Gallium (Ga): Uses, Supply Chain and Market
Facts checked against sources on . How we check facts.
Gallium is recovered as a byproduct of processing bauxite and, to a lesser extent, zinc ores, and it goes into compound semiconductors. In 2025 China produced an estimated 900,000 kg, 99% of world primary low-purity production (USGS world total: 900,000 kg), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). US net import reliance for gallium in 2025 was 100%. Gallium is on all four official critical minerals lists: the US, EU, Australian and Canadian.
900,000 kg
estimated world primary low-purity production in 2025
99%
of world primary low-purity production came from China in 2025
$580/kg
gallium metal, average unit value of imports in 2025 (+32% on 2024)
Which countries produce gallium?
| Country | 2024 | 2025 (estimate) | Share of 2025 world |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 839,000 | 900,000 | 99% |
| Russia | 6,000 | 6,000 | 0.7% |
| Japan | 3,000 | 3,000 | 0.3% |
| United States | None | None | - |
| World total (USGS, rounded) | 848,000 | 900,000 | 100% |
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Gallium. Shares are calculated from the country figures and can differ by a point or two from percentages USGS states in its text, because USGS rounds its figures. NA means not available; Withheld means USGS withheld the figure to avoid disclosing company data.
What is gallium used for?
US gallium metal imports were an estimated $15 million in 2025 and GaAs wafer imports an estimated $120 million.
- Integrated circuits: 73% of US gallium consumption in 2025; gallium arsenide (GaAs) and gallium nitride (GaN) wafers for defense applications, high-performance computers and telecommunications equipment
- Optoelectronic devices: 26%; laser diodes, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), photodetectors and solar cells for aerospace, consumer goods, industrial and medical equipment and telecommunications
How much does gallium cost?
USGS reports the average 2025 price of gallium at $580/kg (gallium metal, average unit value of imports; +32% on 2024). EarthRarest, our sister business, lists Ga min. 99.995% metal at $3,036.78/kg. Full gallium price page.
Is gallium a critical mineral?
Gallium is on all four official critical minerals lists: the US, EU, Australian and Canadian. 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 | Critical and strategic |
| Australia | Critical minerals list |
| Canada | Critical |
Lists last checked against the primary publications on October 12, 2026. See the comparison of all four lists.
Export controls and trade measures
- China has required export licenses for gallium since 2023 (USGS Table 4).
See the export controls tracker for dates and current status.
What are the substitutes for gallium?
USGS names substitutes for 6 applications of gallium, for example LEDs in displays: liquid crystals made from organic compounds. Full gallium substitutes page.
Can gallium be recycled?
There is no old scrap recycling of gallium in the United States. Substantial new scrap from making GaAs devices is reprocessed into high-purity gallium at one facility in New York.
What are the supply risks and recent events for gallium?
- August 2023. China implemented gallium export controls.
- December 2024. China banned all gallium exports to the United States.
- September 2025. The US Department of Energy announced up to $6 million for research to restart domestic primary gallium recovery from alumina refining or primary zinc smelting, the first in almost 40 years.
- November 2025. China lifted its ban on gallium exports to the United States for 1 year. US imports of gallium metal in 2025 were estimated at more than double those of 2024, and the import unit value of $580 per kilogram was about 30% higher.
- November 2025. The US Department of War granted a $29.9 million Defense Production Act Title III award to a US company for a demonstration facility in Louisiana to recover gallium and scandium from industrial waste.
US import sources, 2021 to 2024. Metal: Canada, 28%; Japan, 22%; China, 18%; Germany, 16%; and other, 16%. (USGS)
Resources. Gallium occurs in very small concentrations in the ores of other metals, averaging 50 parts per million in bauxite. Gallium in world bauxite resources is estimated to exceed 1 million tons, and some US zinc ores contain up to 50 parts per million.
Which gallium projects are on official lists?
| Project | Country | Promoter | Stage | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAUX-EU, GALLANT and LEADER | Greece | Metlen Energy & Metals and European Bauxites | Integrated | EU, March 2025 |
| GaRefine | Slovakia | CMK s.r.o. | Recycling | EU, October 2026 |
Source: annexes to Commission Decisions C(2025) 1904, C(2025) 3491 and C(2026) 8051. The Commission calls every listed project ongoing; that is not the same as operating. A project is listed here for each material the annex names for it.
| Project | State | Expected products | List |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheep Creek Project | Idaho and Montana | Gallium and heavy rare earths (exploration) | Transparency |
| Blue Copper | Montana | Copper, tungsten, gold, zinc, gallium and germanium | Transparency |
Source: Permitting Council, current covered projects and current transparency projects, last updated 2 April 2026.
