RUSSIAN CHROME ORE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00246A000800050001-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 5, 2008
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 1, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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Iq
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)osit
it
Deposit
)osit
haya
', 1956
12-48 (First revision 5-56)
ukhara Chimkent 0 0Dzhambul 0""'
I- OTashkent Frunze0 ?Alma-Ata
0 Nar
Fergana 0 Yn
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RflSS IAN C!iRUMEORE
result of continued rises in output since 1026, the
As a r i~etween 1927 and
may now be the world's larcest producer of chromite.
~?S.R. has been a major exporter of
1935, and main since 1044, the technological
the ore. At the same time, inadequate electrical capacity,
37) insu.iffi ci ent supplies of nigh-grade ore forced
lar, and (until 15. and again
Soviet reliance upon imports of ferro-chrome until 1934, ~ner-
primary steels were nu
duuring World b?lar IT. Even in 19U7, while low chromi.un
antual production* only a few mPdi,un and high-chromium steels were in
u oses
In contrast, chromi to conslmlPtion for refractory and chemical p rp
always been high. Soviet chromite reserves are abundant to cove r
has
cal Standard requirements for the entire Soviet sphere, and also
Hypothetl bv.lgaria and Albania
to contimie exnorts. Of the satellites, Rumanian,
have chromite reso!1rces.
1937
FOREIGN TRAUF., AND GON5U PTIUN U~ CliR(kii ,, 192 -
pRO~~UCTiUId,
the Soviet Union produced X0,1. ? m.t.. of chromite, of which
In 192 .,
third came from `-arany and then est from other deposits in the
about a
r.ltnoUPh ferrochrome w,3.9 neither produced nor imrorted, the con-
ilrals. d about 10,000
:~e
te alone tot<
siunption of refractory and chemical cnromi
UO m.t.). The bulk
m.t. annroach~ng Hypothetical Standard demand (12,
which were
the oroductiom in 1926) as in 1025, a^cumulated in stockpiles,
of y ~ Table I> . Tn
wally d'snersed through the exnorts that began in l ?7 ( 1924 and 1935
grad
roduction between
fact, over 3o oer cent of all 5oviet chromite p
its eak export year, 1932, the Soviet Union was the world's
was exported; in p
eorter. Yet, as previously mentioned, it depended until
largest chromite xp
on imports of ferrochrome. Production of this ferroalloY was
1935 primarily h_ rade
rl difficult for the U.S.S.R. because it lacked 1enough hig g
particula Y irsai deposit
chromite until the discovery of the K-p
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 pa G 12
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L U.,
TABLE I
Year
Production
Exports
1925
30,111
1926
30,362
1927
19,282
2,330
1928
25,500
30,100
1929
52,900
539700
1930
82,000
159050
1931
87,000
23,800
1932
62,100
41,600
1933
112,400
41,100
1934
131,100
36,500
1935
184,400
11,500
d proportion (lb per centi), ouL cvntlumpLivia i..a o......?........, .- --___ _
Foreign trade in chromite and ferrochrome ceased in 1935. Soviet
chromite production in 1936 totaled 2219500 m.t., according to the State
Planning Commission; of this total, about 180,000 m.t.. came from Sarany
and was utilized solely for refractory and chemical purposes (145,000
and 35,000 m.t., respectively). Chromite concentrate suitable for ferro-
chrome did not exceed 30-40,000 m.t. These data may also be used for
1937: although actual production in that year is unknown, the output plan
225,000 m.t,. - merely continued 1936 conditions.
The pattern of Soviet chromite consumption in this period manifested
several interesting features. Total consumption (221,000-225,000 m.t.)
equaled Hypothetical Standard demand, but this can be attributed entirely
to very extensive use of chromite refractories. Since chromite refractories
have high fusion temperatures, this practice enabled the Soviets to run
their blast and open-hearth furnaces hotter and longer than is customary
in the United States.By American standards, 40 per cent of chromite consump-
tion goes to refractories; by Soviet practice of the mid-1930'3, 65 per
cent went. Chromite consumption by the chemical industries took a normal
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Page III
and absolutely low.
CHROMITE TRENDS AND INDICATIONS, 1937 - 1947. By 1938, the Kempirsai
deposit had been surveyed in part, and was known to have large reserves
of first-class chromite. The regional pattern of production changed
accordingly, so that Kempirsai was producinc nearly 60 per cent of
Soviet chromite in 19)12, and Sarany, 39 per cent. Unfortunately, the
total quantity produced cannot be established;
was substantial. It permitted the substitution of chrome steel for
nickel steel in armor-piercing projectiles, which saved 7,000 m.t, of
In any case, the wartime output
nickel in two-and-a-half years of war.
At the present time, the Soviet Union is clearly making great use
of chromite refractories, and is experimenting with chrome-magnesite mixes.
The specifications of 1947 called for the addition of 20 to 50 per cent of
magnesite to chromite of 30-35 per cent Cr203 content for best results.
Such mixed refractories combine high fusion points (18200- 1950?C) with
resistance to deformation under pressure. However, as late as 1951, this
new refractory was so scarce that only one open-hearth furnace at the
Stalino steel mill could be lined with it.
Developments in regard to chrome alloys are revealing. During World
War II, moderate imports of ferrochrome (3,8148,000 pounds in 19142) were
needed depsite the abundance of chromite in the U.S.S.R.
