The United States hasn’t produced a pound of tungsten domestically since 2015. That’s eleven years of complete dependence on imports for a metal that hardens drill bits, strengthens armor plating, and keeps half the aerospace industry functional. But American Tungsten just reported its first drilling results from Idaho’s IMA mine: and the grades suggest this property could be the first serious attempt to change that equation.
The initial assays show something the U.S. critical minerals community desperately needs: actual, economically meaningful tungsten mineralization in the ground. Not a promising anomaly. Not a speculative target. Real intercepts with real grades that could support selective underground mining.
The Numbers From Underground
American Tungsten completed 10 drill holes totaling approximately 3,800 feet on the rehabilitated D-level at IMA. All ten holes returned meaningful tungsten-silver mineralization. Three intercepts stand out:
- 31 feet grading 0.48% WO₃ and 1.84 oz/t silver
- 11.1 feet at 1.08% WO₃ and 2.05 oz/t silver
- 16.3 feet at 0.54% WO₃ and 1.79 oz/t silver
That second intercept: 1.08% WO₃: crosses the threshold that matters. Grades above 1% tungsten trioxide historically support selective, higher-margin underground operations in Western U.S. vein systems. This isn’t bulk-tonnage material. It’s the kind of mineralization you chase with development headings and carefully planned stope extraction.
IMA produced nearly 200,000 metric ton units of WO₃ between 1945 and 1957. The mine shut down not because the ore ran out, but because global economics and Cold War-era procurement contracts shifted. What American Tungsten is now demonstrating with modern drilling is that the mineralization continues beyond the limits of mid-century mining. These aren’t legacy intercepts from depleted zones. They’re extensions of a proven system that was never fully explored with contemporary methods.
The silver credits matter too. At 1.79 to 2.05 oz/t silver across these intercepts, the by-product revenue helps offset the realities of small-scale underground mining in Idaho. Tungsten projects live or die on operating costs and concentrate quality. Silver reduces the breakeven threshold and improves project economics at the margins where feasibility studies get written.
Why Tungsten Supply Matters Now
China controls approximately 80% of global tungsten mine output. That stranglehold has been a known problem for two decades, but the urgency escalated sharply in 2024 and 2025 as export controls tightened and domestic Chinese demand for tungsten surged. The United States imports nearly all the tungsten it consumes. Zero domestic mine production means zero strategic buffer when geopolitical tensions flare or supply chains constrict.
Tungsten isn’t a commodity you can easily substitute or defer. Defense contractors need it for armor-piercing munitions and ballistic armor. Aerospace manufacturers rely on tungsten-heavy alloys for engine components and high-temperature applications. The oil and gas industry uses tungsten carbide for drill bits that can survive extreme downhole conditions. When tungsten supply tightens, entire manufacturing chains face material shortages that can’t be solved by switching to aluminum or steel.
The White House’s critical minerals initiatives, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s strategic supply negotiations, explicitly prioritize tungsten alongside rare earths, lithium, and cobalt. But policy frameworks don’t produce ore. Projects like IMA do. And projects need drill results, metallurgical test work, and capital before they can deliver concentrate to domestic refiners.
The Historical Context Behind IMA
IMA isn’t a greenfield discovery. It’s a brownfield redevelopment with nearly 80 years of production history. The mine operated through World War II and into the 1950s when U.S. government procurement programs supported domestic tungsten output. At the time, IMA was one of several tungsten producers in the Western U.S. that collectively provided strategic supply independence.
That supply base evaporated over decades as cheaper Chinese production undercut domestic mines and environmental permitting grew more complex. By 2015, the last U.S. tungsten mine closed. The industry knowledge base fragmented. Metallurgical expertise migrated overseas. The infrastructure: mills, refineries, supply chains: atrophied.
American Tungsten’s 2024 acquisition of IMA represents the first systematic application of modern exploration methods at the property. The company is using contemporary drilling, geophysics, and 3D modeling to reinterpret the deposit geometry and identify extensions that 1940s-era mining couldn’t reach. The current drilling program on the D-level is just the first phase of a broader effort to define resources and evaluate underground restart economics.
