(also pandermite), a hydrous borate mineral having the chemical composition Ca₂[B₄BO₇(OH)₅] · H₂O. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system and forms dense, cryptocrystalline, snow white chalky masses and nodules, as well as powdery aggregates of very tiny crystals. It has a hardness of 3.5 on Mohs’ scale and an approximate density of 2,430 kg/m³. Priceite, in association with other borates, occurs in saliferous and gypsiferous strata that have formed through the accumulation of chemical residue in salt-boron lakes in arid regions. Priceite is found in the Kazakh SSR, California, and northern Turkey. It serves as raw material in the extraction of boron and boron compounds.