List of Important metals and their ores
What is a Metal?
- A metal is a material that is typically hard when in the solid state, opaque, shiny, and has good electrical and thermal conductivity.
- Metals play a major role in our life. For example, the kitchen utensils, the ornaments we wear, copper in wires, steel cart..etc are all made of metals. Iron and Steel are used in automobiles, construction of houses, bridges..etc.
- Metals have become a part of our life since ancient times. Starting from hand weapons made in Iron Age, metals play a major role in our day to day life.
What is an Ore?
- Ores are naturally occurring rocks that contain metal or metal compounds in sufficient amounts to make it worthwhile extracting them. For example, iron ore is used to make iron and steel.
Here, we providing a List of some Important metals and their ores. it is mainly useful for your upcoming competitive exams like SSC, UPSC etc.
List of Important metals and their ores list
| S.No | Metal | Ores |
| 1 | Sodium(Na) | Chile saltpetre Trona Borax Common salt |
| 2 | Aluminium(Al) | Bauxite Corundum Feldspar Cryolite Alunite Kaolin |
| 3 | Potassium(K) | Nitrate(saltpetre) Carnalite |
| 4 | Magnesium(Mg) | Magnesite Dolomite Epsom salt Kieserite Carnalite |
| 5 | Calcium(Ca) | Dolomite Calcite Gypsum Fluorspar Asbestos |
| 6 | Strontium(Sr) | Strontianite Silestone |
| 7 | Copper(Cu) | Cuprite Copper glance Copper pyrites |
| 8 | Silver(Ag) | Ruby silver Horn silver |
| 9 | Gold(Au) | Calaverite Silvenites |
| 10 | Barium(Ba) | Barytes |
| 11 | Zinc(Zn) | Zinc blende Zincite Calamine |
| 12 | Mercury(Hg) | Cinnabar |
| 13 | Tin(Sn) | Cassiterite |
| 14 | Lead(Pb) | Galena |
| 15 | Antimony(Sb) | Stibnite |
| 16 | Cadmium(Cd) | Greenockite |
| 17 | Bismuth(Bi) | Bismuthate |
| 18 | Iron(Fe) | Haemethite Limonite Magnetite Siderite Iron pyrite Copper pyrites |
| 19 | Cobalt(Co) | Smelite |
| 20 | Nickel(Ni) | Milarite |
| 21 | Manganese(Mn) | Pyrolusite Magnate |
| 22 | Uranium(U) | Carnetite Pitch blende |
Facts about Metals and Their Ores
1. Aluminium is one of the most common elements in the Earth’s crust and is found in a variety of silicate ores, which are often a type of clay.
2. The most common metal ores are oxides and sulphides.
3. Sulphides are the oldest ores, formed in the Earth’s history when there was a lot of sulphur from volcanic activity.
4. Oxides formed later when photosynthesis in plants released large amounts of oxygen into the atmosphere.
5. Iron ore is the most common element in the world and makes up close to 5% of the Earth’s crust. This makes it one of the most abundant rock elements.