Prices
Updated: June 9, 2026| Exchange / Source | Price | Unit | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spot | $243.73 | USD/oz | June 9, 2026 |
About Germanium
Editorial overviewWhat is germanium?
How germanium is priced
Where germanium comes from
Who produces germanium
What germanium is used for
Key facts about germanium supply
- USGS MCS 2026: U.S. 2025 imports were 7,000 kg of germanium metal and 17,000 kg of germanium dioxide, and net import reliance was greater than 50%.
- USGS MCS 2026: the 2025 annual average price was $4,100 per kilogram for germanium metal and $2,500 per kilogram for germanium dioxide.
- USGS MCS 2026: imports of germanium metal fell 67% in 2025 from 2024 because China banned exports to the United States in December 2024.
- USGS MCS 2026: combined U.S. imports of germanium material in 2021-24 came mainly from Belgium (41%), China (23%), Canada (17%), and Germany (14%).
- USGS MCS 2026: worldwide reserves data were not widely reported, so a reserves-to-production years-of-cover calculation is not available from the report.
Sources: USGS MCS 2026 Germanium PDF, USGS Germanium Statistics and Information
Mine Production by Country
Source: USGS MCS 2026U.S. Salient Statistics 2021–2025
| Year | Imports, metal (kg) | Imports, dioxide (kg) | Price, metal ($/kg) | Price, dioxide ($/kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 13,000 | 17,000 | 1,187 | 770 |
| 2022 | 14,000 | 15,000 | 1,294 | 828 |
| 2023 | 22,000 | 14,000 | 1,392 | 883 |
| 2024 | 21,000 | 11,000 | 1,991 | 1,281 |
| 2025e | 7,000 | 17,000 | 4,100 | 2,500 |
“e” = estimated. Prices are annual average for minimum 99.999% purity, Argus Non-Ferrous Markets. Source: USGS MCS 2026 Germanium.
China Germanium Metal Exports by Destination (Jan–Sep 2025)
| Destination | Share | Estimated kg (of 7,520 kg total) |
|---|---|---|
| Russia | 28% | 2,106 |
| Belgium | 26% | 1,955 |
| Germany | 26% | 1,955 |
| Japan | 18% | 1,354 |
| Other | 2% | 150 |
| Total exports Jan–Sep 2025 | 100% | 7,520 |
For context, same-period exports were 18,787 kg in 2024 and 36,656 kg in 2023 — a sharp drop after China’s August 2023 export-licensing program and December 2024 ban on exports to the U.S. Source: USGS MCS 2026 Germanium.
Known Producing Countries (No Tonnage Reported)
USGS confirms germanium is processed or recycled commercially in only a few countries — the United States, Belgium, Canada, China, Germany, and Russia, with China being the leading producer. Substantial germanium-rich deposits (including tailings) in active development are in China, Congo (Kinshasa), Russia, and the United States. Per-country tonnage and reserves are not publicly disclosed. Individual producers are listed in the producers section below.
Major Producers (8)
Primary disclosure unavailableWhy no producer rankings? Primary-source production tonnage is not disclosed for any major producer. Roughly 70% of global germanium output is recovered as a by-product from zinc-smelter residues (most prominently in China and the DRC); China withholds primary disclosure (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026). Western producers — Teck Resources (Trail), Nyrstar (Auby), Umicore, Korea Zinc — report only at metal-stream or segment level without germanium-specific tonnage. Country-level estimates are available in the USGS production table above.
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