#52Te
Tellurium Price
Strategic MetalExport Licence
Critical for CdTe thin-film solar cells (~60% of demand) and Bi₂Te₃ thermoelectrics (~20%). Under active Chinese dual-use export control (Announcement No. 10/2025) since Feb 2025 — never suspended. Byproduct of copper refining; supply cannot scale independently.
- Main trade forms
- Metal ingot, TeO₂ powder
- Available from
- CN, JP, RU, SE, CA
- Purity range
- 99.99%–99.9999%
Last update: Apr 4, 2026
17 records
17 records
Retail Reference
$243/kg
Metal 99.99% (4N) · 430 g
Chemsavers · US · Mar 29, 2026
Retail Premium: 0.2×
Bulk Benchmark
$1,100/kg
Metal 99.99% (4N)
SARL ISLO (Alibaba) · FOB · Apr 4, 2026
Export LicenceChinese export licence required for Tellurium in all controlled forms.Regulatory Tracker →
Applications
| Application | Role | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| CdTe thin-film photovoltaics | CdTe absorber layer; direct bandgap 1.5 eV; highest single-junction thin-film efficiency | ~60% of global Te demand. First Solar operates ~14 GW US nameplate capacity, targeting 17.7 GW by 2027. DOE-backed pathway to 100 GW/yr global CdTe by 2030 [7][8][9] |
| Thermoelectrics (Bi₂Te₃) | Bismuth telluride Peltier coolers and thermoelectric generators; near-room-temperature ZT optimum | ~20% of demand. No viable substitute at room temperature for solid-state cooling and waste-heat recovery [10][11] |
| Metallurgical additive | 0.04 to 0.1% Te in free-machining steel and copper alloys; improves machinability without weakening grain boundaries | ~15% of demand. Copper-tellurium alloys (C14500) used in electrical connectors and lead frames [10] |
| Infrared optics & detectors | CdZnTe and CdHgTe for IR detector substrates; thermal imaging; military FLIR systems | Niche but strategically sensitive; CdZnTe and CdHgTe explicitly covered by Announcement No. 10 [1] |
| Rubber vulcanisation & catalysts | Tellurium diethyldithiocarbamate (TDEC) accelerator; petroleum refining catalysts | ~5% of demand. Legacy application with declining share as solar and thermoelectric segments grow [10] |
Market & Supply
Global refinery production (2024)
~980 t [10]
China production share
~75% (~750 t) [10]
Global reserves
~35,000 t (Russia 5,800, US 3,800, China 3,100) [10]
Supply constraint
Byproduct of electrolytic copper refining only [11][12]
Commodity spot, Q1 2026
$110 to 120/kg (4N metal) [13][14][15]
USGS 2024 annual average
$75/kg (US warehouse), $80/kg (Rotterdam) [10]
Investment-grade physical metal
~$243/kg (certified refined ingot) [16]
Price trend
+50% from 2024 lows; +28.2% in Q4 2025 alone [14]
Price history
| Period | $/kg (approx.) | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 to 2010 | $30 to 200 | First CdTe solar wave; speculative buildup |
| 2011 (peak) | >$400 | Speculative bubble; collapsed as Si PV costs fell faster |
| 2016 | <$60 | Post-bubble trough; copper refining capacity expanded |
| 2020 | ~$59 | COVID-era bottom |
| Q4 2025 | $82 → $105 | +28.2% rally; export controls + First Solar expansion |
| Feb 2026 | $116.59 | IMARC benchmark; highest sustained level since 2012 to 2013 |
| Mar 2026 | $110 to 120 | Consolidation; Trading Economics forecasts ~$116 over 12 months |
Key producers and non-Chinese supply
| Producer / Project | Country | Capacity (t/yr) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| China (aggregate) | CN | ~750 | 75% of global output; export-controlled since Feb 2025 [10] |
| Japan (aggregate) | JP | ~70 | From copper smelter anode slimes [10] |
| Russia (aggregate) | RU | ~70 | Copper refining byproduct [10] |
| Boliden | SE | ~46 | Rönnskär copper smelter; primary Western supplier [10] |
| Rio Tinto (Kennecott) | US | ~20 | $2.9M dedicated Te recovery plant; supplies First Solar [17] |
| 5N Plus | CA | ~27 | Renewed CdTe compound supply agreement with First Solar, 2024 [17] |
| Uzbekistan | UZ | ~13 | Almalyk copper-gold complex [10] |
US import sources (2020 to 2023): Canada 58%, Philippines 19%, Japan 9%, Germany 5%. Not directly dependent on Chinese supply, though Chinese material enters global markets through intermediaries [10].
