#21
Sc
Scandium
Light Rare Earth
Used in aluminum-scandium alloys for aerospace.
Last update: 2026-03-22
10 records
10 records
Retail Reference
$9705/kg
Metal 99.99% (4N)
· 1 kg
Smart-Elements
· AT
· 2026-03
Bulk Benchmark
—
No commodity benchmark available
Applications
| Application | Role | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Aerospace alloys | Al–Sc master alloys (2% Sc); grain refinement | High-strength weldable aluminium for fighter jets, spacecraft [3] |
| Solid oxide fuel cells | ScSZ electrolyte (scandia-stabilised zirconia) | Higher ionic conductivity than YSZ; lower operating temperature |
| 5G & RF semiconductors | ScAlN piezoelectric films for BAW/FBAR filters | Critical for 5G chips; US firms warn of months-only stockpiles [5] |
| Lighting | ScI3 in metal-halide lamps | High-intensity sun-like white light for stadiums, cinema |
| Defence | Al–Sc alloys for lightweight armour, missiles, naval structures | DLA seeking $40M Sc2O3 for National Defense Stockpile [3] |
Market & Supply
Global Sc2O3 production
~40 tonnes/year [3]
Global demand (est.)
~117 tonnes/year [4]
China refined supply share
~85% [3]
China metallised scandium share
~100% [5]
Export control
MOFCOM/GAC No. 18/2025 [2]
Licence lead time
~4 months [2]
Oxide pre-controls
$1,200/kg [3]
Oxide post-controls
$3,500–$4,200/kg [5]
Non-Chinese supply pipeline
| Project | Location | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Tinto (Sorel-Tracy) | Quebec, Canada | 12 t/year | Operating — only significant non-Chinese source [3] |
| NioCorp (Elk Creek) | Nebraska, United States | ~12 t/year | Portal construction Feb 2026; $370M+ raised [4] |
| Sunrise Energy Metals | New South Wales, Australia | 60 t/year | Largest deposit (414 ppm); US$67M EXIM LOI [5] |
| ScaVanger | France, European Union | 21 t/year | Commissioning 2026; TiO2 waste stream [3] |
| ElementUS Minerals | Louisiana, United States | TBD | $29.9M DoD funding November 2025 [6] |
Non-Chinese production not expected at scale until 2027–2029. Analysts warn of 30–50% further price spikes if China’s controls escalate post-November 2026 [5].
Metal Offers
The retail scandium metal market is thin with frequent stockouts and wide spreads by form, purity, and quantity. Verified in-stock listings as of March 2026:
| Date | Purity | $/kg | Qty | Seller | Country | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03 | 99.99% | 10,200 | 10 g | PEGUYS | US | Retail | Turnings; in stock |
| 2026-03 | 99.99% | 12,500 | 50 g | Smart-Elements | AT | Retail | Dendritic crystalline; in stock |
| 2026-03 | 99.99% | 20,280 | 10 g | PEGUYS | US | Retail | Dendritic crystalline; in stock |
| 2026-03 | 99.50% | 24,600 | 31.1 g | RWMM | US | Retail | 1 ozt bullion ingot; in stock |
| 2026-03 | 99.99% | 9,700 | 1 kg | Smart-Elements | AT | Retail | Dendritic (1 kg rate); in stock |
Wholesale / bulk comparison
| Date | Purity | $/kg | Qty | Seller | Country | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03 | 99.9% | 5,250 | 10 kg | China Direct Seller 1 | CN | Wholesale | Export cert. required; ~4 months lead [2] |
| 2026-03 | 99.5% | 4,576 | 10 kg | China Direct Seller 2 | CN | Wholesale | Lower purity; same licensing risk [2] |
| 2026-03 | 99.99% | 9,705 | 1 kg | Smart-Elements | AT | Retail | Best Western bulk rate; Vienna [7] |
Chinese bulk quotes (~$5,000/kg) are roughly half the Western retail rate but require a 4-month export licensing process with no guarantee of approval [2]. Smart-Elements also offers 2–8% volume discounts and a 10% coupon code (GETMINUS10NOW) [7].
Oxide Offers (Sc2O3)
| Date | Purity | $/kg | Qty | Seller | Country | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 99.99% | 1,200 | 5 kg | Stanford Advanced Materials | US | Retail | Pre-controls benchmark [3] |
| 2026-03 | various | 3,500–4,200 | bulk | International market (est.) | — | Benchmark | Post-April 2025; +35–40% [5] |
| 2026-03 | 99.99% | 4,370 | ~1 kg | Smart-Elements | AT | Retail | Western retail, in stock [7] |
| 2026-03 | 99.999% | ~686 | small qty | MSE Supplies | US | Lab-grade | 5N research grade [8] |
| 2026-03 | 99.9–99.99% | 650–3,500 | 1–5 kg | Alibaba (China) | CN | Wholesale | Availability uncertain under controls [2] |
Gallery
Sc metal — dendritic crystalline
Sc2O3 powder
Important Notes
Export controls in force
MOFCOM/GAC Announcement No. 18/2025 (effective 4 April 2025) controls all scandium forms — metal, oxide, alloys, compounds — under item 1C907 [2]. Controls apply to all countries and require case-by-case licensing. These controls were never suspended.
Price bifurcation
Chinese bulk metal at $4,500–$5,250/kg requires a 4-month licensing process with no guarantee of approval. Western retail starts at ~$9,700/kg. Laboratory-grade scandium (Alfa Aesar, 2 g) reaches $261/g — a 50× markup over Chinese bulk [3].
Supply deficit
Global scandium demand (~117 tonnes/year) far exceeds production (~40 tonnes/year). United States-bound yttrium exports under these controls fell over 90% in 8 months [5], suggesting similar disruption to scandium supply.
Physical Properties [1]
Z: 21 · Ar: 44.956 u · ρ: 2.985 g/cm3 · Tm: 1,541 °C · Tb: 2,836 °CCrystal: hcp · Config: [Ar]3d14s2 · Ox. states: +3
References
- Wolfram Alpha, “Scandium element.” wolframalpha.com.
- Ministry of Commerce / General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, Announcement No. 18 of 2025, “Export Control of Medium and Heavy Rare Earth Related Items,” 4 April 2025.
- United States Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Scandium, January 2025.
- NioCorp Developments Ltd., corporate filings and investor presentations, 2025–2026. niocorp.com.
- DiscoveryAlert / Rare Earth Exchanges, “Scandium supply impact assessment post-April 2025 controls,” various reports, 2025.
- United States Department of Defense, “DoD Awards $29.9M to ElementUS Minerals for Domestic Gallium and Scandium Production,” November 2025.
- Smart-Elements GmbH, Vienna, Austria. smart-elements.com.
- MSE Supplies LLC. msesupplies.com.
- Clark Hill PLC, “China Suspends Expanded Rare Earth Export Controls Until November 2026,” 2026. See also: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP analysis.