Prices
No single exchange-settled price exists for tellurium. Trade settles over-the-counter against benchmarks published by independent price-reporting agencies. We do not republish those numbers — consult the publishers directly:
Asian Metal ↗
Daily benchmark quotations for tellurium from Asian producers (subscription).
Fastmarkets ↗
Industry benchmark prices, market reports, and price discovery for tellurium.
Shanghai Metals Market ↗
Real-time and historical Chinese spot prices for tellurium.
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 ↗
Annual U.S. Geological Survey reference — production, reserves, prices, and trade statistics for tellurium.
About Tellurium
Editorial overviewWhat is tellurium?
Tellurium (Te, atomic number 52) is a brittle metalloid used mostly as a byproduct metal in copper refining rather than mined as a primary ore. It is valued for semiconductor, solar, thermoelectric, and metallurgical applications (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026).
How tellurium is priced
Tellurium has no regulated futures contract. Two reference series are quoted: the 99.99% tellurium ingot in-warehouse Rotterdam by Fastmarkets, and the Chinese domestic 99.99% tellurium price by SMM. Most output is a by-product of copper electrorefining anode slimes.
Where tellurium comes from
USGS says tellurium is recovered principally from copper-refining residues, and for refined output in 2025 China was the leading producer with 80% of estimated global production (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026). The summary also lists refined production in Canada, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Uzbekistan, Bulgaria, Sweden, and the United States, but it does not publish a reliable mine-by-country reserve base because tellurium reserves and resources cannot be reliably quantified (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026). Full breakdown in the production and reserves sections.
Who produces tellurium
Tellurium supply is tied to electrolytic copper refineries and copper-smelter byproduct recovery, with USGS noting that more than 90% has come from anode slimes and the rest from lead-refinery skimmings and smelter dusts/gases (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026). The U.S. MCS does not name a complete list of company-level tellurium producers in the commodity note, so the most defensible producer description is state/sector-based rather than company-specific (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026). Full list of producers below.
What tellurium is used for
In 2025, tellurium use was split 70% solar power cells, 15% thermoelectric devices, 10% metallurgy, and 5% other applications (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026). USGS says the dominant use is cadmium telluride (CdTe) for thin-film solar cells, while bismuth telluride (BiTe) is the key material for thermoelectric cooling and energy generation (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026).
Key facts about tellurium supply
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: reserves and resources of tellurium are generally not reported at the mine or country level and cannot be reliably quantified.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: China accounted for 80% of estimated global refined tellurium production in 2025.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: more than 90% of tellurium has been produced from anode slimes as a byproduct of primary electrolytic copper refining.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: U.S. net import reliance was >95% in 2021, >75% in 2022, <25% in 2024, and >25% in 2025e.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: global end use in 2025 was 70% solar power cells, 15% thermoelectric devices, 10% metallurgy, and 5% other applications.
Mine Production by Country
Source: USGS MCS 2026| Country | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| United States (copper telluride) | W | W |
| Bulgaria | 1 | 1 |
| Canada | 27 | 28 |
| China | 750 | 800 |
| Japan | 70 | 61 |
| Russia | 64 | 67 |
| South Africa | 5 | 5 |
| Sweden (concentrate) | 46 | 48 |
| Uzbekistan | 18 | 18 |
| Other countries | NA | NA |
| World total (rounded) | 981 | 1,000 |
Unit: metric tons, tellurium content. "e" = estimated, "W" = withheld, "NA" = not available. Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026
Major Producers (9)
Various Chinese refineries (aggregate — China)
China
Various Russian refineries (aggregate — Russia)
Russia
MOEX:LKOH / LSE:LKOD
Two U.S. copper refineries (Texas and Utah — withheld)
USA
Subsidiary → LSE:RIO / ASX:RIO
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 dataWhich countries produce the most tellurium?
The largest tellurium producing countries are China (750 metric tons, tellurium content), Japan (70 metric tons, tellurium content), Russia (64 metric tons, tellurium content). Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026.
Who are the largest global producers of tellurium?
Among 780+ producers tracked on TSM Hub, the largest disclosed tellurium producers include Various Chinese refineries (aggregate — China) (China), JX Advanced Metals Corporation (formerly JX Nippon Mining & Metals) (Japan), Various Russian refineries (aggregate — Russia) (Russia). Full ranking with primary-source links is available in the producers section.
What is the primary source for tellurium production and reserves data?
Country-level tellurium 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.