Specialty and minor metals
Overview
As demand for semi-conductors, touch-screens and other highly engineered products continues to grow, manufactures rely on the Argus metals price data and reliable market intelligence to track volatility and specialty materials and manage their impact on production costs.
Argus covers electronic, light and high-temperature metals, as well as specialist alloys and rare earths, through Argus Non-Ferrous Markets, Argus Battery Materials and the Argus Rare Earths Analytics service.
Electronic metals
Argus delivers transparent price data, market news and analysis across base metals, minor metals and battery materials to allow downstream participants to achieve a sustainable supply of electronic metals and reduce their exposure to price risk, all while researching and tracking individual materials in their components.
- Arsenic prices
- Bismuth prices
- Gallium prices
- Germanium prices
- Indium prices
- Selenium prices
- Tantalum prices
- Tellurium prices
- Zirconium prices
Light metals
Argus is the leader in light metals price data and serves the most active consuming regions globally in aerospace, automotive and other highly engineered industries. Manufacturers of alloyed materials and light metals benefit from both primary and scrap material coverage in the Argus suite of products.
High-temperature metals
Some materials necessitate higher temperature and corrosion resistance beyond that offered by carbon steel, these often rely on a proprietary blend of alloyed materials. Argus worked closely with manufacturers to develop the Alloy Calculator tool, a one-stop solution for estimating the current value of raw materials in their specific composition to price even the most specific blends of alloys to be priced in primary and scrap form.
- Chromium prices
- Cobalt prices
- Hafnium prices
- Molybdenum prices
- Niobium prices
- Rhenium prices
- Tantalum prices
- Tungsten prices
- Tungsten outlooks
- Vanadium prices
Highlights of specialty metals coverage
- Independent reference prices for highly illiquid markets and niche materials
- Brings transparency to markets with few global suppliers but increasing global demand
- Exchange data with 30-minute delay standard and the option to add real-time
- Twice weekly global bulk alloys, noble alloys and steel feedstock prices
- Comprehensive global electronic metals price assessments
- High-temperature metals price assessments, including full scope of tungsten coverage with optional short and long-term forecasting
- Light metals including a suite of titanium and aerospace-grade price assessments
- Rare earths prices assessments with short and long-term forecasts
- Electronic vehicle and aerospace raw materials coverage, including highly engineered components and structural materials
- Coverage of supply chain issues, including demand, capacity, risks to responsible sourcing and supply
- Alloy Calculator tool allows easy identification of cost implications for material substitutions in any alloyed metals
- Synthetic prices can be created in the Alloy Calculator to provide material value in the absence of spot market assessments
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US aims to process critical minerals in Brazil
US aims to process critical minerals in Brazil
Sao Paulo, 12 February (Argus) — The US is interested in developing critical minerals processing capacity in Brazil and is in active negotiations with Brazilian authorities to do so, US assistant secretary of state Caleb Orr said in a press conference late Wednesday. The US sees Brazil as an 'essential' partner in building a resilient Western critical minerals supply chain, and is actively exploring ways to build processing capacity in the country through financing from its Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and technical cooperation, Orr said during the Zoom press conference with Latin American media focussed on last week's critical minerals ministerial meeting in Washington, DC. "Brazil has immensely rich natural critical minerals reserves," Orr said, but the US is focused on heavy rare earths, he signaled. The DFC has recently backed both the Serra Verde and Aclara rare earth projects in the Brazilian state of Goiás. Serra Verde achieved commercial production in 2024, but is expected to increase rare-earths oxide production to 6,500 metric tonnes (t)/yr by 2027 following DFC's investment. Aclara is scheduled to come on line in the second half of 2028, with ramp-up throughout 2029. Both firms produce — or aim to — a mixed rare earth carbonate with an elevated proportion of heavy rare earths, especially dysprosium and terbium, which are key feedstocks to rare earth magnets. "The US is already financing some [heavy rare earths] projects [in Brazil]," said Orr, whose focus is economics, energy and business affairs . "I think it's a natural next step to help encourage processing." The US is in active negotiations with Brazil on critical minerals processing, Orr said, noting that its diversified economy and sophistication would "enable" the US to conduct processing in the country. Brazil, however, would still need to allow the US to develop mineral processing in Brazilian territory. Orr deflected questions regarding whether this would be a topic during Brazil's president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's trip to the White House in March, but acknowledged that the US's approach on this matter required "strong partnerships." "We want to get to a great trade deal with Brazil that includes critical minerals," Orr said. "We view Brazil's participation in last week's critical