Crude kaolin is not the export story. Washed or calcined kaolin is. Coatings and ceramics care about brightness, particle behaviour and abrasivity after transformation. Name which one you need before anyone talks freight.
Washed / hydrous
Washing and classification lift brightness and control size for paint, paper and ceramic uses that were qualified on hydrous grades. Still a technical sheet — not “white clay”.
Calcined
Calcination changes hardness and optical behaviour. A calcined brief is a different product. Swapping hydrous into a calcined slot without a trial is how formulas fail.
US competition
Georgia and other US producers set a high bar. Import works when a transformed grade clears targets domestic supply does not meet on timing or specification — after lab trials. See paints and coatings and glass and ceramics.
How we inquire
- Washed or calcined.
- Brightness and particle targets.
- Host process (paint, ceramic body, functional filler).
- Volume, packing, destination.
Buyer inquiry. Algeria is primary; multi-country partners keep the same transformation family available when one calcination or wash line tightens.
Related fillers: micronized GCC when the formula is carbonate, not clay.