#40Zr
Zirconium Price
Strategic Metal
Used in nuclear fuel cladding, ceramics, and chemical processing.
- Main trade forms
- Sponge / oxide
- Available from
- AU, ZA, CN, US
Last update: Mar 15, 2026
3 records
3 records
Retail Reference
$120/kg
Metal 99.5% (2N) · 1 kg
Edgetech Industries · CN · Mar 15, 2026
Bulk Benchmark
n/a
No commodity benchmark available
Applications
| Application | Role | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclear fuel cladding | Zircaloy-2/4, Zirlo, M5 (hafnium-free Zr alloys) | Standard cladding for UO2 fuel rods in PWR and BWR reactors. Low neutron absorption (after Hf removal) is the only viable structural material. |
| Foundry sand & refractories | Zircon (ZrSiO4) sand and ZrO2 refractories | ~50% of Zr demand. Investment-casting molds, glass-tank refractories, metal foundry sand. |
| Ceramic opacifier | Milled zircon in ceramic glazes and tiles | White opacifier in ceramic floor and wall tiles, the largest single zircon end-use globally |
| Advanced ceramics | Yttria-stabilised zirconia (YSZ), partially-stabilised zirconia (PSZ) | Dental crowns, hip-joint femoral heads, oxygen sensors, SOFC electrolytes, thermal-barrier coatings |
| Chemical industry | Zr metal pumps, valves, heat exchangers | Outstanding corrosion resistance to acids and alkalis; specialty chemical equipment |
Market & Supply
Global zircon production
~1.4 Mt ZrSiO4/year [3]
Top producers
Australia, South Africa, China, Mozambique
Source
Heavy mineral sand mining
Reactor-grade route
Hf removal via Kroll/Van Arkel
Export control
Not on MOFCOM list
Zircon FOB benchmark
$1,500 to $2,200/t (premium)
Zr sponge (nuclear)
$60 to $120/kg
Retail metal (1 kg)
$80 to $300/kg
Verified Offers
Zirconium splits into two distinct markets: zircon mineral sand for ceramics and refractories (priced per tonne FOB), and reactor-grade Zr sponge / metal (priced per kilogram). The auto-rendered table shows tracked retail listings.
| Purity | MOQ | Original | Source | Verification | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-15 | Metal | 99.5% (2N) | 1 kg | 1 kg | $150 | 150 USD/kg | distributor offer | Stanford Advanced Materials | US | single source offer | 0.60 |
| 2026-03-15 | Metal | 99.5% (2N) | 1 kg | 1 kg | $120 | 120 USD/kg | distributor offer | Edgetech Industries | CN | single source offer | 0.60 |
| 2026-03-15 | Metal | 99.5% (2N) | 1 kg | 1 kg | $180 | 180 USD/kg | distributor offer | American Elements | US | single source offer | 0.60 |
3 records · click a column to sort
Important Notes
Hafnium-free for nuclear
Natural Zr contains ~2% Hf, which has a very high neutron absorption cross-section and must be removed for reactor cladding. The Kroll-process Zr/Hf separation step adds significant cost and is performed only at a small number of qualified facilities globally (Westinghouse Specialty Metals, ATI, CEZUS in France, KAERI in South Korea).
Tile demand drives the bulk market
Roughly half of global zircon goes into ceramic tile opacifier. Spanish, Italian, and Chinese tile producers anchor zircon sand demand. Construction-cycle exposure dominates short-run zircon pricing.
SMR demand wildcard
The nuclear renaissance and small-modular-reactor (SMR) build-out (NuScale, Rolls-Royce SMR, Westinghouse AP300) would meaningfully grow reactor-grade Zr demand from a relatively small base.
Physical Properties [1]
Z: 40 · Ar: 91.224 u · ρ: 6.52 g/cm3 · Tm: 1,855 °C · Tb: 4,409 °CCrystal: hcp · Config: [Kr]4d25s2 · Ox. states: +1 to +4 (most: +4)
References
- Wolfram Alpha, “Zirconium element.” wolframalpha.com.
- World Nuclear Association, “Zirconium.” world-nuclear.org.
- United States Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Zirconium and Hafnium, January 2025.
Seen a sourced Zirconium quote that is missing above?