Feldspar is a group of rock-forming minerals that contain silica and alumina. It is the most abundant mineral group, constituting about 60% of the Earths crust. Feldspar has a wide range of uses in various industries, including:

• Ceramics: Feldspars are used in the ceramic industry as a flux to form a glassy phase in bodies during firing, and thus promote vitrification. They also are used as a source of alkalies and alumina in glazes. The composition of feldspar used in different ceramic formulations varies depending on various factors, including the properties of the individual grade, the other raw materials, and the requirements of the finished products.

• Glassmaking: Feldspar is an important source of alumina in the glassmaking industry. In the US, about 66% of feldspar is consumed in glassmaking, including glass containers and glass fiber.

• Paints, plastics, sealants, and adhesives: Feldspar is an important mineral filler in paints, plastics, sealants, and adhesives.

• Building materials: Feldspar is used to make dinnerware, bathroom and building tiles, and fiberglass insulation.

• Gemstones: Some varieties of feldspar are used as gemstones, such as moonstone, spectrolite, sunstone, and amazonite.

• Dating: In earth sciences and archaeology, feldspars are used for potassium-argon dating, argon-argon dating, and luminescence dating.

Feldspar can be extracted from rocks and crushed into fine powder or granules that are used in various manufacturing processes.