t soon be forgotten. Learn More Borates go to space NASA Space Shuttle included 23,000 ceramic tiles Many intricacies of space shuttle development are kept under wraps. But it’s no secret that borates played an integral part in keeping our astronauts safe. Borates, which are used in glass of all types, coated the about 23,000 ceramic tiles on the underside of the space shuttle to help it withstand the thermal shock of reentry. Thermal shock occurs when temperatures change suddenly, as when the shuttle leaves the frigid temperatures of space and reenters Earth’s atmosphere at nearly 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. If you would like to see a tile firsthand, we invite you to our Visitor Center in Boron, California. The showcased tile is on loan from NASA. Learn More Technical Support Sales Support FAQs Careers Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Part of Rio Tinto © 2015 Borax, All rights reserved.