minerals ministerial meeting as a key step forward toward that goal." Brazil has the world's largest niobium reserves, ranking second in rare earths and graphite reserves, third in nickel, and sixth in lithium, according to the Brazilian geological service SGB. The US has already signed critical minerals cooperation agreements with Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru. During his press conference, Orr also highlighted Argentina as a key partner for copper and lithium projects. Brazil wants to add processing capacity Processing is a top priority for Brazil's critical minerals industry, as noted by several market participants and president Lula himself. Despite having world-leading reserves of critical minerals, Brazil's potential in this field remains largely untapped. It accounted for less than 1pc of global rare earths production in 2024, for instance. President Lula is willing to allow foreign companies to explore the country's critical mineral reserves, provided they also invest in building downstream facilities that establish an end-to-end value chain within Brazil. "We are not going to be exporters of critical minerals," he said in a speech last November . "If [foreign companies] want [to explore] them, they will have to industrialize in our country so that our country can earn that money." Lula's call for mining industrialization echoes appeals from market participants of the critical minerals industry, especially on the battery materials front. Lithium miners have asked for incentive policies to push for an end-to-end supply chain — and Brazil's newly founded critical minerals association AMC agrees. "Brazil is in a position to become the world's leading critical minerals player, but it lacks the fiscal incentives to do so," [AMC's board president Marisa Cesar told Argus ](https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2759016) . "This leads to other countries offering more favorable economics for midstream and downstream plants than Brazil." By Pedro Consoli Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Mozambican port closes after Cyclone warning
Mozambican port closes after Cyclone warning
Cape Town, 11 February (Argus) — Mozambique's Port of Beira's maritime authority (Itransmar) has issued a notice to suspend all maritime navigation from today, 11 February. The move comes as a cyclone warning has been issued, named Gezani. It is unclear at this time when the port will reopen. The Port of Beira is a key port for Africa's fertilizer trade and is also one of the ports linked with the copper belt to bring supplies in and out through truck backhauling. In 2025, Beira imported over 194,000t of sulphur, down from over 215,000t in 2024. The port has been experiencing lengthy delays of vessels discharging with wait times around 50-60 days with high demurrage fees. Vessel berthing delays at the port have worsened in recent weeks, with shippers having little choice but to move to alternative ports. By Fenella Rhodes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Chile miners' backlash risks Atacama protection plan
Chile miners' backlash risks Atacama protection plan
Sao Paulo, 11 February (Argus) — At least five mining institutions have filed official complaints about outgoing Chilean president Gabriel Boric's push to create a new protective reserve for salt flats in the Atacama basin, home to most of the country's lithium reserves. Boric, a leftist, is seeking to designate as many salt flats as protected reserves as possible before his term ends on 11 March and far-right Jose Antonio Kast is sworn in as president. The proposed reserve, called ACMU Soncor, is part of Chile's national lithium strategy, a broad regulatory framework introduced in 2023 to oversee the country's lithium extraction industry. Kast has already signaled his intention to overhaul the strategy, favoring a more open, pro-market approach that would likely scale back environmental protection. Boric's salt flats' protection reserves have largely focused on isolated areas or regions where mining has a limited presence, but Soncor would protect 76,138 hectares in the Atacama basin, where Chile's only two active lithium projects operate alongside potassium and borates reserves. Miners Albemarle and Codelco, Chile's national mining association Sonami, and Grupo Errazuriz firms NX, a potassium chloride producer, and SCM Copiapó, a company that develops and operates mining-support projects, have all objected to Soncor's creation, court records show. Companies push back Each company raised its own concerns with the proposal, but all five shared complaints about methodology and a alleged lack of transparency around Soncor's creation. They collectively argue the reserve's boundaries were set arbitrarily, without technical justification, and note the environment ministry has yet to release the studies supporting the proposed protected area. The firms also criticized timing and process, noting that the proposal's public consultation stage was scheduled over Christmas and New Year, when participation typically falls. Also, the companies were initially given 23 business days to respond, which they say should have been 60. Albemarle says some "crucial documents" were made available only two days before the initial deadline, later extended to 5 February. All five also say the "objects of protection" — the species and ecosystems the government intends to safeguard — are vaguely defined. Albemarle would be most affected. The lithium producer argues the reserve would extend over its operations, including areas containing mineral and water resources