What These Grades Actually Mean
The critical question isn’t whether IMA has tungsten. It does. The question is whether the grades, widths, and continuity can support a selective underground operation at 2026 costs.
Grades above 1% WO₃ generally work for narrow-vein underground mining if the ore is clean, the mineralization is predictable, and the infrastructure exists to support efficient extraction. IMA has portions of that infrastructure still intact: the D-level rehabilitation proves the old workings are accessible and stable. But metallurgy, concentrate quality, and mining method selection will determine whether this project advances beyond exploration.
Tungsten deposits can be metallurgically complex. Wolframite and scheelite: the two primary tungsten minerals: respond differently to flotation and gravity separation. Penalty elements like arsenic, bismuth, or tin can downgrade concentrate value or complicate sales contracts. American Tungsten expects additional assay results by late February at the latest, and those results will include mineralogy and metallurgical indicators that shape the feasibility case.
If the ore is predominantly wolframite with minimal deleterious elements, IMA becomes significantly more attractive. Wolframite concentrates trade at premium pricing in markets where buyers need material for high-purity applications. Scheelite is easier to process but typically fetches lower prices unless the concentrate grade exceeds 65% WO₃.
The Path From Drilling to Production
American Tungsten is prioritizing metallurgy and infrastructure restoration while evaluating underground restart scenarios. That’s the correct sequence. Drilling alone doesn’t validate a project. The company needs to demonstrate that the ore can be concentrated economically and sold into markets that will pay premium pricing for domestically sourced tungsten.
The timeline from exploration to production is measured in years, not months. Permitting an underground mine in Idaho requires state and federal approvals, environmental baselines, and community engagement. Financing a restart requires resource estimation, feasibility-level engineering, and off-take agreements with end users willing to commit to domestic supply.
But the drilling results create optionality where none existed before. If American Tungsten can prove out 5 to 10 years of mineable reserves at grades above 0.5% WO₃, the project becomes a serious candidate for strategic investment. That could mean private equity, government co-investment through programs like the Defense Production Act, or partnerships with downstream consumers seeking supply chain security.
The Broader Strategic Picture
Reviving domestic tungsten production isn’t just about IMA. It’s about rebuilding an entire supply chain that collapsed over decades of neglect. Even if American Tungsten successfully restarts mining, the United States still lacks domestic tungsten refining capacity at scale. Concentrate from IMA would likely need to be shipped overseas for final processing unless parallel investments rebuild domestic refining infrastructure.
That disconnect: between mining restart and processing capacity: is where policy support matters most. Tax credits, loan guarantees, and strategic stockpile purchases can de-risk private investment in both mining and downstream processing. Without those mechanisms, domestic tungsten projects face structural disadvantages compared to Chinese integrated producers who control every step from mine to final product.
The urgency is real. Resource nationalism is accelerating globally. Export restrictions on critical minerals are proliferating. Supply chains that looked stable five years ago now carry geopolitical risk premiums. American Tungsten’s drilling results at IMA represent one data point in a much larger effort to restore domestic supply resilience. But it’s a data point that matters: because you can’t rebuild an industry without proving that economically viable ore bodies exist within U.S. borders.
What Happens Next
American Tungsten will complete additional drilling, release more assay results, and advance metallurgical test work through 2026. The company is evaluating underground restart scenarios and working through the engineering required to support feasibility-level decisions. If the results continue to validate the grade and continuity demonstrated in the initial 10 holes, IMA moves closer to becoming the first domestic tungsten mine to restart in more than a decade.
That’s a significant milestone. Not a guaranteed outcome. Not a solved problem. But a milestone that demonstrates domestic tungsten supply is technically and economically feasible if the right combination of geology, engineering, and capital alignment comes together.
The United States needs projects like IMA to succeed. Not because one mine in Idaho solves the entire supply deficit. But because successful restarts prove the concept, rebuild industry knowledge, and attract the follow-on investment required to restore strategic independence. The drilling results are promising. The path forward is long. And the strategic stakes couldn’t be higher.
Source: Skillings Mining Review (Data as of February 16, 2026)
