The Largest Materials Companies by Market Cap in October 2026

Linde, BHP Group, and Southern Copper are the biggest companies by market cap in the materials sector

By Lyle Daly – Updated Oct 6, 2026 at 4:09 PM EST | Fact-checked by Frank Bass

Key Points

Linde leads with a $222 billion market cap in the materials sector as of Oct 2026.
BHP Group and Southern Copper are key players in mining, valued over $220 billion.
Invest in materials sector giants for potential growth in mining and chemicals industries.

Linde (LIN +0.12%) is the world's largest materials company, followed by BHP Group (BHP -1.99%) and Southern Copper (SCCO -3.25%). Most of the companies at the top of this market sector are based outside the U.S. Read on to see the 10 most valuable companies as of October 2026.

Editor's note: Rankings and financial metrics are as of Oct. 6, 2026; live quote cards update automatically and are the most current data available.

Largest companies by market cap in the materials sector

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Ticker Information Table
Name and ticker	Market capMarket cap calculated using publicly traded shares outstanding only. Does not include unlisted, private, or dual-class non-traded shares. Implied market cap may vary.	Current price	Industry
Linde (NASDAQ:LIN)	$227.1 billion	$492.70	Chemicals
BHP Group (NYSE:BHP)	$211.6 billion	$83.26	Metals and Mining
Southern Copper (NYSE:SCCO)	$169.4 billion	$200.68	Metals and Mining
Rio Tinto Group (NYSE:RIO)	$114.5 billion	$91.25	Metals and Mining
Newmont (NYSE:NEM)	$117.5 billion	$111.56	Metals and Mining
L'Air Liquide (OTC:AIQUF)	$120.4 billion	$189.13	Chemicals
Zijin Mining Group (OTC:ZIJMF)	$99.2 billion	$3.75	Metals and Mining
Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX)	$99.9 billion	$69.62	Metals and Mining
Grupo MéxicoB. De C.v. (OTC:GMBXF)	$102.4 billion	$13.08	Metals and Mining
Agnico Eagle Mines (NYSE:AEM)	$90.2 billion	$177.01	Metals and Mining

Data as of Oct 15, 2026. Showing 10 of 10 total entries.

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1. Linde

Market cap: $226.72 billion (as of Oct. 6)
Revenue (TTM): $35.5 billion
Gross profit (TTM): $17.1 billion
Five-year annualized return: 9.99%
Year founded: 1879

TTM = trailing 12 months.

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NASDAQ: LIN

Linde

Premium Feature

Moneyball Superscore

78/100

Today's Change

(0.12%) $0.59

Current Price

$492.70

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$227B

Day's Range

$489.11 - $494.23

52wk Range

$387.78 - $548.20

Volume

2.5M

Avg Vol

2.1M

Gross Margin

37.56%

Dividend Yield

1.28%

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Linde is a chemicals company founded by German scientist Carl von Linde. It operates in more than 80 countries, and its two main business segments are gases and engineering. Linde manufactures industrial and medical gases and builds large-scale chemical plants.

This company is investing heavily in clean energy projects. In 2023, Linde announced plans to invest as much as $50 billion in clean energy projects over the next decade. It's also expanding, completing acquisitions of Airtec in September 2025 and Acaíl Gás in June 2026.

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2. BHP Group

Market cap: $221.62 billion (as of Oct. 6)
Revenue (TTM): $58.8 billion
Gross profit (TTM): $44.4 billion
Five-year annualized return: 12.50%
Year founded: 1885

NYSE: BHP

BHP Group

Premium Feature

Moneyball Superscore

81/100

Today's Change

(-1.99%) $-1.69

Current Price

$83.26

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$212B

Day's Range

$82.54 - $84.20

52wk Range

$52.18 - $98.71

Volume

2.8M

Avg Vol

2.6M

Gross Margin

39.13%

Dividend Yield

4.13%

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BHP Group is a mining company based in Melbourne, Australia, with a focus on copper, iron ore, nickel, metallurgical coal, and potash. It operates in more than 90 locations worldwide, including the U.S., Canada, and Chile.

BHP has set several sustainability targets for 2030, including a 30% reduction in operational greenhouse gas emissions. However, it reportedly eliminated some renewable energy projects in 2024 due to budget cuts.

