Metals
Overview
The global metals markets are evolving rapidly, shaped by shifting supply chains, rising demand for critical minerals, geopolitical uncertainty, and increasing price volatility across ferrous, non‑ferrous and emerging technology metals. Argus provides independent metals pricing, trusted benchmarks and actionable market intelligence that give mining companies, metal producers, traders, manufacturers and recyclers the clarity and confidence they need to navigate increasing cost exposure, manage risks and make data-driven decisions.
Covering the steel supply chain, base metals, critical metals including rare earths, scrap, ferroalloys, raw materials and energy‑transition metals, Argus delivers accurate, reliable price assessments that reflect real market activity. Companies worldwide reference Argus metals benchmarks in physical and financial contracts to ensure fair, consistent and market‑aligned pricing, a crucial advantage in regions where regulatory environments, trade flows and cost structures vary dramatically.
With expert analysis, regional metals prices, market reporting, and fundamentals data, Argus helps users track market sentiment, identify key metals price drivers and stay informed on developments across ferrous, non‑ferrous and critical minerals markets, supported by localized coverage in the most active trading regions. This includes rapid shifts driven by developments in emerging supply chains, logistics constraints, shifting demand conditions, energy and input‑cost volatility, and China’s dominant role in global metals supply and demand, where changes in production, export policy, or refining capacity can quickly move global metals prices, availability and trade flows.
Argus empowers stakeholders across steel, raw materials, non‑ferrous and critical metals markets with reliable data, clear insights and a deeper understanding of global metals‑market dynamics, helping businesses remain competitive, agile and prepared for what’s next.
Market Coverage
Argus offers comprehensive coverage across all major metals markets, providing independent pricing and market intelligence for steel, steel raw materials, base metals, alloys, scrap, pipe and tube, battery materials, rare earths and specialty and minor metals. Our pricing and market intelligence provide a clear, structured view of metals markets worldwide, helping you monitor key trends and respond to shifting market dynamics with confidence.
Stay ahead of the Metals market
To be informed of new metals content, sign up to the Argus Metals Newsletter of your choice. Each issue provides key prices, selected news, downloadable insight papers, podcasts, and on-demand videos on your selected metal markets. We offer four tailored newsletters according to your area of interest, covering battery materials, ferrous, non-ferrous, and scrap markets.
Latest metals news
Browse the latest market moving news on the global metals industry.
UK plug-in solar shift prompts battery debate
UK plug-in solar shift prompts battery debate
London, 28 August (Argus) — The UK's decision to legalise plug-in solar panels could bring solar power to renters and flat-dwellers for the first time, but the government's refusal to allow plug-in batteries has prompted questions over the value of the policy. The change comes a day after government data revealed small-scale and rooftop systems accounted for all of July's growth in solar power capacity, pushing the UK's total solar capacity to 23GW. Conventional rooftop solar has long been available to homeowners, but the new 800W plug-in units — enough to power everyday appliances such as laptops, fridges and televisions — can be bought off the shelf and installed without the cost and complexity of a full rooftop system. The decision is a welcome move in the effort to democratise and decentralise power generation, allowing households to become part producers rather than simply consumers of electricity, said Andy Palmer, chairman of Slovak battery maker InoBat. Germany installed more than 400,000 plug-in solar systems last year, while UK households had no legal route to use them, making the UK's decision "overdue", Palmer told Argus . But the UK has stopped short at generation. Households can now plug a solar panel directly into their home, yet cannot easily pair it with a plug-in battery. This means excess electricity produced during the day cannot readily be stored for evening use. "Part of the benefit is lost," Palmer said. UK looks to increase pairing of solar and batteries The issue becomes more relevant as solar power accounts for a rising share of UK power supply. Solar power provided a record-high 45pc of domestic generation during peak-load hours in April . And grid-scale batteries are increasingly being deployed to move some of that daytime renewable power output into higher-value evening hours, helping to limit the call on gas-fired generation. Whether allowing plug-in battery storage becomes the next regulatory step remains unclear. The UK government estimates plug-in solar could save users up to £110/yr ($150/yr), based on the solar panels alone, with the technology's appeal resting largely on its low cost and simplicity. But as more households generate electricity behind the meter, pressure may grow to let them store it too. By Chris Welch Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US-Canada tariffs may shift auto production mix
US-Canada tariffs may shift auto production mix
