White fluorite is prized by collectors for its sharp cubic crystal habit and high-clarity specimens often associated with colorful metallic sulfides. It is easily distinguished from quartz by its lower hardness and distinct octahedral cleavage planes.
Is this white fluorite?
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 white fluorite with a known reference. White Fluorite sits at Mohs 4, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. White Fluorite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. White Fluorite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: white, colorless.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: cubic. Typical habit: cubic crystals, octahedral, massive.
Often confused with
White Fluorite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside white fluorite
Minerals reported to co-occur with white fluorite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- CaF₂
- Mohs hardness
- 4
- Density
- 3.0-3.3 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Cubic
- Crystal habit
- Cubic Crystals, Octahedral, Massive
- Cleavage
- Perfect Octahedral
- Fluorescence
- Often Fluorescent Blue or White Under UV
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Ornamental
- Host rock
- Hydrothermal Veins, Limestone Cavities
- Typical price
- $5-50 thumbnail, $50-300 cabinet specimen
Where rockhounds find white fluorite
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Cave-in-Rock, Illinois, USA
- Denton Mine, Illinois, USA
- Rogerley Mine, UK
- Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Hunan Province, China
Field-hunting tip
Look in hydrothermal veins, limestone cavities country, the host setting where white fluorite typically forms. If you start seeing calcite, quartz, barite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a cubic crystals, octahedral, massive habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Montana. Start trip planning there.
More white fluorite photos
Common questions
How do you identify white fluorite?+
Where is white fluorite found?+
Can I find white fluorite in the United States?+
How much is white fluorite worth?+
What rocks look like white fluorite?+
What minerals are found with white fluorite?+
What kind of rock does white fluorite form in?+
What is white fluorite used for?+
Find white fluorite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
