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#           Niobium and Tantalum Statistics and Information      

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Statistics and information on the worldwide supply of, demand for, and flow of the mineral commodities *niobium (columbium) *and*tantalum*

Niobium and columbium are synonymous names for the chemical element with atomic number 41; columbium was the name given in 1801, and niobium (Nb) was the name officially designated by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry in 1950.   Niobium in the form of ferroniobium is used worldwide, mostly as an alloying element in steels and in superalloys.   Appreciable amounts of niobium in the form of high-purity ferroniobium and nickel niobium are used in nickel-, cobalt-, and iron-base superalloys for such applications as jet engine components, rocket subassemblies, and heat-resisting and combustion equipment.

Tantalum (Ta) is ductile, easily fabricated, highly resistant to corrosion by acids, and a good conductor of heat and electricity and has a high melting point.   The major use for tantalum, as tantalum metal powder, is in the production of electronic components, mainly tantalum capacitors.   Major end uses for tantalum capacitors include portable telephones, pagers, personal computers, and automotive electronics.  Alloyed with other metals, tantalum is also used in making carbide tools for metalworking equipment and in the production of superalloys for jet engine components.

The United States must import all of its niobium and tantalum source materials for processing, although a project is currently underway in Nebraska that would be the only niobium mine and primary niobium processing facility in the United States.  Brazil and Canada are the major producers of niobium mineral concentrates, and Australia, Brazil, and Canada are the major producers of tantalum mineral concentrates.

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### **Annual Publications**

Mineral Commodity Summaries
                            - Niobium (Columbium)    PDF Format:       |  1996  |  1997  |  1998  |  1999  |  2000  |  2001  |  2002  |  2003  |  2004  |  2005  |  2006  |  2007  |  2008  |  2009  |  2010  |  2011  |  2012  | 2013  | 2014  | 2015  | 2016  | 2017  | 2018  |  2019  |  2020  |  2021  |  2022  |  2023  |  **2024**  |
                            - Tantalum    PDF Format:       |  1996  |  1997  |  1998  |  1999  |  2000  |  2001  |  2002  |  2003  |  2004  |  2005  |  2006  |  2007  |  2008  |  2009  |  2010  |  2011  | 2012  | 2013  | 2014  | 2015  | 2016  | 2017  | 2018  |  2019  |  2020  |  2021  |  2022  |  2023  |  **2024**  |
                            - Appendixes

Minerals Yearbook
                            - Niobium    PDF Format:       |  2015  |  2016  |  2017  |  2018  |  2019  |
                            - XLSX Format: |  2015  |  2016  |  2017  |  2018  |  2019  |  2020 tables-only release  |  **2021 tables-only release**  |
                            - Tantalum    PDF Format:       |  2015  |  2016  |  2017  | ****2018**** |  **2019**  |
                            - XLSX Format:       |  2015  |  2016  |  2017  |  2018**** |  **2019**  |  2020 tables-only release  |  **2021 tables-only release**  |
                            - Niobium (Columbium) and Tantalum    PDF Format:       |  1994  |  1994 figures  |  1995  |  1996  |  1997  |  1998  |  1999  |  2000  |  2001  |  2002  |  2003  |  2004  |  2005  |  2006  |  2007  |  2008  |  2009  |  2010  |  2011  |  2012  |  2013  |  2014  |    XLS Format:       |  2002  |  2003  |  2004  |  2005  |  2006  |  2007  |  2008  |  2009  |  2010  |  2011  |  2012  |  2013  |  2014  |
                            - Archive       |  1932-1993  |
                            - Recycling-Metals

### **Special Publications**

                            - An Exploration in Mineral Supply Chain Mapping Using Tantalum as an Example  Open-File Report 2013-1239
                            - Conflict Minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo--Global Tantalum Processing Plants, a Critical Part of the Tantalum Supply Chain  Fact Sheet 2014-3122
                            - Critical Mineral Resources of the United States--Economic and Environmental Geology and Prospects for Future Supply  Professional Paper 1802                               - Niobium and tantalum 
                            - Critical Minerals Review 2021
                            - Embedded critical material flow: The case of niobium, the United States, and China  Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 
                            - Flow Studies for Recycling Metal Commodities in the United States  C-1196-A-M
                            - Historical Statistics for Mineral and Material Commodities in the United States  Data Series 140                               - Niobium (Columbium)
                              - Tantalum 
                            - International Strategic Minerals Inventory Summary Report; Niobium (Columbium) and Tantalum  C-930-M
                            - Metal Prices in the United States through 2010  Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5188
                            - Niobium and Tantalum--Indispensable Twins   Fact Sheet 2014-3054
                            - Shift in Global Tantalum Mine Production, 2000 to 2014  Fact Sheet 2015-3079

### **Links**

                            - Tantalum-Niobium International Study Center

### Contacts

#### Chad Friedline

##### Mineral Commodity Specialist

National Minerals Information Center

cfriedline@usgs.gov