Metal Offers
| Date | Purity | $/kg | Qty | Seller | Country | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03 | Various | 8 to 11 | 1,000 kg MOQ | Alibaba (Chinese sellers) | CN | Bulk | Listed but likely unexportable without licence [1] |
| 2026-03 | 99.99% (4N) | 110 to 120 | Tonnes | Commodity spot (SMM / IMARC) | INT | Benchmark | Market benchmark; multiple index sources [13][14][15] |
| 2026-03 | Various | 186 to 280 | 1 kg | Alibaba (ready-to-ship) | CN | Retail | Listed; export status uncertain [18] |
| 2026-03 | 99.9999% (6N) | 243 | 430 g | Chemsavers | US | Retail ref. | Zone-refined ingot $104.51; anomalously low, likely pre-control inventory [19] |
| 2026-03 | 99.99% (4N) | 243 | Per unit | Strategic Metals Invest | CH | Retail | Investment-grade certified ingot [16] |
| 2026-03 | 99.99 to 99.999% | 220 to 290 | 5 kg | Alibaba (high-purity) | CN | Retail | Listed; fulfilment uncertain [18] |
| 2026-03 | Various | 343 to 359 | 1 kg | Alibaba (ready-to-ship, premium) | CN | Retail | Listed [18] |
| 2026-03 | 99.99% (4N) | ~170 to 240 | 500 g | eBay (The Clearance Zone) | US | Retail | Bullion ingot; 406 sold; active listing [18] |
| 2026-03 | 99.999% (5N) | 1,770 | 10 g | PEGUYS | US | Retail | Crystal pieces in vial; in stock [20] |
| 2026-03 | 99.9% (3N) | 1,587 | 28.35 g | Luciteria | US | Retail | 1 oz bar at $45.00; sold out [18] |
| 2026-03 | 99.99% (4N) | 1,887 | 31.1 g | RWMM | US | Retail | Polished inscribed ingot, 1 troy oz; in stock [21] |
| 2026-03 | 99.999% (5N) | 4,500 | 1 g | Luciteria | US | Lab-grade | Crystal shards; out of stock [18] |
| 2026-03 | 99.9999% (6N) | 5,495 to 8,490 | 2 g | NovaElements (eBay) | IT | Lab-grade | Crystals in vial; in stock [18] |
| 2026-03 | 99.9% (3N) | 10,638 | 2.35 g | Smart-Elements | AT | Lab-grade | Crystal pieces, argon ampoule; 4 left [18] |
| n/a | various | quote | n/a | American Elements | US | Industrial | All forms incl. sputtering targets; RFQ only [22] |
| n/a | various | quote | n/a | Stanford Advanced Materials | US | Industrial | Ingot, rod, plate, powder; RFQ [22] |
Tellurium Dioxide Offers (TeO2)
| Date | Purity | $/kg | Qty | Seller | Country | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03 | 99% | 326 to 337 | 1,000 kg MOQ | Alibaba (Chinese) | CN | Bulk | Crystal powder 2N; export status uncertain [18] |
| 2026-03 | 99.999% (5N) | 1,015 | 1,000 g | Smart-Elements | AT | Retail | Best identified retail value for TeO₂; in stock [23] |
| 2026-03 | 99.999% (5N) | 1,150 | 100 g | Smart-Elements | AT | Retail | Same purity, higher unit cost at smaller lot [23] |
| 2026-03 | 99.9999% (6N) | 2,710 | 100 g | MSE Supplies | US | Lab-grade | TeO₂ powder; in stock [24] |
| 2026-03 | ≥99% | 6,212 | 25 g | Chemsavers | US | Lab-grade | TeO₂ powder; in stock [19] |
Important Notes
Export controls are permanent and fully enforced
Unlike the October 2025 rare earth controls (which were suspended in November), Announcement No. 10/2025 has no sunset clause and no suspension. The 2026 dual-use catalogue further institutionalised the restrictions under Category 6C [3]. Chinese sellers refusing to quote tellurium face criminal liability for unlicensed export, uncertain and lengthy licence approval, and a dramatically intensified enforcement environment [4][5][6]. Japan formally complained at the WTO in June 2025 that licence reviews were taking “a very long time” even for clearly civilian items [25]. Buyers should plan for these controls to persist indefinitely.
