Natural
Magnesite

Silicate-bearing grade for ceramic bodies
ESKİŞEHİR · TÜRKİYE EST. 1994
The company

Thirty years in
Anatolian minerals

Öncü Madencilik was founded in Eskişehir in 1994. Regular extraction began in 2006, and in 2016 the company concentrated entirely on mining.

Today we work our own licensed deposits in the Eskişehir basin and supply magnesite to the Turkish ceramic industry, including most of the country's largest tile manufacturers, as well as to export markets. We sell as the producer, without intermediaries.

1994
Founded
4
Mining licences
1,710 ha
Licensed area
4.35 M t
Estimated reserves
20+
Plants supplied
Kireçköy operation stockyard
Kireçköy operation, stockyard
The product

What we sell,
and what it does

Natural magnesite (MgCO3) in raw, uncalcined form. A silicate-bearing grade whose behaviour in a ceramic body differs from refractory-grade magnesite, and is better suited to it.

In a tile body, magnesite works as a secondary flux alongside feldspar. It lowers the peak firing temperature, raises mechanical strength and reduces water absorption. Because it acts strongly, it is used in small proportions, and the effect on gas consumption per fired tonne is direct. Dosage is set by the producer's own formulation.

Lower firing temperature

Published work on magnesium-bearing fluxes reports reductions in sintering peak of the order of 50 °C at optimum dosage.

Higher fired strength

Increases in green, dry and fired bending strength are reported for magnesite additions in wall and floor tile bodies.

Lower water absorption

Denser vitrification at the same firing cycle, with firing shrinkage kept within standard once dosage is controlled.

Porcelain stoneware Floor tile bodies Wall tile bodies Engobe / roller coat Brick & heavy clay
Run-of-mine magnesite
Run-of-mine material, as shipped
Technical specification

Analysis

Chemical composition

OxideMass %
MgO42.93
SiO25.09
CaO1.40
Al2O31.22
Fe2O30.32
Loss on ignition48.65

Mineralogy & physical

PropertyValue
Main phase (XRD)Magnesite
Secondary phaseEnstatite
Free quartznot detected
Moisture, 110 °Cseasonal
Form suppliedraw, uncalcined
HS code2519.10

Why this grade

Buyers of ceramic-grade magnesite watch two impurities above all: free quartz, which causes pinholing in glaze, and dolomite, which brings unwanted CaO into the body.

X-ray diffraction identifies our secondary phase as enstatite, a calcium-magnesium silicate, not free quartz. At 1.40% CaO the dolomite content is minimal.

All figures are taken from reports issued by SAM, Seramik Araştırma Merkezi A.Ş., the ceramic research centre affiliated with Eskişehir Technical University. A certificate of analysis accompanies each shipment.

Download technical profile (PDF)
XRD pattern
XRD pattern, SAM laboratory report R26
Operations

Deposits, plant
and supply

Kireçköy operation

Licensed area860 ha
Estimated reserve2,200,000 t
MethodOpen pit

The deposit our ceramic-grade material comes from. Worked without drilling or blasting and shipped raw.

Akköprü operation

Licensed area850 ha
Estimated reserve2,150,000 t
PlantCrush, screen, sort

Our second deposit, processed through jaw crushers, screens, a washing drum and magnetic separators.

Supplied bulk or in big bags, FOB Gemlik. Crushing and screening to 500 µm and above can be arranged for volume orders. Supply volumes are agreed per contract.
Working face
Working face, bedded deposit
References

Who buys
this material

Most of Turkey's large tile manufacturers are among our customers. Turkey is the world's fourth-largest ceramic tile producer, and these plants run the same body formulations, on the same equipment, as their European counterparts.

Kale Seramik A.Ş.
Kütahya Seramik A.Ş.
Güral Seramik A.Ş.
Ege Seramik A.Ş.
Yurtbay Seramik A.Ş.
Seranit Granit Seramik A.Ş.
Bien Seramik A.Ş.
Termal Seramik A.Ş.
Graniser Granit Seramik A.Ş.
Decovita Seramik A.Ş.
Söğüt Seramik A.Ş.
Anka Seramik A.Ş.
Arte Seramik A.Ş.
Rhino Seramik A.Ş.
Pera Seramik A.Ş.
Etili Seramik A.Ş.
Akgün Seramik A.Ş.
Karo Metro Seramik A.Ş.
Doğanay Toprak A.Ş.
İzmir Seramik A.Ş.
Granito Girarto

Our first European shipment went to a major Spanish tile producer in May 2022, FOB Gemlik, bulk and uncrushed. Until now our material has reached export markets through intermediaries. From 2026 export sales are handled in-house, which means the buyer deals directly with the company that owns the deposit.

Contact

Enquiries
and samples

Samples are supplied on request, accompanied by full laboratory analysis. Tell us the requirement of your body formulation and we will respond with specification and terms.

Export sales

info@oncumining.com
+31 625 11 47 74  ·  call
+90 532 457 55 44  ·  WhatsApp

Öncü Madencilik Ltd. Şti.

+90 222 220 26 52
+90 541 262 62 07
+90 542 263 49 90

İstiklal Mh. Reşadiye Cad. No: 8
Yelkovan İş Merkezi, Kat 2 / No 112
Eskişehir, Türkiye

Operations in Odunpazarı district. Loading port: Gemlik.