Pittsburgh, 27 August (Argus) — US automakers may accelerate production of higher-margin vehicles if the US raises tariffs on Canadian-built cars, parts and steel, according to Oxford Economics. US president Donald Trump threatened earlier this week to double tariffs on these products to 50pc starting January 2027 after trade talks broke down on 21 August. Canada responded on 25 August with a retaliatory package, including a 25pc tariff on some US vehicles starting 8 September. The North American auto industry is highly integrated, so additional tariffs would further disrupt trade and raise costs across the auto and steel supply chain. More than half of the parts and components in Canadian-built vehicles originate in the US, the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association said. Higher costs may push automakers to prioritize production of SUVs, pickup trucks and luxury cars, which tend to offer higher margins, Oxford Economics said. Any move toward larger models could affect vehicle demand in both countries, sending more buyers to the used-car market and raising prices, Oxford Economics said. Canadian exporters shipped roughly 80pc of their vehicles by volume to the US in 2025, accounting for 91pc of export value, while US vehicle exports to Canada made up 25pc of total US export volumes and 38pc of value, customs data show. US used-vehicle sales reached 1.44mn units in July, slightly higher than in June and bucking typical seasonal declines, Cox Automotive said. Honda, BMW, Stellantis, GM and Subaru declined to comment on the expected impact of the new tariffs, with one automaker noting that the tentative tariff is still four months away. The Trump administration has often revised, delayed or withdrawn tariff measures after initial announcements. Short-term focus for steel market participants remained elsewhere as buyers continued to grapple with a lack of domestic availability, while attempting to draw out details about 2027 contracts from suppliers. By Brad MacAulay Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Voya raises $35mn for aluminum scrap-to-fuel tech
Voya raises $35mn for aluminum scrap-to-fuel tech
Houston, 27 August (Argus) — California-based clean energy startup Voya Energy raised $35mn in series A funding to scale its new energy system that uses fuel made from aluminum scrap to power generators that can produce electricity without combustion or air emissions at point of use. The financing will go toward technology development and its initial product rollout in 2027, while also supporting its plans to scale to commercial manufacturing in 2028, the company said on Wednesday. Voya, which raised $13mn in its seed round in July 2025, anticipates that its system will qualify for the clean electricity investment credit under section 48E of the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act. The company intends to market the technology to data center developers, along with industrial operators and other "large energy users", touting that the system can alleviate pressure on local power grids and ease permitting challenges, given its "ultra-silent" design and zero-emission capabilities. Voya's metal-based fuel comes from turning "low-grade scrap aluminum" into pellets that then mix with air and water to produce electricity through a low-temperature, electrochemical process inside the company's generators that are housed in 20-foot containers. The company's industrial-scale design is expected to generate up to 2MW of electricity and will have a 10-foot fuel container that can hold around 100MWh of stored energy. When fully scaled, Voya anticipates that its system will be able to provide 100MW of generation capacity and 10GWh of stored energy per acre, which it touts is four times more compact than diesel generator fleets and 100 times more compact than grid-scale battery installations. It added that current efforts to prove out its technology have shown a conversion efficiency of 57pc, which it compared with 35pc from a diesel generator. Voya's fuel process creates aluminum trihydrate (ATH) as a byproduct, which the company plans to sell as a common industrial feedstock initially before pursuing its longer-term goal of turning ATH that it and others produce into "fuel-grade aluminum". ATH, which some consider as "specialty alumina", is a versatile compound whose uses include as a flame retardant in industrial applications, an antacid in the pharmaceutical industry and as a coagulant additive for water-treatment chemicals. "Our long-term opportunity is not simply to build another generator," Voya co-founder Richard Wang said. "It is to establish metal fuels as an entirely new energy category — one that can deliver dependable electricity across industries and applications anywhere on Earth." By Alex Nicoll Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
UK sets out schemes eligible for CBAM price relief
UK sets out schemes eligible for CBAM price relief
London, 27 August (Argus) — The UK government today published a non-exhaustive list of schemes that will qualify as a carbon price already paid in the country of origin for goods imported under its upcoming carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM). The list currently includes the emissions trading systems (ETSs) of the EU, China, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Montenegro, New Zealand and Switzerland, as well as carbon taxes in Chile, Serbia, Singapore and South Africa, the Australian safeguard mechanism, Canada's federal output-based pricing system, India's carbon credit trading scheme, and Taiwan's carbon fee. The government will publish an update "in due course" as further schemes are assessed, it said, as it is "aware" that some regional schemes may already meet the criteria it set out last month , while other schemes in development could qualify in the future. To claim relief on their UK CBAM obligations, importers must first calculate the effective carbon price already paid by taking the total installation emissions and identifying how many were subject to the different elements of the qualifying pricing scheme — the headline price payable, any additional price beyond this, free allowances received, payments for greenhouse gas removals, and the thresholds above or below which emissions are charged. The emissions subject to each element are then multiplied by the price per tonne of CO2 equivalent for each element in the previous calendar quarter — using a mean average if the price is not fixed — and added together. The total figure is then divided by the original total installation emissions. Carbon price relief is then calculated by multiplying the effective carbon price by the embodied emissions covered by the scheme for the relevant goods. This amount is converted into pounds sterling and subtracted from the CBAM liability. UK CBAM will start on 1 January 2027, applying an effective carbon price to specified goods imported into the UK in the aluminium, cement, fertiliser, hydrogen, iron and steel sectors. By Kiara Campagne Nieva Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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