Supply cannot scale independently of copper refining
Tellurium is almost exclusively a byproduct of electrolytic copper refining, recovered from anode slimes at a ratio of roughly 1 kg Te per 500 to 1,000 t of copper ore processed [11][12]. Higher tellurium prices alone cannot increase supply. Only increased copper refining or improved recovery rates can. This structural constraint makes tellurium uniquely vulnerable to supply-side policy interventions. The entire global market (~980 t/yr) is roughly equivalent to the tellurium content of a single large copper smelter’s anode slime output.
Chemsavers 6N at $243/kg: an anomalous opportunity
The Chemsavers listing of zone-refined 6N tellurium at $243/kg for a 430 g ingot is anomalously low, priced below the investment-grade 4N market ($243/kg) and well below the $1,770+ charged by element retailers for 5N material. This almost certainly represents pre-export-control inventory acquired before February 2025 and priced without adjustment. If still available, it represents an opportunistic buy. Once depleted, replacement stock at this purity and price point is unlikely [19].
First Solar is the single most important demand variable
CdTe photovoltaics consume ~60% of global tellurium, and First Solar is the dominant CdTe manufacturer with ~14 GW of nameplate capacity scaling to 17.7 GW by 2027 [8][9]. A February 2026 DOE-backed paper in Joule outlined a pathway to 100 GW/yr of global CdTe capacity by 2030, which would fundamentally transform the tellurium market [7]. First Solar’s secured supply chain through Rio Tinto Kennecott and 5N Plus partially insulates it from Chinese export controls, but any significant expansion beyond current capacity will require new tellurium sources.
Physical Properties [30]
Z: 52 · Ar: 127.60 u · ρ: 6.24 g/cm3 · Tm: 449.5 °C · Tb: 988 °CCrystal: hexagonal · Config: [Kr]4d105s25p4 · Ox. states: −2, +2, +4, +6 · Chalcogen (Group 16), not a rare earth · Named from Latin tellus (earth)
References
- MOFCOM/GAC, Announcement No. 10 of 2025, “Export Control of Tellurium and Bismuth Related Items,” effective 4 Feb 2025. Shanghai Metals Market coverage. metal.com.
- International Energy Agency, “China’s Critical Minerals Export Control Measures,” 2025. iea.org.
- China Briefing, “2026 Dual-Use Items and Technologies Import/Export Licensing Catalogue: Tellurium Under Category 6C,” Jan 2026. china-briefing.com.
- Clark Hill PLC, “China’s Export Controls: Tracking the Suspensions and Still-Active Measures,” Nov 2025. clarkhill.com.
- Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, “China Suspends Export Controls on Certain Critical Minerals and Related Items,” Nov 2025. pillsburylaw.com.
- Lexology, “Chinese Customs Enforcement of Export Control Violations: 2025 in Review,” Jan 2026. lexology.com.
- PV Magazine / DOE, “Pathway to 100 GW/yr CdTe Solar: Material Supply Implications,” Joule, Feb 2026. pv-magazine.com.
- Wikipedia, “First Solar,” updated Mar 2026. en.wikipedia.org.
- Biz New Orleans / First Solar, “First Solar Capacity Expansion Plans,” 2025 to 2026. bizneworleans.com.
- USGS, Mineral Commodity Summaries: Selenium and Tellurium, Jan 2025. pubs.usgs.gov.
- IMARC Group, “Tellurium Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast,” 2026. imarcgroup.com.
- US Department of Energy, “Critical Materials Assessment,” 2023. energy.gov.
- Trading Economics, “Tellurium,” 775 CNY/kg (~$112/kg), accessed Mar 2026. tradingeconomics.com.
- IMARC Group, “Tellurium Price Trend 2026,” Feb 2026. $116.59/kg global benchmark. imarcgroup.com.
- BusinessAnalytiq, “Tellurium Price Index,” $107.95/kg, Mar 2026. businessanalytiq.com.
- Strategic Metals Invest. Investment ingot 99.99%, $243.30/kg, Mar 2026.
- Metal Tech News, “Rio Tinto Kennecott Tellurium Recovery Plant”; 5N Plus / First Solar CdTe supply agreement renewal, 2024. metaltechnews.com.
- Various marketplace and retailer listings (Alibaba, eBay, Luciteria, NovaElements, Smart-Elements), surveyed Mar 2026.
- Chemsavers Inc. Te metal 6N zone-refined 430 g and TeO₂ listings, Mar 2026.
- PEGUYS LLC. Te crystal pieces 5N, 10 g, Mar 2026.
- Rare World Metals Mint (RWMM). Te polished ingot 1 troy oz, Mar 2026.
