INDIUM

                  (Data in metric tons, unless noted)

Domestic Production and Use:  No indium was recovered from ores in the United States
in 1995.  Domestic indium production was derived from the upgrading of lower-grade
imported indium metal.  Two companies, one each in New York and Rhode Island, were
the major producers of indium metal and indium products in 1995.  Several firms
produced high-purity indium shapes, alloys, and compounds.   Thin film coatings,
which are used in applications such as liquid crystal displays and electroluminescent
lamps, continued to be the largest end use.  Indium semiconductor compounds were used
in infrared detectors, high-speed transistors, and high-efficiency photovoltaic
devices.  Estimated uses in 1995 were about the same as in 1994: coatings, 45%;
solders and alloys, 35%; electrical components and semiconductors, 15%; and research
and other, 5%.  The estimated value of primary metal consumed in 1995, based on the
average price, was $16.1 million.

Salient Statistics--United States:     1991      1992      1993      1994      1995e/
Production, refinery                     NA        NA        NA        NA        --
Imports for consumption                36.3      36.3      73.4      70.2      73.0
Exports                                  NA        NA        NA        NA        NA
Consumptione/                          30.0      30.0      35.0      40.0      43.0
Price, average annual, dollars
 per kilogram (99.97% indium)           230       218       200       138       375
Stocks, producer, yearend                NA        NA        NA        NA        NA
Employment                               NA        NA        NA        NA        NA
Net import reliance1/ as a percent of
 apparent consumption                    NA        NA        NA        NA        NA

Recycling:  Small quantities of old scrap were recycled.  Substantial amounts of new
scrap were recovered from the fabrication of indium products.

Import Sources (1991-94):  Canada, 51%; France, 14%; Italy, 12%; Belgium, 7%; Russia,
7%; and other, 9%.  Imports from Russia increased dramatically in 1994.

Tariff:  Item            Number      Most favored nation (MFN)    Non-MFN2/
                                              12/31/95            12/31/95
Unwrought, waste and
 scrap                 8112.91.3000             Free             25% ad. val.

Depletion Allowance:  14% (Domestic), 14% (Foreign).

Government Stockpile:
                       Stockpile Status--9-30-95

                Uncommitted     Committed     Authorized     Disposals
Material         inventory      inventory    for disposal  Jan.-Sept. 95
Indium              1.56            --            --             --


Prepared by Robert D. Brown, Jr., (703) 648-4984.

                                INDIUM

Events, Trends, and Issues:  Estimated domestic indium consumption increased to 43
tons.  Concern over increased world demand resulted in price increases beginning in
January and continuing through most of 1995.  World production increased slightly in 
1995, as the world market remained close to a balance of supply and demand.  Producers 
were barely able to keep pace with growing world demand, especially in Japan, which 
consumes more than 80 tons per year, almost all for electronic applications.  Canada 
remained the world's largest producer of indium, with output from the major producer 
being marketed through a U.S. company.

World Refinery Production, Reserves, and Reserve Base:
 
                       Refinery productione/  Reserves3/  Reserve base3/
                          1994     1995              
United States               NA       --            300             600
Belgium                     18       18           (4/)            (4/)
Canada                      40       40            700           2,000
China                       10       10            400           1,000
France                      25       25           (4/)            (4/)
Italy                       12       12           (4/)            (4/)
Japan                       30       33            100             150
Peru                         1        4            100             150
Russia                       5        5            200             300
Other countries              4        4            800           1,500
 World total (may                                         
   be rounded)             145      150          2,600           5,700

World Resources:  Indium occurs predominantly in solid solution in sphalerite, a
sulfide ore of zinc.  Significant quantities of indium also are contained in ores of
copper, lead, and tin, but many deposits are either subeconomic or information does
not exist to formulate reliable estimates.  Indium is recovered almost exclusively as
a byproduct of zinc.  Estimates of the average indium content of the Earth's crust
range from 50 to 200 parts per billion.  The average indium content of zinc deposits
ranges from less than 1 to 100 parts per million.  The highest known concentrations
of indium occur in vein or replacement sulfide deposits, usually associated with 
tin-bearing minerals.  However, these types of deposits are often difficult to process
economically.

Substitutes:  Gallium arsenide can substitute for indium phosphide in solar cells and
semiconductor applications.  Silver-zinc oxide or tin oxide are lower-cost
substitutes for indium-tin oxide in transparent conductive coatings for glass. 
Hafnium can replace indium alloys for use in nuclear reactor control rods.

e/Estimated.  NA Not available.
1/Defined as imports - exports + adjustments for Government and industry stock
changes.
2/See Appendix B.
3/Estimate based on the indium content of zinc ores.  See Appendix C for definitions.
4/Reserves for European countries are included in "Other countries." 

                              Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 1996