Bentonite deposits of Kutch have earned fame in the world market due to their usefulness in the steel casting industry. There are large deposits of Bentonite in  utch, which is estimated to be of around 105 million mt (Government of Gujarat, Mining and Geology Department). Bhavnagar with 45 million mt of reserves is the second district of Gujarat in terms of reserves. In Kutch, the single largest deposits of bentonite are concentrated in Sherdi-Vandh area of Mandvi Taluka. Moreover there are reserves in Nakhatrana and Abdasa Talukas. Kutch accounts for 57 percent of the states and 16 percent of the country’s reserves of bentonite (2002).

Bentonite of Kutch is regarded as the best quality (Al2O3=16.64%, TiO 2=3.16%, CaO=1.07%, MgO=2.43, Na2O=2.5, K2O=0.05%, Li2O=0.15%, LOI=6.49%) in Kutch. Both grade of Bentonite sodium (swelling type) and calcium (non-swelling) are available in Kutch, which has a wide variety of uses in industrial applications.

Bentonite, though classified as a minor mineral, but it is an important mineral due to varieties of industrial usage. Kutch is India’s largest bentonite producing region. In 2002, 406.8 thousand tonnes of Bentonite was produced in Kutch, which is 98 percent of the same in Gujarat. In the year 2000, Gujarat was the  eading state with 88 percent contribution in the India’s total. In that year, total production of bentonite in India was 600 thousand tonnes and other than Gujarat it was also produced in Rajasthan and Bihar.

Bentonite is an unusual and one of the most versatile industrial minerals in the world. It is a naturally occurring mineral ore known as swelling clay that sorbs and retains water at very high levels. It is used in a multitude of industrial, environmental, and consumer products such as hydraulic barriers construction, in cement industries, detergents, cosmetic, food products, water treatment and contaminanat removal. There is a range of bentonite properties developed for commerce, but its behaviour as it interacts with water is generally its most well known property. The metal casting industry adds hydrated bentonite to sand as a glue to hold these types of molds together before, during and after the molten metal is poured into them.

The bulk of the worldwide bentonite products are calcium bentonites, sodium exchanged calcium bentonites, and mixtures of sodium, calcium and magnesium bentonite. These bentonites in their natural state are often used as desiccants, catalysts, as vegetable oil processing agents, and as foundry clays.

Kutch has 105 million tonnes of bentonite reserves. The sodium based bentonite has intensive use in steel plants, oil exploration, medicines etc. Presently bentonite is being exported from Kutch. Exports of bentonite from Kutch stands at 450 thousand tonnes in 2002-03 and further increased upto 662 thousand tonnes in 2012-13.