NSAR's non-metallic minerals are noncombustible solid rocks or minerals used in industry and construction in natural form or after mechanical, thermal, or chemical processing for the extraction of nonmetallic elements or their compounds.
The variety of the composition and properties of nonmetallic minerals determines the complex nature of their use. Nonmetallic minerals are ordinarily divided into four groups on the basis of the field in which they are used: (1) chemical raw materials (2) metallurgical raw materials (3) construction materials (4) nonmetallic nonore raw materials, represented by the industrial crystals. As technology develops, the group of nonmetallic minerals is growing steadily through industrial use of rocks and minerals not formerly used in industry.