Australian tungsten supply 2026: three projects racing to close the production gap

Tuesday 14 July 2026

Australia holds 12% of the world's tungsten economic resources, second only to China. It produces barely 1% of global output. That disparity has sat quietly in Geoscience Australia's data for years, but in 2026, with Chinese export restrictions tightening and ammonium paratungstate (APT) prices climbing above US$3,000 per metric tonne unit, the gap between what Australia has in the ground and what it puts into the supply chain has become one of the most consequential in the critical minerals sector.

China controls roughly 80% of global tungsten mine production and dominates downstream processing. In December 2025, Beijing cut its list of authorised tungsten exporters to just 15 firms for 2026-2027. APT exports from China fell around 70% year on year through 2025, and early 2026 saw near-zero shipments of some tungsten products. European APT prices have responded accordingly, reaching ten times historic norms. The structural message is clear: Western economies dependent on Chinese tungsten face a supply constraint that policy commitments alone will not resolve. Mines and processing capacity are the only answer.

Classification and origin

Tungsten (W, atomic number 74) sits on Australia's Critical Minerals List and appears on every major Western critical minerals strategy, including the US Critical Minerals List, the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, and Japan's mineral security priorities. Its physical properties are distinctive: the highest melting point of any metal at 3,422°C, the highest tensile strength of any pure element, and exceptional density. These properties make it irreplaceable in applications where heat, hardness, and wear resistance are non-negotiable.

The two primary tungsten ore minerals are wolframite (an iron-manganese tungstate) and scheelite (a calcium tungstate). Wolframite typically occurs in quartz-vein systems associated with granitic intrusions, a deposit style common in north Queensland and Tasmania. Scheelite forms in contact metamorphic skarns where granitic melts intrude carbonate host rocks, a setting found across northern Australia and parts of Western Australia. Both deposit types are represented in Australia's current project pipeline.

Australian deposits and active programs

Three ASX-listed projects define Australia's near-term tungsten pipeline, each at a different development stage and in a different jurisdiction.

EQ Resources (ASX: EQR) operates Mt Carbine in Far North Queensland, currently Australia's only producing tungsten mine. The operation combines open pit mining with retreatment of historical tailings through a modern processing facility. On 7 July 2026, EQR announced an agreement to expand its Mt Carbine district exploration tenure by approximately 45%, from around 783 km² to 1,136 km². The deal adds five granted exploration permits, several applications, and the Mt White mining lease located 67 km from the processing facility. The strategic logic is a hub-and-spoke model: identifying satellite tungsten sources across the Mareeba district to supplement mill feed from the main operation. Consideration for the acquisition was A$900,000 cash plus 30 million EQR ordinary shares.

Tungsten Mining NL (ASX: TGN) is advancing the Mt Mulgine project in Western Australia's Murchison region. Mt Mulgine is one of the largest undeveloped tungsten deposits outside China, with an exploration target of 165 to 200 Mt at 0.10 to 0.12% WO₃ at the Mulgine Trench deposit. A 40,000-metre reverse circulation drilling program commenced in 2026 to grow and upgrade the tungsten-molybdenum resource, funded by a A$53 million capital raising. The pre-feasibility study is targeting completion in Q3 2026, with a development timeline pointing toward first concentrate production in Q3 2029.

Tivan Limited (ASX: TVN) completed 100% acquisition of the Molyhil tungsten-molybdenum skarn project in the Northern Territory in January 2026. The deposit carries a JORC-compliant resource of 4.647 Mt at 0.26% WO₃ and 0.09% Mo, located approximately 220 km northeast of Alice Springs. In June 2026, Tivan documented key terms with Sumitomo Corporation for potential joint venture equity, offtake covering up to 100% of production, and investment of up to US$25 million. A scoping study returned a pre-tax NPV of A$534.3 million.

Why this matters

Roughly 60% of global tungsten consumption goes into cemented carbide tooling: the drill bits, cutting inserts, and wear parts that underpin mining, construction, and manufacturing worldwide. The remainder spans defence applications (armour-piercing projectiles, kinetic energy penetrators), aerospace turbine components, electrical contacts, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The circular dependency is worth noting: every drilling program in the mining industry, including the programs exploring for tungsten itself, depends on a reliable supply of tungsten carbide drill bits.

With China restricting exports and Western inventories drawn down, the economic case for Australian tungsten production is stronger than it has been in decades. The question is whether projects can move through feasibility, permitting, and construction fast enough to capture the window.

The talent demand link

Each of these three projects generates distinct workforce requirements as it advances. Mt Carbine's 45% tenure expansion translates directly into field mapping, target generation, and eventually drill testing across a larger tenement package, all requiring experienced geologists and field technicians. Mt Mulgine's 40,000-metre RC drilling campaign is a sustained, large-scale program demanding drill geologists, samplers, and core handlers in a regional Western Australian setting. Molyhil's progression through scoping and pre-feasibility studies calls for resource geologists, metallurgical testwork specialists, and environmental professionals.

At Norwest Exploration and Mining Services, we specialise in rapid deployment of geologists and field technicians into active programs across Australia. When tungsten projects scale, the workforce pipeline needs to scale with them.

Australia's tungsten production gap, 12% of resources against 1% of output, is one of the starkest disconnects in the critical minerals sector. The deposits are known, the economics are compelling, and three companies are committing capital. Whether the workforce pipeline can match that ambition may be the deciding factor.