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File:Vanadinite Mibladen MNHN Minéralogie.jpg

Reference specimen · Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart, CC BY 4.0

Tech & industrial metals

Sample data

Vanadium V

About 90% of vanadium is used to strengthen steel (ferrovanadium in rebar and high-strength low-alloy steel). The rest goes into titanium alloys for aerospace and into electrolyte for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB), which store grid-scale energy. South Africa's Bushveld titanomagnetite is one of the four big sources, with China, Russia and Brazil. Several South African plants have closed or cut output, so supply is concentrated.

Availability
Contract / Spot
African sources
South Africa · Zimbabwe
Traded as
Vanadium pentoxide · Ferrovanadium FeV80 · Nitrovan
HS codes
2825.30 · 7202.92 · 2615.90

Current offers

Verified companies only

Volumes, origins and terms are shown to verified companies. Availability for everyone else: Contract / Spot. Verify your company or submit a request.

What is traded

  • Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) flake/powder

    Unit: lb · HS 2825.30

    min 98% V2O5 (standard: Si ≤0.25%, Fe ≤0.60%, S ≤0.03%, P ≤0.05%, As ≤0.02%, Na2O+K2O ≤1.5%); high-purity 99.5%+ for batteries/chemicals

  • Ferrovanadium FeV80 (~78–82% V) and FeV50

    Unit: lb · HS 7202.92

  • Nitrovan (vanadium nitride alloy)

    Unit: lb · HS 2615.90

  • Vanadium slag and magnetite concentrate (feedstock)

    Unit: lb

  • VRFB electrolyte (vanadium sulphate solution)

    Unit: lb

Uses

  • Steel alloying (≈90%)
  • Titanium-aluminium-vanadium alloys (aerospace)
  • Vanadium redox flow batteries
  • Catalysts (sulphuric acid)

ARAM sourcing assessment

Niche but credible: South African flake and FeV for steel and VRFB buyers. Listing status: Contract / Spot (when available).

On the ground · Vanadium

The mines behind the supply.

The mines and districts that define supply, with their operators. They are shown for geographic context: third-party operations, not ARAM sites, and not the source of any particular lot. Ownership and status as publicly reported in 2026.

South Africa

No freely licensed photograph

Producing / care & maintenance

South Africa

Mapochs and Vametco

Operated by Bushveld Minerals (Vametco); Mapochs mine

Vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite of the eastern Bushveld feeding South Africa's vanadium refineries.

  • Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart, CC BY 4.0

  • Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0

  • Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0

  • Kaethe17, CC BY-SA 4.0

  • TheFurther21, CC BY-SA 4.0

Reference specimens of the ore minerals and products, from public collections. They illustrate the material, not a specific ARAM lot or source.

File:Chromite (GeoDIL number - 1396).jpg

Tech & industrial metals

Chrome (Chromite) Cr

Chromite ore is smelted into ferrochrome, which makes stainless steel stainless. South Africa's Bushveld Complex holds more than 80% of the world's chromite reserves and is the dominant exporter of chrome ore, mostly to China. A large share comes as UG2 chrome concentrate recovered from platinum-mine tailings. Zimbabwe's Great Dyke is the #2 African source, and Zimbabwe bans raw chrome ore exports to force local ferrochrome smelting.

Supply
Spot + Contract (ferrochrome only from Zimbabwe)
Assay
Independent — required
Origin
Verified per offer
Request supply
File:Ilmenite-173863.jpg

Tech & industrial metals

Titanium Minerals (Ilmenite, Rutile) Ti

Titanium minerals come from heavy-mineral beach and dune sands. Ilmenite and rutile feed titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigment, the white in paint, plastics and paper, which takes about 90% of demand. They also feed titanium metal for aerospace and medical uses, and welding-rod coatings. Africa is a major producer: Mozambique (Moma), South Africa (Richards Bay), Senegal (Grande Côte), Kenya (Kwale), Madagascar (QMM) and Sierra Leone, home of Sierra Rutile, one of the world's largest natural rutile deposits.

Supply
Contract
Assay
Independent — required
Origin
Verified per offer
Request supply
File:Polycrystalline-germanium.jpg#07

Tech & industrial metals

Germanium Ge

Germanium is a minor metal used in fibre optics, infrared optics (night vision, thermal imaging for defence), satellite solar cells and semiconductors. China dominates supply and has restricted exports since August 2023, tightening further in 2024. The DRC's Big Hill tailings in Lubumbashi, historic slag and tailings from Gécamines' zinc-copper operations, are now one of the very few new non-Chinese sources: STL processes them and Umicore refines the concentrate in Belgium.

Supply
Contract (limited) + Pipeline
Assay
Independent — required
Origin
Verified per offer
Request supply
File:Pezzottaïte, amazonite, zircon 1.jpeg

Tech & industrial metals

Zircon Zr

Zircon (ZrSiO4) is the co-product of titanium mineral sands. It is mainly used in ceramic tiles and sanitaryware as an opacifier, and also in foundry sands, refractories, zirconium chemicals, and zirconium metal for nuclear fuel cladding. African mineral-sands operations are major zircon suppliers. Senegal's Grande Côte is the world's #4 producer.

Supply
Contract
Assay
Independent — required
Origin
Verified per offer
Request supply