Many borate minerals, such as borax, colemanite, and ulexite, are salts: soft, readily soluble, and found in evaporite contexts.
However, some, such as boracite, are hard and resistant to weathering, more similar to the silicates.
[2][3] Borate minerals include: IMA-CNMNC proposes a new hierarchical scheme (Mills et al., 2009).
This list uses it to modify the Classification of Nickel–Strunz (mindat.org, 10 ed, pending publication).
Note that although Nickel–Strunz division letters were traditionally based on the number of boron atoms in a mineral's chemical formula (06.A are monoborates, 06.B are diborates, etc.