Prices
No single exchange-settled price exists for scandium. Trade settles over-the-counter against benchmarks published by independent price-reporting agencies. We do not republish those numbers — consult the publishers directly:
Shanghai Metals Market ↗
Daily Chinese rare-earth oxide and metal benchmark quotations.
Fastmarkets — Rare Earths ↗
MB FOB China benchmark prices and market intelligence.
Asian Metal ↗
Daily REE oxide quotations from Chinese suppliers (subscription).
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 ↗
Annual U.S. Geological Survey reference — production, reserves, prices, and trade statistics for scandium.
About Scandium
Editorial overviewWhat is scandium?
Scandium (Sc, atomic number 21) is a rare, lightweight transition metal used mainly as an alloying element. It is valued for improving the strength and performance of aluminum alloys and for niche high-temperature energy applications.
How scandium is priced
Scandium has no regulated futures or exchange-listed contract. Global supply is less than 50 t/year and is dominated by a handful of producers (Rio Tinto / Sorel-Tracy, Canada, Sumitomo Metal Mining, China). Reference prices are published by Fastmarkets (scandium oxide ≥99.99%) and tracked in USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries. Most physical sales are bilateral long-term contracts between producer and aerospace / fuel-cell customer.
Where scandium comes from
According to USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, China was the leading producer of scandium in 2025. The only other explicitly named production stream in the report was the Philippines, where scandium materials were produced and then sent to Japan for further processing into scandium oxide; the USGS did not publish country shares or a ranked production table for scandium. Full breakdown in the production and reserves sections.
Who produces scandium
USGS identifies scandium as a byproduct material rather than a mined primary metal, so production is tied to processors handling nickel and titanium streams, tailings, and residues (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026). In practice, the report names China as the leading producer and notes Philippine material being sent to Japan for further processing, but it does not name additional companies for scandium supply in the commodity summary. Full list of producers below.
What scandium is used for
The principal uses for scandium in 2025 were aerospace alloys and solid oxide fuel cells used in large-scale power generation and backup power systems for critical infrastructure, with minor uses in electronics and alloys for military equipment and sporting goods (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026). The USGS did not publish an application-share breakdown for scandium in this summary.
Key facts about scandium supply
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 says global scandium production totaled about 80 tons in 2025, with global capacity over 90 tons per year (USGS MCS 2026).
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 says scandium was produced exclusively as a byproduct, primarily from nickel and titanium process streams and from previously processed tailings and residues (USGS MCS 2026).
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 says China was the leading producer and that scandium materials were also produced in the Philippines and sent to Japan for further processing into scandium oxide (USGS MCS 2026).
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 says global reserves of scandium were not quantified; Australia’s accessible Economic Demonstrated Resources were about 34,000 tons as of December 2023, and its JORC-compliant or equivalent reserves were 12,000 tons (USGS MCS 2026).
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 says U.S. net import reliance was 100% in each year from 2021 through 2025e, and recycling was none (USGS MCS 2026).
Mine Production by Country
Source: USGS MCS 2026Per-country production data not published by USGS
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 has a dedicated Scandium chapter but explicitly does not publish per-country production or reserves data — global production volumes are too small and not publicly reported by individual producers. USGS states that scandium is produced only as a byproduct of other metal mining (titanium, rare earths, uranium, and tungsten) primarily in China, Russia, Ukraine, the Philippines, and Australia.
Source: USGS MCS 2026
Major Producers (0)
No producer data available for this metal.
Latest News
All metals news →No recent news for this metal. Visit the Hub news section for all metals news.
Frequently Asked Questions
Auto-generated from primary-source dataWhat is the primary source for scandium production and reserves data?
Country-level scandium production and reserves figures on TSM Hub are sourced directly from the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, the U.S. Geological Survey's authoritative annual reference. Company-level production figures come from each producer's official annual report, production report, or regulated exchange filing.