Kaolin is a clay mineral more correctly known as kaolinite. It is also called china clay. Kaolin is made up of individual crystals that form units termed "booklets" of stacked sheets. Kaolin is a soft mineral, white in colour when it is fairly pure.

Kaolin's whiteness, opaqueness, large internal surface area and non-abrasiveness make it an ideal filler material for paper production. As a coating agent in paper, kaolin provides a smooth, opaque surface with good printability and ink retention. Although about 80 per cent of all kaolin production is used in paper, other uses include fillers for rubber, plastic, paint and adhesives, as well as in ceramics such as porcelain and refractory products.

Reserves of kaolin in Saskatchewan have been estimated at 150 to 200 million tonnes. Major Saskatchewan deposits of kaolin occur in the Whitemud Formation located in the areas of Wood Mountain, Flintoft, Willows, Readlyn and Eastend. The best kaolin beds are composed of up to 40 to 50 per cent kaolin mixed with fine quartz sand, minor amounts of other clays, and various other minerals.

At present, there is no kaolin production in the province. Large scale calcining tests on Saskatchewan kaolin for paper application have been successfully conducted at a test facility in Chicago and at a Regina pilot plant. The pilot plant operated in Regina from 1992 to 1993 and conducted processing evaluation on ore from the Wood Mountain and Willows areas. The tests achieved a quality of kaolin suitable for several products in the paper industry. With continued research on the characterization of Saskatchewan kaolin and development of large-scale processing technology, Saskatchewan could become a major source of kaolin in the future.

Canada imports 97 per cent of the kaolin used nationally from the U.S. and the remainder from England. Georgia and South Carolina are the main sources of kaolin in North America.

The major potential markets for Saskatchewan kaolin are expected to be the paper industry in Western Canada, northwestern U.S. and western Ontario. Saskatchewan deposits have a competitive advantage over producers in Georgia and South Carolina due to shorter transportation to western markets.

The outlook is good for continued growth in world kaolin demand. High grade kaolin could find a market in the bone china and porcelain industries and possibly in synthetic zeolites (molecular sieves for water purification). Kaolin is also a potential source of aluminum.

Open the Mineral Resource Map of Saskatchewan.

Link to the Geological Atlas of Saskatchewan.