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3. Southern Copper

Market cap: $174.26 billion (as of Oct. 6)
Revenue (TTM): $15.8 billion
Gross profit (TTM): $9.2 billion
Five-year annualized return: 31.64%
Year founded: 1952 (Southern Peru Copper Corporation), 2005 (merger with Minera Mexico)

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NYSE: SCCO

Southern Copper

Premium Feature

Moneyball Superscore

80/100

Today's Change

(-3.25%) $-6.74

Current Price

$200.68

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$169B

Day's Range

$198.12 - $204.60

52wk Range

$115.69 - $220.78

Volume

888.9K

Avg Vol

1.1M

Gross Margin

57.82%

Dividend Yield

1.96%

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Southern Copper (SCCO -3.25%) is a mining company that produces copper and other metal byproducts. It ranks first for copper production in Mexico and Peru, third in the U.S., and fourth worldwide. It also has the world's largest copper reserves. In 2024, the company resumed development of its Tia Maria mine in Peru despite significant opposition to the project due to environmental concerns.

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4. Rio Tinto Group

Market cap: $156.06 billion (as of Oct. 6)
Revenue (TTM): $61.8 billion
Gross profit (TTM): $18.4 billion
Five-year annualized return: 7.12%
Year founded: 1873

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NYSE: RIO

Rio Tinto Group

Premium Feature

Moneyball Superscore

72/100

Today's Change

(-1.95%) $-1.81

Current Price

$91.25

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$114B

Day's Range

$90.67 - $92.33

52wk Range

$67.39 - $112.58

Volume

2.1M

Avg Vol

2.2M

Gross Margin

26.70%

Dividend Yield

5.10%

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When the Spanish government decided to sell the Rio Tinto mines, the highest bidder, a group of investors, formed the Rio Tinto Company. Now trading as the Rio Tinto Group (RIO -1.95%), it's the second-largest metals and mining company in the world.

Rio Tinto Group operates across 34 countries, primarily mining iron ore, copper, aluminum, and lithium. Major projects include iron ore operations in the Pilbara region of Australia and copper at its Kennecott mine outside Salt Lake City, Utah.

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5. Newmont

Market cap: $123.10 billion (as of Oct. 6)
Revenue (TTM): $25.8 billion
Gross profit (TTM): $15.2 billion
Five-year annualized return: 16.63%
Year founded: 1921

NYSE: NEM

Newmont

Premium Feature

Moneyball Superscore

75/100

Today's Change

(-3.49%) $-4.03

Current Price

$111.56

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$118B

Day's Range

$109.83 - $113.95

52wk Range

$76.05 - $135.29

Volume

6.7M

Avg Vol

7.2M

Gross Margin

56.40%

Dividend Yield

0.92%

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Newmont (NEM -3.49%) is the world's leading gold mining company. It also produces copper, silver, zinc, and lead. For its 2025 fiscal year, Newmont reported attributable gold production of 5.89 million ounces. Newmont has made multiple major acquisitions in recent years. It acquired Goldcorp for $10 billion in 2019 and Newcrest Mining for $16.8 billion in 2023.

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6. L'Air Liquide

Market cap: $121.61 billion (as of Oct. 6)
Revenue (TTM): $30.2 billion*
Gross profit (TTM): $19.4 billion*
Five-year annualized return: 4.98%
Year founded: 1902

*Converted from euros.

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OTC: AIQUF

L'Air Liquide

Today's Change

(0.57%) $1.07

Current Price

$189.13

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$120B

Day's Range

$187.00 - $191.78

52wk Range

$162.23 - $206.68

Volume

734

Avg Vol

712.6

Gross Margin

36.32%

Dividend Yield

2.06%

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Based in France, L'Air Liquide (AIQUF +0.57%) is the world's second-largest producer of industrial gases for the industrial and healthcare sectors. It has a market presence in 59 countries and serves more than 4 million customers and patients.

In August 2025, L'Air Liquide announced an agreement to acquire DIG Airgas, a South Korean company, for $3.3 billion. South Korea is one of the major industrial gas markets and manufacturing hubs, and the acquisition, which was completed in January 2026, strengthens L'Air Liquide's position in this market.

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7. Zijin Mining Group

Market cap: $109.02 billion (as of Oct. 6)
Revenue (TTM): $56.0 billion*
Gross profit (TTM): $19.4 billion*
Five-year annualized return: 27.78%
Year founded: 1986

*Converted from Chinese yuan.

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OTC: ZIJMF

Zijin Mining Group

Today's Change

(-16.85%) $-0.76

Current Price

$3.75

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$99B

Day's Range

$3.75 - $3.75

52wk Range

$3.15 - $6.14

Volume

124

Avg Vol

53.5K

Gross Margin

34.43%

Dividend Yield

3.13%

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Headquartered in China, Zijin Mining Group (ZIJMF -16.85%) was originally a local mineral company called Shanghang Mineral Company. It entered the gold mining business in 1993 with the development of the Zijinshan Gold Mine, which was recognized as China's largest gold mine in 2005. In addition to gold, Zijin Mining Group also extracts copper, zinc, lithium, silver, and molybdenum.

