Bentonite drilling grade API 13A sodium bentonite supplier China
Sodium bentonite bulk China
Bentonite 25kg PP bags export packaging China
Miningsun · Bentonite Export

Bentonite Supplier China | API 13A Drilling & Civil Grade

Bulk and bagged bentonite from verified Chinese mining and processing sources. API 13A / OCMA / GB/T 20973 compliant grades available. FOB / CIF from major Chinese ports.

Supplied to oilfield drilling contractors, civil engineering firms, foundries, iron ore pelletizing plants, and water treatment operators across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Every shipment third-party tested — COA and MTC included as standard.

Standards API 13A (Sec. 9 / Sec. 11) · GB/T 20973 · OCMA
Types Sodium Bentonite · Calcium Bentonite · Activated
Key Grades Drilling (API / OCMA) · Foundry · Civil / GCL · Feed Additive
Packaging 25 kg bags · 1 MT / 1.5 MT jumbo · Bulk vessel
MOQ 1 MT (bagged) · 500 MT (bulk vessel)
Lead Time 15–25 days after PO confirmation
Incoterms FOB · CIF · CFR
Available Grades

Select the Right Grade for Your Application

Miningsun supplies bentonite across four primary industrial grades, each processed and tested to meet the relevant international specification. Mixed or custom grade inquiries welcome.

Drilling Grade

API / OCMA Grade

Sodium bentonite meeting API 13A Section 9 (API Grade) and Section 11 (OCMA Grade). High yield, high viscosity, excellent fluid-loss control for water-based drilling muds.

  • Oil & gas well drilling
  • Water well & HDD drilling
  • Geotechnical boreholes
  • Borehole sealing & grouting
Civil / Environmental

Civil & GCL Grade

High-swelling sodium bentonite for waterproofing, containment, and barrier applications. Meets requirements for geosynthetic clay liners, slurry walls, and pond sealing.

  • Geosynthetic clay liners (GCL)
  • Diaphragm walls & pile boring
  • Landfill & reservoir lining
  • Horizontal directional drilling (HDD)
Foundry Grade

Foundry & Pelletizing Grade

Thermally stable sodium bentonite with high green strength for metal casting mold sand. Also used as a binder in iron ore pelletizing to produce blast-furnace feed pellets.

  • Iron, steel & non-ferrous foundry
  • Iron ore pelletizing (binder)
  • Green sand mold preparation
  • Ceramic & construction binders

Exceptional Swelling & Absorption

Sodium bentonite swells up to 15× its dry volume in water — forming impermeable gels essential for drilling mud performance, wellbore sealing, and environmental containment.

API 13A / OCMA Certified

Drilling grade bentonite tested and compliant with API 13A Section 9 and Section 11 (OCMA). Yield ≥ 90 bbl/ton, fluid loss ≤ 15 ml/30 min. COA per shipment.

Verified Chinese Source, Stable Supply

China holds the world's second-largest bentonite reserves. Miningsun sources from established Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang mines with consistent montmorillonite content and year-round availability.

High Montmorillonite Content

Our sodium bentonite carries ≥ 75% montmorillonite — the active mineral responsible for swelling, viscosity, and cation exchange performance. Lower-grade material is rejected at source.

Flexible Mesh Size & Packaging

Supplied in powder (200 mesh) or granular form. 25 kg PP bags, 1 MT / 1.5 MT jumbo bags (FIBC), or bulk vessel loading. Custom mesh size and private-label bagging available.

Full Export Documentation

COA, MTC, CO, MSDS, and third-party inspection (SGS / BV / CIQ) available. All paperwork handled by our experienced export team in English and Chinese.

Technical Data

Specifications by Grade

Key parameters for our primary export grades. Drilling grade is tested per API 13A; Civil/GCL grade per EN 13242 and project-specific requirements; Foundry grade per ISO 1872-2. Custom specifications available on request.

Parameter API Grade (Sec. 9) OCMA Grade (Sec. 11) Civil / GCL Grade Foundry Grade
Montmorillonite Content (min)≥ 75%≥ 65%≥ 70%≥ 70%
Viscometer Reading @ 600 rpm (min)≥ 30 cp≥ 25 cp
Yield (min, bbl/ton)≥ 90≥ 70
Fluid Loss (max, ml/30 min)≤ 15≤ 22.5
Free Swelling Index (min, ml/2 g)≥ 24≥ 16≥ 24
Moisture Content (max)≤ 10%≤ 13%≤ 12%≤ 10%
Sand Content (max)≤ 2.5%≤ 4.0%≤ 4.0%≤ 3.0%
pH (2% suspension)8.5 – 10.58.0 – 11.08.0 – 10.58.0 – 10.0
Particle Size (mesh)200 mesh200 mesh60–200 mesh100–200 mesh

* Typical values from production. Batch-specific COA issued with every shipment. Custom grades and mesh sizes available on request.

Applications

Where Our Customers Use Bentonite

From oil well drilling in the Gulf to landfill liners in Europe — bentonite's unique swelling, binding, and absorption properties make it indispensable across multiple industries.

Oil & Gas Well Drilling

API / OCMA grade drilling mud for wellbore stabilization, cuttings transport, and fluid-loss control in water-based mud systems.

Civil Engineering & Tunneling

Slurry walls, diaphragm walls, tunnel boring, pile boring. Bentonite slurry provides borehole stability and lubrication.

Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GCL)

High-swelling sodium bentonite needle-punched or glued between geotextile layers for landfill, pond, and reservoir containment.

Foundry Sand Bonding

Binder in green sand mold preparation for iron, steel, and non-ferrous casting. Improves green strength and thermal stability.

Iron Ore Pelletizing

Binder for iron ore fines conversion into blast-furnace pellets. Low addition rates (0.5–1.5%) with excellent balling efficiency.

Water Treatment & Environmental

Wastewater clarification, heavy metal adsorption, lagoon sealing, and contaminated site remediation.

Procurement Information

Packaging, Ports & Payment

Flexible packaging and incoterms to match your application, discharge facilities, and project scale.

Packaging Options

  • 25 kg PP woven bags, palletized & shrink-wrapped
  • 50 kg PP bags available on request
  • 1,000 kg / 1,500 kg jumbo bags (FIBC) with PE liner
  • Bulk loading into vessel holds (500+ MT)
  • 20' / 40' container stuffing available
  • Custom private-label bagging on request

Loading Ports

  • Tianjin / Xingang Port (primary)
  • Qingdao Port
  • Shanghai Port
  • Lianyungang Port
  • Bulk vessels and container shipments arranged

Payment Terms

  • 30% T/T deposit, 70% balance against B/L copy
  • L/C at sight (irrevocable, from prime banks)
  • D/P, D/A negotiable for established buyers
  • Trial orders accepted to build long-term relationships

Documentation Provided

  • Commercial Invoice & Packing List
  • Bill of Lading (B/L)
  • Certificate of Origin (CO / Form A / FORM E)
  • Mill Test Certificate (MTC) & COA per shipment
  • SGS / BV / CIQ third-party inspection on request
Why Buy from Miningsun

Direct-Source Supplier. Multi-Grade Capability.

China is the world's second-largest bentonite producer, with major deposits in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Liaoning. Miningsun sources directly from established mining operations and processing facilities — delivering consistent, specification-grade bentonite at competitive export pricing.

  • Direct mine sourcing — long-term supply agreements with established Chinese bentonite mines and processors
  • Multi-grade capability — API drilling, OCMA, civil/GCL, foundry, and feed-additive grades from a single supplier
  • Third-party tested — API 13A / GB/T 20973 compliance with COA on every shipment
  • Custom mesh sizes — 60 to 325 mesh powder or granular forms to match your process requirements
  • Stable pricing — quarterly fixed-price contracts available for repeat buyers and volume commitments
  • Reliable lead times — 15–25 days from PO to vessel loading, consistently
  • Full export documentation — CO, MTC, MSDS, SGS/BV inspection, fumigation as required
  • Responsive sales team — quotes within 24 hours, English / Chinese supported
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between sodium bentonite and calcium bentonite?
Sodium bentonite (also called Wyoming-type) has sodium as the dominant exchangeable cation. It swells significantly in water — up to 15× its dry volume — making it the preferred type for drilling muds, GCL liners, and sealing applications. Calcium bentonite has lower swelling capacity and is typically used in foundry applications, animal feed additives, and certain industrial absorbent applications where swelling is not required. For most export applications in drilling and civil engineering, sodium bentonite is specified.
What does API 13A Section 9 vs Section 11 (OCMA) mean?
API Specification 13A defines quality requirements for drilling-grade bentonite. Section 9 (API Grade) sets stricter requirements — minimum yield of 90 bbl/ton and maximum fluid loss of 15 ml/30 min — and is predominantly used in North American and Middle Eastern markets. Section 11 (OCMA Grade) has slightly relaxed requirements (yield ≥ 70 bbl/ton, fluid loss ≤ 22.5 ml/30 min) and is widely specified in Europe, Asia, and Africa. We supply both; specify your required section when requesting a quote.
What is bentonite yield and why does it matter?
Yield refers to the number of barrels of drilling mud (at 15 cp viscosity) produced from one ton of bentonite. Higher yield means more mud per ton — directly reducing material cost per meter drilled. API Grade requires ≥ 90 bbl/ton; our typical product achieves 95–110 bbl/ton. Low-yield bentonite requires higher addition rates to achieve target viscosity, increasing cost and disposal volume.
Can I use Chinese bentonite for GCL (geosynthetic clay liner) manufacturing?
Yes. Our civil/GCL grade sodium bentonite meets the swelling index and moisture requirements for GCL production. Free swelling index ≥ 24 ml/2 g, montmorillonite ≥ 70%, moisture ≤ 12%. GCL manufacturers typically specify granular forms (1–5 mm) for needle-punch or stitch-bond production lines — we supply this form on request. We recommend requesting a sample for your specific production process qualification before placing a bulk order.
What is the minimum order quantity (MOQ) for bentonite?
MOQ is 1 metric ton for bagged orders (25 kg or jumbo bags), typically as part of a full container load (FCL). For bulk vessel loading, minimum is 500 MT. Trial container orders are accepted for new buyers. Contact our team with your grade, mesh size, and destination to receive a specific quote and lead time.
Downloads

Technical & Compliance Documents

Available to qualified buyers upon request — please specify grade, mesh size, and estimated annual volume when reaching out.

Request a Quote for Bentonite

Tell us your required grade, mesh size, annual volume, destination port, and packaging preference — we'll respond with a competitive FOB/CIF price within 24 hours.

Get a Price Or email us directly: info@miningsun.com · WhatsApp: +1 814 515 0096
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