#83Bi
Bismuth Price
Strategic MetalExport Licence
Lead-free solder alternative; used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
- Main trade forms
- Metal ingot
- Available from
- CN, VN, MX, JP
Last update: Mar 15, 2026
3 records
3 records
Retail Reference
$11/kg
Metal 99.99% (4N) · 1 kg
Edgetech Industries · CN · Mar 15, 2026
Bulk Benchmark
n/a
No commodity benchmark available
Export LicenceChinese export licence required for Bismuth in all controlled forms.Regulatory Tracker →
Applications
| Application | Role | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmaceuticals | Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol), bismuth subcitrate | ~30% of Bi demand. OTC anti-diarrhoeal and H. pylori treatment. Produced at scale by Procter & Gamble and Takeda. |
| Lead-free solder & alloys | Sn-Bi, Sn-Ag-Bi solders and Bi-based fusible alloys | RoHS-compliant solder alternative; low-melting alloys for fire sprinklers, fuses, casting molds |
| Pigments & cosmetics | Bismuth oxychloride pearlescent pigment | Cosmetic shimmer effect in eye shadow, nail polish, lipstick |
| Free-machining steels | Bi addition replacing lead in cutting steels | RoHS/REACH-compliant Pb-free machining steel for automotive parts |
| Catalysts | Bi-Mo oxide catalyst (acrylonitrile production) | SOHIO process for converting propylene + ammonia to acrylonitrile |
Market & Supply
Global refined production
~17,000 t/year [4]
China refining share
~80%
Source
Pb/Cu smelter by-product
Other producers
Laos, South Korea, Japan, Mexico
Export control
MOFCOM No. 10/2025 [2]
Bi metal benchmark
$10 to $22/lb (Argus FOB China)
Retail metal (1 kg)
$60 to $150/kg
Retail crystal art
$120 to $400/kg
Verified Offers
Bismuth is one of the most retail-accessible elements on this site. Ingots, shot, and hopper-crystal art pieces are widely sold on Amazon, eBay, and Alibaba at sub-kilogram scale. The auto-rendered table shows tracked listings.
| Purity | MOQ | Original | Source | Verification | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-15 | Metal | 99.99% (4N) | 1 kg | 1 kg | $16 | 16 USD/kg | distributor offer | Stanford Advanced Materials | US | single source offer | 0.60 |
| 2026-03-15 | Metal | 99.99% (4N) | 1 kg | 1 kg | $11 | 11 USD/kg | distributor offer | Edgetech Industries | CN | single source offer | 0.60 |
| 2026-03-15 | Metal | 99.99% (4N) | 1 kg | 1 kg | $13 | 13 USD/kg | marketplace offer | ALB Materials | CN | single source offer | 0.60 |
3 records · click a column to sort
Important Notes
Licence regime active
MOFCOM No. 10/2025 [2] requires Chinese export licences for Bi metal, Bi2O3, and bismuth pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceutical APIs are subject to additional dual-classification scrutiny.
Co-product constraint
Bismuth is recovered from lead and copper smelter dross. Production cannot scale independently of base-metal smelting throughput; new Bi capacity requires modifying anode-slime treatment circuits at integrated smelters.
Pharmaceutical exposure
Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) and bismuth subcitrate (H. pylori triple therapy) are off-patent OTC and Rx products. A meaningful Chinese Bi licensing slowdown would propagate into hospital and OTC supply within 6 to 12 months.
Physical Properties [1]
Z: 83 · Ar: 208.980 u · ρ: 9.78 g/cm3 · Tm: 271.4 °C · Tb: 1,564 °CCrystal: rhombohedral · Config: [Xe]4f145d106s26p3 · Ox. states: -3, +3, +5
References
- Wolfram Alpha, “Bismuth element.” wolframalpha.com.
- MOFCOM Announcement No. 10 of 2025, “Export Control of Tungsten, Tellurium, Bismuth, Molybdenum and Indium Related Items,” effective 4 February 2025.
- MOFCOM Announcements No. 70 and 72 of 2025 (suspension orders), 7 to 9 November 2025.
- United States Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Bismuth, January 2025.
Seen a sourced Bismuth quote that is missing above?