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. Hübnerite leaves a yellow-brown to greenish-gray streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Hübnerite typically shows a sub-metallic to adamantine luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: reddish-brown, brown, black, orange-red.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: prismatic crystals, tabular, often bladed.
Often confused with
Hübnerite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Hübnerite leaves yellow-brown to greenish-gray, Wolframite leaves dark brown to black; luster reads sub-metallic to adamantine on Hübnerite and submetallic to metallic on Wolframite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Hübnerite leaves yellow-brown to greenish-gray, Sphalerite leaves white to yellow-brown; luster reads sub-metallic to adamantine on Hübnerite and resinous to submetallic 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
- 7.1-7.3 g/cm³
- Streak
- Yellow-brown to Greenish-gray
- Luster
- Sub-metallic to Adamantine
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic Crystals, Tabular, Often Bladed
- Cleavage
- Perfect in One Direction
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Ore of Tungsten
- Host rock
- Hydrothermal Quartz Veins, Pegmatites
- Typical price
- $20-200 thumbnail, $150-1000+ cabinet specimen
Where rockhounds find hübnerite
Classic worldwide localities
- Pastocasa, Peru
- Silverton, Colorado, USA
- Chicote Grande, Bolivia
- Jiangxi Province, China
Field-hunting tip
Look in hydrothermal quartz veins, pegmatites country — that is the host setting where hübnerite typically forms. If you start seeing quartz, fluorite, cassiterite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic crystals, tabular, often bladed habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find hübnerite on the map
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