#74W
Tungsten Price
Strategic MetalExport Licence
Highest melting point of all metals; used in cutting tools and armor.
- Main trade forms
- Powder / APT
- Available from
- CN, VN, RU, AT
Last update: Mar 15, 2026
4 records
4 records
Retail Reference
$45/kg
Powder 99.9% (3N) · 1 kg
Edgetech Industries · CN · Mar 15, 2026
Bulk Benchmark
n/a
No commodity benchmark available
Export LicenceChinese export licence required for Tungsten in all controlled forms.Regulatory Tracker →
Applications
| Application | Role | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Cemented carbide tooling | WC-Co cutting inserts, drill bits, mining tools | ~60% of W demand. Indispensable for metal machining, mining, and oil & gas drilling. No economic substitute. |
| Kinetic energy penetrators | W heavy-alloy long-rod penetrators (replacing depleted uranium) | Defence-critical: NATO transition from DU to W penetrators makes Sabot rounds reliant on Chinese APT supply |
| Superalloys & high-speed steel | W in nickel- and cobalt-based superalloys | Jet-engine turbine components; tool steels for high-temperature machining |
| Electrical contacts & filaments | W and W-alloy contacts, electrodes, filaments | X-ray tube targets, TIG welding electrodes, EDM electrodes |
| Radiation shielding | W-Cu and W-Ni-Fe heavy alloys | Replaces lead in medical and industrial radiation shielding (collimators, syringe shields) |
Market & Supply
Global mine production
~81,000 t W content/year [4]
China mining share
~83%
China APT/refining share
~88%
Other producers
Vietnam, Russia, Bolivia, Austria
Export control
MOFCOM No. 10/2025 [2]
APT benchmark (FOB China)
~$340 to $420/mtu
Carbide retail (1 kg)
$80 to $160/kg
Pure W metal retail
$120 to $700/kg
Verified Offers
Tungsten metal is widely sold as turnings, rod, and cube novelty items at the retail end; the bulk benchmark is the APT mtu (metric ton unit) traded FOB China. The auto-rendered table shows tracked retail listings.
| Purity | MOQ | Original | Source | Verification | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-15 | Powder | 99.9% (3N) | 1 kg | 1 kg | $58 | 58 USD/kg | distributor offer | Stanford Advanced Materials | US | single source offer | 0.60 |
| 2026-03-15 | Powder | 99.9% (3N) | 1 kg | 1 kg | $45 | 45 USD/kg | distributor offer | Edgetech Industries | CN | single source offer | 0.60 |
| 2026-03-15 | Powder | 99.9% (3N) | 1 kg | 1 kg | $50 | 50 USD/kg | marketplace offer | ALB Materials | CN | single source offer | 0.60 |
| 2026-03-15 | Powder | 99.9% (3N) | 1 kg | 1 kg | $72 | 72 USD/kg | distributor offer | American Elements | US | single source offer | 0.60 |
4 records · click a column to sort
Important Notes
Export controls in force
MOFCOM No. 10/2025 [2] requires Chinese export licences for W metal, APT, ferrotungsten, carbide powder, and major W compounds. Western buyers should expect 30 to 60 day licence approval delays and increased scrutiny on military end-users.
Defence supply chain exposure
NATO transitioned from depleted-uranium to tungsten kinetic-energy penetrators in the 2000s. The result is structural dependence on Chinese APT for ammunition production. Western tungsten reshoring (Almonty Industries Sangdong, S. Korea) is in commissioning but cannot meet demand alone.
Ferrotungsten pricing dislocation
Since the No. 10/2025 controls took effect, European ferrotungsten prices have decoupled from FOB-China APT, with Rotterdam premiums reflecting licensing risk and shipping diversification.
Physical Properties [1]
Z: 74 · Ar: 183.84 u · ρ: 19.25 g/cm3 · Tm: 3,422 °C · Tb: 5,555 °CCrystal: bcc · Config: [Xe]4f145d46s2 · Ox. states: -2 to +6
References
- Wolfram Alpha, “Tungsten 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: Tungsten, January 2025.
Seen a sourced Tungsten quote that is missing above?