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SATELLITE CHROMITE SUPPLIES. Bulgaria has been a minor.producer of
chromite, with an output of 2,350 m.t. in 1937 and 7,000 m.t. in 1943.
Albania's output appears to be even smaller, about 5,000 m.t. in 1942.
Thus, the satellites are currently dependent upon Soviet chromite. How-
ever, Rumania is said to have undeveloped chromite resources of fair
magnitude: 2 to 10 million m.t. with contents of 30-50 per cent Cr203.
CHROMITE RESERVES AND DEPOSITS. As of January 1, 1936, Soviet chromite
ore reserves totaled 15,544,000 m.t, of which but 4,932,000 were measur-
ed. Reserves of high-grade ore (over 45 per cent Cr203) were very small.
The discovery of the Kempirsai deposit ended this situation, although
the full significance of the find was not realized immediately. In 1939,
Kempirsai reserves were assessed, according to the State Planning Comm-
ission at about 170,000 m.t. of measured and 570,000 m.t. of total
reserves. Further exploration showed, however, that this was an enor-
mous deposit; Betekhtin stated that it was the largest in the world,
definitely exceeding Sarany (with 14,101,000 m.t. of reserves). In all
it appears safe to assume that Soviet chromite reserves aggregate fully
25 to 30 million m.t., an amount comfortably exceeding Hypothetical
Standard requirements to 1970 for the entire Soviet sphere (14.6 million
m.t.)
The Kempirsai deposit, in northern Kazakhstan (Turkestan Economic
Region), consists of over 70 ore bodies 10 to 150 meters long and 0.5 to
10 meters thick; in all, the deposit covers an area of 1000 km. The South-
eastern group, which consists primarily of serpentinized dunites, is the
richest. In contrast, the Northern group, associated mainly with peridotites,
has ore high in A1203, with up to 20 per cent of FeO, and is usable only for
refractory purposes. The other four significant deposits - Sarany,
Klyuchevskaya, Khabarnyi, and Gore Verblyuzhaya - are all found in the Urals,
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Sarr comprises five ore bodies, but the overwhelming part of its
reserves is comprised in the principal mine. This contained 13,-300,000
n,t, of ore to a depth of 228 meters, as of January 1, 1933. Sarany
chromite is of low quality, with 33.2-42.6 per cent of Cr203 (in 1936,
500,000 tons of ore had a Cr203 content of 40 per cent) 14.5-23.1 per
cent of A1203, 14.3-22.0 per cent of FeO, 13.3-16.8 per cent of MgO,
0-3.80 per cent of CaO, and 2.3-9.0 per cent of Si02. Attempts to con-
centrate the ores met with little success inthe early 1930's; a concen-
trate having 42.5 per cent of Cr203 could be achieved only with losses
of 80.5 per cent. In 1936, the annual capacity of the mine was being
Page V
expanded to 200,000 m.t. of usable ore and concentrate.
Klyuchevskaya is the third largest chromite deposit in the U.S.S.R.
Although the ores are lean, they concentrate satisfactorily; in the con-
centrate, Cr203 content increases from 15 to 56 per cent; Si02 content
drops from 20 to 1.78 per cent; 87 per cent recovery has been claimed.
In 1936, a plant with a capacity of 50,000 m.t. of ore and 10,000 m.t.t
of concentrate was in operation here. The total reserves at Klyuchevskaya
in 1936 were 655,000 m.t. of ore sufficient to yield 186,1000 m.t. of con-
centrate, according to Vakhromeyev's estimate,
Khabarnyi in the southern Urals is closely comparable to Klyuchev-
ekaya, although smaller, with total reserves of 396,000 metric tons of
ore (January 1, 1936). A concentration plant with a capacity of 10-15,000
metric tons of concentrate was being completed here in 1936.
Gora Verblyushaya is a small deposit formerly important as a producer,
On January 1, 1933, its total reserves of massive ores with 140-4i5 per cent
Cr203 content were 145,000 metric tons; of disseminated ores with 32-40 per
sent Cr2O3 content, 61,.000 metric tons. It is not certain whether this
ilsposit has bean exhausted.
25X1
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Fargo V2
CHEMICAL COMPOS;ITIOV o RUSSIAfi1 CHROMIT2
Ural Region
Cr203
36.34
42.65
35.75
50.52
Averages
41.31
Kasachstan
I
54.76
II
58.16
42.08
60.91
A1222
L~2
ma
SiO2
`
-
0~
o
17.12
15.30
18.31
6.20
2 ?/L
14.41
14.52
16.26
8.12
2050/x?
17.31
18.34
16.54
5.43
1?728
7.55
15.63
16.71
6.70
2,X/A
14.09
15.94
16.95
6.61
9.64
12.37
16.28
4.52
3. OP/2
9.19
12.27
16.10
2.30
hmia
6.76
10.15
19.27
10.82
3065/L
8.28
14.67
11.51
202.5
3063/A
Average 53.97 8.46 12.36 15.79 4.84
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RUSSIAN PRODUCTION OF CHROMITE (Estimated)
Metric Tons
1943-1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953
3459000 6009000 3509000 5009000 6009000 6009000 6009000
Output fro U.S.S.R. in Asia included with U.S.S.R. in Europe
I
25X1
0roaa Weight (Short Tone)
1589118
Average Analysis
Cr203 Fe Cr-Fe
51.87 10.45 3.40)
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