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8. Freeport-McMoRan

Market cap: $104.82 billion (as of Oct. 6)
Revenue (TTM): $25.9 billion
Gross profit (TTM): $7.0 billion
Five-year annualized return: 17.01%
Year founded: 1912

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NYSE: FCX

Freeport-McMoRan

Premium Feature

Moneyball Superscore

68/100

Today's Change

(-3.87%) $-2.80

Current Price

$69.62

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$100B

Day's Range

$68.68 - $71.61

52wk Range

$38.36 - $80.24

Volume

12.4M

Avg Vol

13M

Gross Margin

24.55%

Dividend Yield

0.43%

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Freeport-McMoRan (FCX -3.87%) is an international mining company focused on copper. It also produces gold and is the world's largest producer of molybdenum. It has mines in North America, South America, and Indonesia.

This company has received criticism for alleged safety issues, human rights abuses, and the amount of waste its mines produce. Its Grasberg Mine in Indonesia, while one of the richest mining operations in the world, has also caused environmental damage and floods in the area.

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9. Grupo MéxicoB. De C.v.

Market cap: $102.20 billion (as of Oct. 6)
Revenue (TTM): $21.0 billion
Gross profit (TTM): $11.2 billion
Five-year annualized return: 26.74%
Year founded: 1890

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OTC: GMBXF

Grupo MéxicoB. De C.v.

Today's Change

(-2.22%) $-0.30

Current Price

$13.08

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$102B

Day's Range

$12.93 - $13.35

52wk Range

$7.71 - $14.29

Volume

4.8K

Avg Vol

22.5K

Gross Margin

53.23%

Dividend Yield

2.37%

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Grupo MéxicoB. De C.v. (GMBXF -2.22%) is a mining, freight transportation, and freight infrastructure company. It has operations in Mexico, several other countries across Latin America, and the U.S. It is the largest copper mining company in Mexico and the fifth-largest in the world.

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10. Agnico Eagle Mines

Market cap: $94.41 billion (as of Oct. 5)
Revenue (TTM): $14.5 billion
Gross profit (TTM): $9.1 billion
Five-year annualized return: 29.22%
Year founded: 1957

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NYSE: AEM

Agnico Eagle Mines

Premium Feature

Moneyball Superscore

86/100

Today's Change

(-4.63%) $-8.60

Current Price

$177.01

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$90B

Day's Range

$173.97 - $182.21

52wk Range

$134.38 - $255.24

Volume

3.6M

Avg Vol

2.6M

Gross Margin

61.34%

Dividend Yield

0.99%

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Agnico Eagle (AEM -4.63%) is a Canadian-based company that mines precious metals. It's Canada's largest mining company and the world's second-largest gold producer. In addition to Canada, Agnico Eagle also operates in Australia, Finland, and Mexico.

Gold production for Agnico Eagle typically ranges from 3.3 million to 3.5 million ounces annually. Silver production was around 2.5 million ounces per year in 2024 and 2025.

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Mining and chemicals lead the materials sector by market cap

The top of the materials sector consists of mining and chemicals companies, which present unique challenges. Many of these companies have faced legal issues, and some are also based outside the U.S. and may be unfamiliar to the typical investor.

Investing in international companies can be challenging, as it requires learning not only about the company but also the business climate in another part of the world. The Trump administration's import tariffs can also heavily affect the materials sector, though they often change.

Still, whether you venture into international stocks or stick to U.S. companies, the materials sector presents plenty of quality investment opportunities. Top materials companies have excellent financials with consistent profits and reasonable debt levels. They perform best in a growing economy, but even during downturns, well-positioned materials companies can continue to make money.

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The Largest Materials Companies by Market Cap in October 2026

Linde, BHP Group, and Southern Copper are the biggest companies by market cap in the materials sector

Key Points

Largest companies by market cap in the materials sector

1. Linde

Key Data Points

2. BHP Group

Key Data Points

3. Southern Copper

Key Data Points

4. Rio Tinto Group

Key Data Points

5. Newmont

Key Data Points

6. L'Air Liquide

Key Data Points

7. Zijin Mining Group

Key Data Points

8. Freeport-McMoRan

Key Data Points

9. Grupo MéxicoB. De C.v.

Key Data Points

10. Agnico Eagle Mines

Key Data Points

Mining and chemicals lead the materials sector by market cap

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Largest companies by market cap in the materials sector

1. Linde

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

3. Southern Copper

Key Data Points

4. Rio Tinto Group

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

6. L'Air Liquide

7. Zijin Mining Group

8. Freeport-McMoRan

Key Data Points

9. Grupo MéxicoB. De C.v.

10. Agnico Eagle Mines

Key Data Points

Mining and chemicals lead the materials sector by market cap

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Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points