The war in Ukraine has consumed so much TNT that there is a global shortage of the explosive.
The United States has relied on TNT, or trinitrotoluene, for military and civil mining as well as construction. Previously cheap and plentiful, an investigation by the New York Times found that the global supply has been redirected for Russia and Ukraine’s war machines, cutting off TNT exports and leaving the U.S. facing a worrying shortage.
Due to the production of TNT creating hazardous waste, the U.S. stopped producing it in the 1980s. Instead, it fully relied on imports of the material from China, Russia, Poland, and Ukraine, all of which have ceased exporting TNT because it is needed for explosives.
The other major source was recycling decommissioned shells and other explosives in the U.S. arsenal, which the Pentagon used to do regularly. However, after the Biden administration tapped into shell stockpiles to send to Ukraine, this source has dried up, too.
The U.S. Army has moved to correct the effort, announcing a contract for a TNT production plant in Kentucky slated to begin production in 2028. However, this will be for exclusive military use, leaving construction and mining companies in a tough spot.
Clark Mica, president of an explosives industry trade association, said in an interview with the outlet that the “world as we know it does not exist without industrial explosives.”
TNT plays an essential role in mining and construction. It is used to turn rock quarries into the raw material needed for bridges, roads, and buildings across the U.S. A continued shortage could complicate infrastructure projects across the country, especially as President Donald Trump looks to boost domestic production.
Exploiting mines needed for rare earth minerals could also be complicated. Mica estimated that explosives are used nine out of ten times for anything that’s mined.
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Moscow and Kyiv’s desperate push to win the war in Ukraine through sheer force has caused them to decide the age-old “guns vs butter” problem — how to manage the tradeoffs between military versus civilian spending — largely in favor of the guns. While drones, which use TNT for their payload, are the most visible weapons in the war, artillery continues to be used decisively around the clock.
The standard 100-pound, 155 mm artillery shell used by both sides consumes an inordinate amount of TNT, especially compared to the small, strategically placed charges used in mining. A standard U.S. 155 mm artillery shell uses 23.4 pounds of TNT. Under former President Joe Biden, the U.S. provided Ukraine with roughly 3 million shells, making up roughly 71.4 million pounds of TNT. Ukraine fires roughly 5,000 155 mm shells every day, for an average of 2 million per month, according to Forbes. Russia’s artillery use is significantly higher, ranging from 10,000 rounds to 36,000 rounds per day. This astronomical use of explosives will require an increasing amount of TNT as the war continues, boding poorly for the global supply chain for the foreseeable future.