Germanium Price
Semiconductor Metal
Export Licence
Used in fiber optics, infrared optics, and semiconductors.
Last update: 2026-04-04
5 records
5 records
Retail Reference
$1200/kg
Metal 99.999% (5N)
· 1 kg
Edgetech Industries
· CN
· 2026-03-15
Bulk Benchmark
—
No commodity benchmark available
Export Licence
Chinese export licence required for Germanium in all controlled forms.
Regulatory Tracker →
Applications
| Application | Role | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Fibre-optic glass | GeO2 dopant in silica fibre cores | ~30% of Ge demand. Raises core refractive index in single-mode telecom fibre. No qualified substitute. |
| Infrared optics | Ge lenses, windows, prisms (8–12 µm band) | Thermal-imaging optics for FLIR cameras, missile seekers, automotive night-vision — defence-critical |
| Solar cells | Ge wafer substrate for III–V multi-junction cells | Space-grade and concentrator photovoltaics built on Ge wafer foundations |
| PET catalyst | GeO2 alternative to Sb2O3 in PET polymerisation | High-clarity bottle-grade PET (Japan/Korea preference); avoids antimony residue |
| SiGe semiconductors | Strained-SiGe epilayers in BiCMOS RF devices | RF amplifiers, automotive radar, high-speed digital ICs |
Market & Supply
Global refined production
~140 t/year [5]
China refining share
~60%
Other refiners
Russia, Belgium, Canada, USA
Source
Zn smelter residues, fly ash
Export control
MOFCOM No. 23/2023 + 46/2024 [2,3]
Ge metal benchmark
$2,900–$3,500/kg (FOB China)
GeO2 retail (1 kg)
$1,400–$2,500/kg
Hand-portioned metal
$3,500–$8,000/kg
Verified Offers
Germanium spot prices roughly doubled between mid-2023 and Q4 2025 in the wake of the No. 23/2023 controls and subsequent US ban. The auto-rendered table shows tracked retail listings.
| Date | Form | Purity | USD/kg | Seller | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-15 | Metal | 99.999% (5N) | $1450 | Stanford Advanced Materials | US |
| 2026-03-15 | Metal | 99.999% (5N) | $1200 | Edgetech Industries | CN |
| 2026-03-15 | Metal | 99.999% (5N) | $1750 | American Elements | US |
| 2026-03-15 | Metal | 99.999% (5N) | $1300 | ALB Materials | CN |
| 2026-04-04 | Metal | 99.999% (5N) | $16038 | Luciteria | US |
Important Notes
US dual-use ban suspended, not lifted
Article 2 of MOFCOM No. 46/2024 (the outright Ge dual-use ban targeting US end-users) is suspended until 28 November 2026 under No. 72/2025 [4]. The general Ge licensing regime under No. 23/2023 [2] remains fully active.
Defence IR optics exposure
Ge is the dominant lens material for the 8–12 µm thermal-imaging window. NATO FLIR sensors, missile seekers, and night-vision systems are heavily Ge-dependent. US DoD has funded multiple Ge stockpile and reshoring solicitations.
Recycling matters
Ge is one of the most recycled minor metals: ~30% of global supply comes from new and old scrap (fibre-optic preform offcuts, infrared optics). Recycling buffers price spikes but cannot fully offset primary supply disruption.
Physical Properties [1]
Z: 32 · Ar: 72.630 u · ρ: 5.323 g/cm3 · Tm: 938.25 °C · Tb: 2,833 °CCrystal: diamond cubic · Config: [Ar]3d104s24p2 · Ox. states: -4, +2, +4
References
- Wolfram Alpha, “Germanium element.” wolframalpha.com.
- MOFCOM Announcement No. 23 of 2023, “Export Control of Gallium and Germanium Related Items,” effective 1 August 2023.
- MOFCOM Announcement No. 46 of 2024, “Strengthening Export Controls on Dual-Use Items to the United States,” 3 December 2024.
- MOFCOM Announcements No. 70 and 72 of 2025 (suspension orders), 7–9 November 2025.
- United States Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Germanium, January 2025.