Galena is an important source of lead. Galena's chemical symbol is PbS, which is lead and sulfur. Galena may also contain silver. The United States is the leading producer of lead in the world. Lead was used in pencils and paint until it was found to be poisonous to humans . Today pencil "lead" is made of another mineral called graphite. Lead is used for fishing weights.

Galena is an iron sulfide and the main source of lead. Galena usually occurs in cubic crystals. If you hit a specimen of galena with a hammer it will shatter into small perfect cubic crystals. It has a metallic luster and a black to dark gray color and streak. Galena has a hardness of about 2.5 on Mohs hardness scale which is about as hard as your finger nail.

Galena is mined in Missouri, Idaho, Utah, Oklahoma, Colorado, British Columbia of Canada, and Mexico.

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