it is legally entitled to use and develop. It also says the government is overlooking a binding agreement with Chile's first environmental court that sets governance frameworks to mitigate impacts and should avoid the need for a new reserve within areas where Albemarle holds rights. Albemarle warns that imposing "absolute protection" without technical basis over brine resources could create unjustified restrictions with significant impacts on Chile's lithium production capacity. At the same time, the company is asking the government to explicitly state that, if the reserve's boundaries remain unchanged, Albemarle's operations would be allowed to continue unaffected and be deemed compliant. NX's 200,000 metric tonnes (t)/yr potassium salts plant would also be included in the the reserve, it says. Codelco could also be affected from 2031, when it takes control of SQM's lithium asset in the Atacama basin. Both Codelco and Albemarle are requesting that the reserve area be reduced, with Albemarle also asking for the process to be suspended until it complies with Chilean law. NX and SCM Copiapó asked to void the current consultation and open a new one meeting minimum standards. Sonami requests clearer technical criteria, followed by a new public consultation process. Delays imminent The backlash could translate into delays Boric's administration cannot afford since it has fewer than 30 business days left in its term. After the consultation closes, the environment ministry must publish the supporting technical background and a formal response to the miners' submissions, then issue a final decision. The push-back does not automatically stop the reserve's creation, but it could delay it until after 11 March, especially if the public consultation process is restarted. If Soncor is not officially created by the time Kast takes office, the likelihood for it not being created rises, especially since it could affect the mining sector, which should be a priority in Kast's economic agenda. This situation does not affect any salt flat protection area that has already been created, just the one in the Atacama, Chile's largest and most prominent — both economically and for tourism — salt flat. By Pedro Consoli Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
EU accepts VW's price commitment on China BEV imports
EU accepts VW's price commitment on China BEV imports
Beijing, 11 February (Argus) — The European Commission has accepted a price commitment from German automaker Volkswagen for imports of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) from China, according to the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU (CCCEU). The decision will allow Volkswagen to import its CUPRA Tavascan model, produced at its plant in Anhui, China, to the EU at its proposed minimum import price, exempting it from the countervailing duties that were previously applied to BEV imports from China. The EU imposed definitive countervailing duties on BEV imports from China for a period of five years in October 2024. The duties are 17pc for BYD, 18.8pc for Geely, 35.3pc for SAIC, and 7.8pc for US-based Tesla on vehicles imported from China. Other co-operating companies face a duty of 20.7pc, while the rate for all other non-co-operating firms is 35.3pc. The price commitment was submitted by Volkswagen and its EU affiliate, Spain-based SEAT. An investigation by the Commission concluded that the price floor set by Volkswagen for this specific model would not cause injury to the EU industry and so was accepted. In addition to selling at the agreed minimum price, Volkswagen has committed to limiting the volume of its BEV imports into the EU. The company will also invest in a series of strategic BEV-related projects within the EU, aimed at setting clear phase-in targets that support the bloc's industrial strategy and climate transition objectives. The CCCEU said that its automotive working group recently initiated technical-level dialogue with the EU after the latter issued guidance on submitting price commitment applications . Some Chinese EV makers may assess and consider submitting their own price commitment proposals to the Commission based on their individual business circumstances, the chamber added. The CCCEU also stressed the importance of clear and fair procedures in evaluating such proposals, calling on the EU to adhere to the principles of fairness, transparency, and non-discrimination throughout the assessment and implementation process to ensure equal treatment for Chinese companies. The EU remains a major export market for Chinese new energy vehicle manufacturers. China exported 420,000 NEVs to the EU in the first three quarters of 2025 despite the BEV tariffs, because Chinese automakers increased shipments of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which are not subject to the same duty rates. China exported 302,000 NEVs worldwide in January, double the volume recorded in the same month a year earlier, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. A potential recovery in China's EV exports to the European market could help alleviate pressure on Chinese automakers. The government rolled back certain incentives starting in January, including halving purchase tax exemptions . This pullback contributed to a year-on-year decline in China's monthly domestic EV sales in January, the first such drop in years. China's domestic new energy vehicle (NEV) sales reached 643,000 units in January, down by 19pc from the same period a year earlier. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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