Cesium (Cs): Uses, Supply Chain and Market
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Cesium is a metal whose main ore mineral is pollucite, found in lithium-rich pegmatites, and it is used in small quantities in catalysts, drilling fluids, X-ray panels and atomic clocks. US net import reliance for cesium in 2025 was 100% (no cesium is mined in the United States). Cesium is on the US and Canadian critical minerals lists.
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official critical minerals lists (US, EU, Australia, Canada) that include cesium
Which countries produce cesium?
USGS publishes no world production table for cesium. It estimates that the primary global producers include Canada, China, Germany and Russia. In 2025 one company in Canada reported intermittent cesium production and processing from mined ore and stockpiles at the Tanco Mine, and recovery of cesium from tailings at the Bikita Mine in Zimbabwe for shipment to China was restarted in recent years.
What is cesium used for?
Most applications use only a few grams of cesium, and USGS says the lack of global availability has led many applications to use mineral substitutes.
- Catalysts: cesium carbonate and hydroxide, the leading cesium products by quantity; used in high-purity sulfuric acid manufacturing and in methyl methacrylate production
- Drilling fluids: cesium formate brines for high-pressure, high-temperature oil and gas wells
- X-ray panels and scintillators: cesium iodide is used primarily in X-ray panel production
- Atomic clocks: cesium isotopes serve as the atomic resonance frequency standard in aircraft guidance, GPS satellites and internet and cellular transmissions
- Medicine and industry: cesium-131 for cancer treatment; cesium-137 in industrial gauges, geophysical instruments and sterilization
How much does cesium cost?
Cesium metal is not traded in commercial quantities, so USGS reports no market price. In 2025 one company offered 1-gram ampoules of 99.8% (metal basis) cesium for $104.00, up 6% from $98.00 in 2024, and 99.98% cesium for $132.00, up 6% from $124.00. These are catalogue prices for laboratory quantities.
Is cesium a critical mineral?
Cesium is on the US and Canadian critical minerals lists. Each government builds its list with its own method, so a mineral can be critical in one place and not in another.
| Jurisdiction | Status |
|---|---|
| United States | Critical mineral (final 2025 list) |
| European Union | Not listed |
| Australia | Not listed |
| Canada | Critical |
Lists last checked against the primary publications on October 12, 2026. See the comparison of all four lists.
What are the substitutes for cesium?
USGS names substitutes for 2 applications of cesium, for example many applications: rubidium, which has similar physical properties and atomic radii; cesium is more electropositive and preferred for some uses. Full cesium substitutes page.
Can cesium be recycled?
Cesium formate brines are typically rented to oil and gas clients, returned after the well is completed and reprocessed; nearly 85% of the brines are recovered. Cesium iodide is recycled from radiography panels into new panels.
What are the supply risks and recent events for cesium?
- 2024 to 2025. A developer of a lepidolite mine and processing plant in Namibia brought in an independent administrator at the end of 2024 for lack of financing; another company was securing financing to take ownership as of September 2025. Historical estimates for the project include a measured and indicated resource of 3,100 tons of cesium.
- 2025. Several projects that could produce cesium as a byproduct of lepidolite, pollucite, spodumene or zinnwaldite mining were at the exploration or feasibility stage in Canada, Laos, Namibia and the United States.
- by 2027. Congress set a goal for the National Nuclear Security Administration to eliminate cesium-137 blood irradiators in the United States by 2027; X-ray irradiators have been partially adopted as alternatives.
US import sources, 2021 to 2024. No reliable data have been available since 1988. Canada was estimated to be the primary supplier of cesium ore and refined chemicals before 2016, and China and Germany were estimated to be sources of cesium chemicals. (USGS)
Resources. Cesium resources are associated with lithium-bearing pegmatites and have been identified in Australia, Canada, Namibia, the United States and Zimbabwe. China is estimated to have cesium-rich geyserite, lepidolite and pollucite, but no resource, reserve or production estimates are available.
Which companies produce or process cesium?
| Company | Country | Role | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sinomine Resource Group | China (Tanco mine in Canada, Bikita mine in Zimbabwe) | Cesium miner and cesium salt and formate producer (SZSE: 002738) | Its 2025 annual report, in Chinese, says its cesium sources are the Tanco mine in Canada and the Bikita mine in Zimbabwe, its production bases are in Winnipeg and Xinyu, China, and it held cesium formate stock of 16,760 barrels, equal to 3,805 tonnes of cesium metal. A 2025 open-pit prefeasibility study counts 26,400 tonnes of Cs2O in 447,400 tonnes of cesium ore at Tanco, plus 26,600 tonnes in tailings. It calls itself the global leader in cesium and rubidium salts, which is its own claim. Sinomine Resource Group: 2025 annual report, in Chinese (10 April 2026) |
Each row links to the document that supports it. The list is not exhaustive and is not a ranking.
Frequently asked questions
What is cesium used for?
Cesium is used in catalysts, drilling fluids and x-ray panels and scintillators. Catalysts: cesium carbonate and hydroxide, the leading cesium products by quantity; used in high-purity sulfuric acid manufacturing and in methyl methacrylate production.
Where is cesium produced?
USGS publishes no world production table for cesium. It estimates that the primary global producers include Canada, China, Germany and Russia.
Is cesium a critical mineral?
Yes. Cesium is on the US and Canadian critical minerals lists. Cesium was already on the 2022 US list and stays on the final 2025 list of 60 minerals. US net import reliance for cesium in 2025 was 100% (no cesium is mined in the United States).
How much does cesium cost?
Cesium metal is not traded in commercial quantities, so USGS reports no market price. In 2025 one company offered 1-gram ampoules of 99.8% (metal basis) cesium for $104.00, up 6% from $98.00 in 2024, and 99.98% cesium for $132.00, up 6% from $124.00. These are catalogue prices for laboratory quantities.
Sources
Read on October 14, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Cesium. Production, reserves, uses, substitutes, recycling and events
- Federal Register: Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2024/1252
- Department of Industry, Science and Resources: Australia’s Critical Minerals List and Strategic Materials List
- Government of Canada: Canada’s critical minerals
- Sinomine Resource Group: 2025 annual report, in Chinese (10 April 2026)
