Prospector Trails
Minerals/Technology metals
Niobium strengthens steel (high-strength low-alloy steel for pipelines, cars and buildings) and is used in superalloys and superconducting magnets. Niobium anodes are an emerging battery technology.
01 · Where it's mined
Mine output was about 112 kt in 2025, and Brazil produced about 104 kt (about 93%), mostly from one company (CBMM). Canada (Niobec) is a distant second. Reserves are about 21 Mt, mainly in Brazil.
Mine production, Nb content, 2025. Columns on the globe show each country's share.
02 · A century of output
03 · Where it goes
Niobium, tantalum and vanadium ores and concentrates (basket), 2024, by value
Arcs run from exporter to importer; thicker means more value. CEPII BACI reconciled trade data.
04 · What it's used for
Steel demand drives volumes; battery anodes could add demand.
05 · Who calls it critical
Critical for the EU, US, UK, Canada, Australia, India and Korea. US net import reliance was 100% in 2025.
06 · Mines to know
Spikes mark mines with output in open data; height follows reported output. Where a public source says where a mine's product goes, an arc runs to that plant.
Every niobium mine and project, by countryThe detail
Mine output was about 112 kt in 2025, and Brazil produced about 104 kt (about 93%), mostly from one company (CBMM). Canada (Niobec) is a distant second. Reserves are about 21 Mt, mainly in Brazil.
Steel demand drives volumes; battery anodes could add demand.
Critical for the EU, US, UK, Canada, Australia, India and Korea. US net import reliance was 100% in 2025.
Significant U.S. niobium mine production has not been reported since 1959. Companies in the United States produced niobium-containing materials from imported niobium concentrates, oxides, and ferroniobium. Niobium was consumed mostly in the form of ferroniobium by the steel industry and as niobium alloys and metal by the aerospace industry. Major end-use distribution of domestic niobium consumption was estimated as follows: steels, about 77%, and superalloys, about 23%. The estimated value of niobium imports was $525 million.
In 2025, U.S. niobium apparent consumption (measured in niobium content) was estimated to be 9,900 tons, a 6% decrease from that in 2024. One domestic company developing its niobium, scandium, and titanium project in Nebraska continued to secure financing in 2025. In August, the U.S. Department of War awarded $10 million to the company to support the establishment of a vertically integrated domestic supply chain for scandium alloy production. Although the award was directed toward scandium alloy supply chain development, advancements to the project were also expected to support development of the company’s niobium and titanium operations. Once operational, the site would be the only niobium mine and primary niobium-processing facility in the United States. Brazil continued to be the world’s leading niobium producer, accounting for approximately 93% of global production, followed by Canada with 5%. According to international trade statistics under the Harmonized System code 7202.93 (ferroniobium), Brazil’s total exports in 2024 were 92,000 tons and were 63,200 tons from January through August 2025. Most of Brazil’s exports went to China (49%), followed by the Netherlands (17%), Singapore (9%), and the Republic of Korea and the United States (8% each).
The following materials can be substituted for niobium, but a performance loss or higher cost may ensue: ceramic matrix composites, molybdenum, tantalum, and tungsten in high-temperature (superalloy) applications; molybdenum, tantalum, and titanium as alloying elements in stainless and high-strength steels; and molybdenum and vanadium as alloying elements in high-strength low-alloy steels.
Niobium was recycled when niobium-bearing steels and superalloys were recycled; scrap recovery, specifically for niobium content, was negligible. The amount of niobium recycled was not available, but it may have been as much as 20% of apparent consumption.
World resources of niobium are more than adequate to supply projected needs. Most of the world’s identified resources of niobium occur as pyrochlore in carbonatite (igneous rocks that contain more than 50%-by-volume carbonate minerals) deposits and are outside the United States.