Hecla Mining's Business Segments

Hecla Mining Company and our subsidiaries have provided precious and base metals to the U.S. and worldwide since 1891. We discover, acquire, develop, and produce silver, gold, lead and zinc. In doing so, we intend to manage our business activities in a safe, environmentally responsible and cost-effective manner.

We produce lead, zinc and bulk concentrates, which we sell to custom smelters and brokers, and unrefined precipitate and bullion bars (doré) containing gold and silver, which are further refined before sale to precious metals traders. We are organized and managed in four segments that encompass our operating units: the Greens Creek, Lucky Friday, Casa Berardi, and San Sebastian units.

Our segments are differentiated by geographic region. We produce zinc, lead and bulk flotation concentrates at our Greens Creek unit and lead and zinc flotation concentrates at our Lucky Friday unit, each of which we sell to custom smelters and brokers on contract. The flotation concentrates produced at our Greens Creek and Lucky Friday units contain payable silver, zinc and lead, and at Greens Creek they also contain payable gold. At Greens Creek, we also produce gravity concentrate containing silver, gold and lead. Unrefined bullion (doré) is produced from the gravity concentrate by a third party processor and sold to a precious metal refiner. We also produce unrefined gold and silver bullion bars (doré) at Casa Berardi and San Sebastian, which are shipped to refiners before sale of the metals to precious metals traders. Payable metals are those included in our products which we are paid for by smelters, brokers and refiners.

The Greens Creek unit located on Admiralty Island, near Juneau, Alaska. Greens Creek is 100% owned and has been in production since 1989, with a temporary care and maintenance period from April 1993 through July 1996.


The Lucky Friday unit located in northern Idaho. Lucky Friday is 100% owned and has been a producing mine for us since 1958. Production at the Lucky Friday unit returned to historical levels in September 2013 following a period of rehabilitation and no production in 2012.


The Casa Berardi unit located in the Abitibi region of north-western Quebec, Canada. Casa Berardi is 100% owned and was acquired on June 1, 2013 with the purchase of all issued and outstanding common shares of Aurizon. Aurizon had operated and produced from the Casa Berardi mine since late 2006 and began various mine enhancements in an effort to improve operational efficiency, including a shaft deepening project completed in 2014 and a new paste fill facility completed in 2013.


The San Sebastian unit located in the state of Durango, Mexico. San Sebastian is 100% owned, and had previously produced for us from underground mines between 2001 and 2005.