- American Elements and Stanford Advanced Materials product pages; RFQ only. Sigma-Aldrich historical: 99.8% powder ~$500 to 800/kg (100 g), 99.999% pieces ~$3,600 to 6,000/kg (25 g). Edgetech Industries: quote-only.
- Smart-Elements GmbH, Vienna. TeO₂ 5N listings, Mar 2026.
- MSE Supplies LLC. TeO₂ 6N 100 g listing, Mar 2026.
- WTO dispute record, Japan’s formal complaint re: Chinese export licence processing times, Jun 2025. wto.org.
- ResearchGate, historical tellurium price data (2005 to 2016 trends). researchgate.net.
- Daily Metal Price, Te price chart 2020 to 2026. dailymetalprice.com.
- US Congress, “2025 US Critical Minerals List”; DoD recommendation to retain tellurium. congress.gov.
- Research And Markets, “Global Tellurium Market Outlook 2026 to 2030,” Feb 2026. researchandmarkets.com.
- Wolfram Alpha, “Tellurium element.” wolframalpha.com.
All Offers
| Purity | MOQ | Original | Source | Verification | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-04 | Metal | 99.99% (4N) | 1000 kg | 1000 kg | $1,100 | 1,100 USD/kg | marketplace listing | SARL ISLO (Alibaba) | FR | single source offer | 0.65 |
| 2026-04-04 | Metal | 99.99% (4N) | 5000 kg | 1000 kg | $80 | 80 USD/kg | marketplace listing | Multiple CN/FR suppliers (Alibaba) | CN | single source offer | 0.60 |
| 2026-03-30 | Metal | 99.99% (4N) | 1000 kg | 1000 kg | $112 | n/a | benchmark index | Trading Economics (SMM) | CN | verified | 0.85 |
| 2026-03-29 | Metal | 99.99% (4N) | 0.43 kg | n/a | $243 | n/a | retailer listing | Chemsavers | US | single source offer | 0.75 |
| 2026-03-29 | Metal | 99.99% (4N) | 1 kg | n/a | $243 | n/a | retailer listing | Strategic Metals Invest | CH | single source offer | 0.70 |
| 2026-03-29 | Metal | 99.999% (5N) | 0.01 kg | n/a | $1,770 | n/a | retailer listing | PEGUYS | US | single source offer | 0.80 |
| 2026-03-29 | Metal | 99.99% (4N) | 0.0311 kg | n/a | $1,887 | n/a | retailer listing | RWMM | US | single source offer | 0.80 |
| 2026-03-29 | Metal | 99.9% (3N) | 0.02835 kg | n/a | $1,587 | n/a | retailer listing | Luciteria | US | single source offer | 0.60 |
| 2026-03-29 | Oxide | 99.999% (5N) | 1 kg | n/a | $1,015 | n/a | retailer listing | Smart-Elements | AT | single source offer | 0.75 |
| 2026-03-29 | Oxide | 99.999% (5N) | 0.1 kg | n/a | $1,150 | n/a | retailer listing | Smart-Elements | AT | single source offer | 0.75 |
| 2026-03-29 | Oxide | 99.9999% (6N) | 0.1 kg | n/a | $2,710 | n/a | retailer listing | MSE Supplies | US | single source offer | 0.75 |
| 2026-03-25 | Metal | 99.99% (4N) | 1000 kg | 1000 kg | $108 | n/a | benchmark index | BusinessAnalytiq | INT | verified | 0.80 |
| 2026-03-15 | Metal | 99.99% (4N) | 1 kg | 1 kg | $120 | 120 USD/kg | distributor offer | Stanford Advanced Materials | US | single source offer | 0.40 |
| 2026-03-15 | Metal | 99.99% (4N) | 1 kg | 1 kg | $85 | 85 USD/kg | distributor offer | Edgetech Industries | CN | single source offer | 0.40 |
| 2026-03-15 | Metal | 99.99% (4N) | 1 kg | 1 kg | $145 | 145 USD/kg | distributor offer | American Elements | US | single source offer | 0.40 |
| 2026-03-15 | Metal | 99.99% (4N) | 1 kg | 1 kg | $95 | 95 USD/kg | marketplace offer | ALB Materials | CN | single source offer | 0.40 |
| 2026-02-28 | Metal | 99.99% (4N) | 1000 kg | 1000 kg | $117 | n/a | benchmark index | IMARC Group | INT | verified | 0.85 |
17 records · click a column to sort
Seen a sourced Tellurium quote that is missing above?