Hübnerite is the manganese-rich endmember of the wolframite group, prized by collectors for its sharp, translucent, deep-red to reddish-brown bladed crystals. It is most commonly found in hydrothermal quartz veins alongside minerals like fluorite and cassiterite. While dense and heavy like other tungsten ores, its distinctive reddish internal reflections under bright light help distinguish it from its darker counterpart, ferberite.
Is this hübnerite?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch hübnerite with a known reference. Hübnerite sits at Mohs 4-4.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: yellow to reddish brown, greenish gray.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: metallic-adamantine towards resinous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: reddish brown, brown, brownish black.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: lamellar, massive, prismatic.
Often confused with
Hübnerite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Hübnerite leaves yellow to reddish brown, greenish gray, Ferberite leaves brownish black to black; luster reads metallic-adamantine towards resinous on Hübnerite and submetallic to metallic adamantine on Ferberite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Hübnerite leaves yellow to reddish brown, greenish gray, Wolframite leaves reddish brown; luster reads metallic-adamantine towards resinous on Hübnerite and submetallic on Wolframite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Hübnerite leaves yellow to reddish brown, greenish gray, Sphalerite leaves pale brown to pale yellow and white; luster reads metallic-adamantine towards resinous on Hübnerite and resinous to adamantine on Sphalerite.
Often found alongside hübnerite
Minerals reported to co-occur with hübnerite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- MnWO₄
- Mohs hardness
- 4-4.5
- Density
- 7.12-7.18 g/cm³
- Streak
- Yellow to reddish brown, greenish gray
- Luster
- Metallic-adamantine towards resinous
- Transparency
- Transparent to translucent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Lamellar, massive, prismatic
- Cleavage
- Perfect on {010}; partings on {100} and {102}
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Ore of tungsten
- Host rock
- Typical of high-temperature hydrothermal vein deposits and pneumatolytically altered granites yielding greisen; in granite pegmatites; also in alluvial and eluvial deposits
Where rockhounds find hübnerite
Classic worldwide localities
- Erie and Enterprize veins, Ellsworth (Mammoth) district, Nye Co., Nevada, USA
- Adams mine, Bonita Mountain, near Silverton, and from Gladstone, San Juan Co., in the Sweet Home mine, Alma district, Park Co., and Quartz Creek district, Gunnison Co., Colorado, USA
- Blue Wing district, Lemhi Co., Idaho, USA
- Little Dragoon Mountains, Cochise Co., Arizona, USA
- Huallapón mine, Pasto Bueno, Ancash Province, Peru
- Wheal Gorland, Gwennap, and in the Hingston Down quarry, Cornwall, England
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: Typical of high-temperature hydrothermal vein deposits and pneumatolytically altered granites yielding greisen; in granite pegmatites; also in alluvial and eluvial deposits. If you start seeing cassiterite, arsenopyrite, molybdenite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: lamellar, massive, prismatic. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify hübnerite?+
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What rocks look like hübnerite?+
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Find hübnerite on the map
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