DLA holds tenth tungsten ore solicitation

The US defense department's procurement arm the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) began today its tenth tungsten ore and concentrate solicitation for 2017.

The DLA reoffered three lots of tungsten ores and concentrates from its previous solicitation in late October while adding six additional lots. The ores and concentrates are all stored at the Scotia, New York, facility and are split among synthetic scheelite, scheelite, and ferberite.

By bulk weight, the offering is 9pc larger, at just under 570,000lbs, than the previous solicitation. The nine lots of tungsten ores and concentrates have a contained tungsten content of roughly 315,000lbs.

The DLA offered six lots of synthetic scheelite, all of Argentinian origin, as well as two ferberite and one scheelite lot of unknown origin.

The agency sold 183,000lbs by content of tungsten ores and concentrates in October, which was valued at $2.4mn to an unnamed buyer.