Image: Wikimedia Commons

talc

Hydrous magnesium phyllosilicate mineral

Also known as talcum · hydrous magnesium silicate

Instance of: mineral species
1
Sources
1.Stated in The IMA List of Minerals (November 2018)
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Subclass of: talc mineral group
1
Sources
1.Stated in Fleischer’s Glossary of Mineral Species 2014
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, phyllosilicates

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

Talc, or talcum, is a clay mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate, with the chemical formula Mg3Si4O10(OH)2. Talc in powdered form, often combined with corn starch, is used as baby powder. This mineral is used as a thickening agent and lubricant. It is an ingredient in ceramics, paints, and roofing material. It is a main ingredient in many cosmetics. It occurs as foliated to fibrous masses, and in an exceptionally rare crystal form. It has a perfect basal cleavage and an uneven flat fracture, and it is foliated with a two-dimensional platy form.

Overview

All data

55 statements · 31% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Nickel-Strunz 9th edition (updated 2009): 9.EC.05
Nickel-Strunz '10th ed', review of (9th ed/ 2009 update): 9.EC.05
Streak color: white
Mohs' hardness: 1
2
Sources
1.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/387714/Mohs-hardness
2.books.google.it/books?hl=it&id=eZitKx1zZDAC&q=mohs#v=snippet&q=mohs&f=false
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IMA status and/or rank: grandfathered mineral (G)
1
Sources
1.Stated in IMA/CNMNC List of Mineral Names (March 2007)
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Crystal system: hexagonal crystal system
Space group: space group C2/c
1
Sources
1.Stated in mineralienatlas.de
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Density: 2.75 g/cm³
IMA Mineral Symbol: Tlc
1
Sources
1.Stated in IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols
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Different from: Talk
Members / parts: talc
Strunz 8th edition (series ID, updated): VIII/E.04
1
Sources
1.Stated in Mineralogische Tabellen : Eine Klassifizierung der Mineralien auf kristallchemischer Grundlage, mit einer Einfuhrung in die Kristallchemie (1982)
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On other databases

38 identifiers linking talc across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

31%

externally sourced

Source last edited October 1, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). talc (Q134583). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/talc-Q134583