About light metals
Editorial · sourcedWhat are light metals?
In engineering, "light metals" are the structural metals with a density below ~5 g/cm³ — defined this way by the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) and used as the standard category in textbooks and standards (e.g. ASM Handbook Vol. 2). The four members of the practical group are: aluminium (2.70 g/cm³), magnesium (1.74 g/cm³, the lightest structural metal), titanium (4.51 g/cm³) and beryllium (1.85 g/cm³, the only light metal lighter than Al not used in commodity volumes). Lithium (0.53 g/cm³) and sodium (0.97 g/cm³) are technically lighter but are not used structurally — they appear under battery metals and chemical-process metals respectively.
How light metals are priced
LME aluminium is the global reference — a continuously cleared futures contract since 1978. Magnesium has no LME contract but is assessed daily by Fastmarkets (99.9% Mg ingot in-warehouse Rotterdam) and traded on DCE (Dalian) as a magnesium ingot futures contract launched 2024. Titanium sponge has no exchange contract — Fastmarkets and TZMI publish weekly assessments and most sales are long-term contracts to aerospace customers. Beryllium has no public reference price — almost all sales are bilateral long-term contracts from Materion (the dominant supplier).
Where light metals come from
USGS MCS 2026: aluminium is refined from bauxite — Australia, Guinea and China lead bauxite mine output; China refines >55% of world primary aluminium. Magnesium is >85% Chinese — produced from dolomite by the Pidgeon process in Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces. Titanium sponge production is dominated by China (~50%), Japan (~15%, primarily Toho Titanium and Osaka Titanium) and the Russian Federation (VSMPO-AVISMA, the world's largest single producer). Beryllium output: USA (~65%, Materion at Spor Mountain, Utah), China (~25%) and Kazakhstan.
Who produces light metals
Aluminium: Chalco and China Hongqiao (China), Rusal (Russia), Rio Tinto (Canada/Australia), Norsk Hydro, Alcoa. Magnesium: dispersed Chinese producers in Shaanxi/Shanxi (Yulin, Yushe), US Magnesium (USA), Eramet. Titanium: VSMPO-AVISMA (Russia), Toho Titanium, Osaka Titanium, ATI, TIMET. Beryllium: Materion.
What light metals are used for
Strength-to-weight ratio defines the application set: transport, aerospace, defence.
- Aluminium — automotive body panels, aircraft (Boeing 787 is ~20% Al by weight, fuselage formerly >80%), beverage cans (≈30% of total Al demand), construction extrusions, HV transmission lines.
- Magnesium — die-cast components (instrument panels, steering wheels), Mg-Al alloy ingredient (~50% of demand is alloy use), aerospace gearbox housings; reducing agent for titanium sponge production.
- Titanium — jet engines (compressor disks/blades), airframes, medical implants, chemical plant equipment (Cl-resistant); ≈60% of demand is aerospace and military.
- Beryllium — copper-beryllium connector alloys (the only application where you'll encounter it in consumer electronics), X-ray windows, aerospace gyroscopes, defence (nuclear weapons tampers, satellite mirrors).
Key facts about light metals supply
- All four light metals are on the USGS 2025 Critical Minerals list; aluminium, magnesium and titanium are also on the EU CRM 2023 list.
- Aluminium is by far the largest light-metal market (~70 Mt/year primary + ~30 Mt secondary); titanium ~250 kt/year sponge; magnesium ~1 Mt/year; beryllium ~250 t/year.
- Recycling: aluminium ~32% secondary share; magnesium ~50% (high recycling rate driven by die-cast scrap loops); titanium ~25%; beryllium <5% (most output ends up dissipated in Cu-Be alloys).