Which companies produce or process gallium?
| Company | Country | Role | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcoa | United States (Wagerup refinery, Western Australia) | Builder of a gallium plant at an alumina refinery (NYSE: AA) | Its August 2026 factsheet says a gallium plant will be built and run by Alcoa beside its Wagerup refinery after a final investment decision by the company and partners in Australia, Japan and the United States. Ion exchange will take gallium from about 10% of the refinery's process liquor, with no additional bauxite mining. The factsheet gives no capacity. Alcoa: gallium project factsheet (August 2026) |
| Rio Tinto | United Kingdom and Australia (Vaudreuil refinery in Quebec) | Pilot-stage gallium extraction from alumina refining, with Indium Corporation (LSE: RIO; ASX: RIO; NYSE: RIO) | Its 7 May 2025 release says the first primary gallium was extracted from bauxite processed at the Vaudreuil refinery, at Indium Corporation's research facility in Rome, New York. A demonstration plant of up to 3.5 tonnes a year in Saguenay, supported by the Quebec government, would follow if pilot-scale work succeeds, and a commercial plant could reach 40 tonnes a year. Rio Tinto: first gallium extracted from its alumina refining process with Indium Corporation (7 May 2025) |
| Metlen Energy & Metals | Greece (Aluminium of Greece plant, Viotia) | Builder of a gallium plant at an alumina refinery | Its January 2025 investment release includes 50 MT of gallium a year in a EUR 295.5 million plan at the Aluminium of Greece plant, with alumina and gallium production starting gradually from 2027. On 29 July 2026 it announced a supply agreement for about 25% of the plant's annual gallium production, and described the facility as under construction. Metlen: EUR 295.5 million investment in bauxite, alumina and gallium (16 January 2025) Metlen: gallium supply agreement (29 July 2026) |
| DOWA Electronics Materials | Japan | Refiner of high-purity gallium | Its high-purity metals page says its gallium is made from by-products of zinc smelting at Akita Zinc's Iijima smelting plant and from recycled scrap, is refined to 99.9999% purity (6N) or higher, and that the company holds the No. 1 share of world high-purity gallium sales, which is its own claim. It gives no volume. DOWA Electronics Materials: high-purity metals page (page footer dated 2019) |
| AXT | United States (production in China) | Gallium purifier and maker of gallium arsenide wafers (Nasdaq: AXTI) | Its 2025 10-K says its raw material companies produce raw gallium (4N) and high purity gallium (6N and 7N), that a consolidated company converts raw gallium to purified gallium for its gallium arsenide substrates, and that all of its substrate and raw material products are made in China. AXT Inc., Form 10-K for 2025 (filed 17 March 2026) |
| Aluminum Corporation of China (Chalco) | China | Alumina producer with a gallium business (HKEX: 2600; SSE: 601600) | Its 2025 annual results announcement says its alumina segment also includes the production and sales of refined alumina and gallium. The text read gives no gallium volume. Aluminum Corporation of China: 2025 annual results announcement (HKEXnews, 27 March 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 gallium used for?
Gallium is used in integrated circuits and optoelectronic devices. Integrated circuits: 73% of US gallium consumption in 2025; gallium arsenide (GaAs) and gallium nitride (GaN) wafers for defense applications, high-performance computers and telecommunications equipment.
Which country produces the most gallium?
China produces the most gallium: an estimated 900,000 kg, or 99% of the world total, in 2025, according to the USGS primary low-purity production figures.
Is gallium a critical mineral?
Yes. Gallium is on all four official critical minerals lists: the US, EU, Australian and Canadian. Gallium was already on the 2022 US list and stays on the final 2025 list of 60 minerals. US net import reliance for gallium in 2025 was 100%.
How much does gallium cost?
USGS reports the average 2025 price of gallium at $580/kg (gallium metal, average unit value of imports; +32% on 2024). EarthRarest, our sister business, lists Ga min. 99.995% metal at $3,036.78/kg (10 kg boxes), read on October 14, 2026; a dealer list price covers one grade and pack size and is not a market benchmark.
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: Gallium. Production, reserves, uses, substitutes, recycling and events
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: introduction (Table 7 and Figures 10A and 10B). Net import reliance, leading producer and price changes for critical minerals
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: introduction (Table 4, export controls by country)
- 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
- EarthRarest price list. Dealer list price, read October 14, 2026; our sister business
- Permitting Council: current FAST-41 projects
- Alcoa: gallium project factsheet (August 2026)
- Rio Tinto: first gallium extracted from its alumina refining process with Indium Corporation (7 May 2025)
- Metlen: EUR 295.5 million investment in bauxite, alumina and gallium (16 January 2025)
- Metlen: gallium supply agreement (29 July 2026)
- DOWA Electronics Materials: high-purity metals page (page footer dated 2019)
- AXT Inc., Form 10-K for 2025 (filed 17 March 2026)
- Aluminum Corporation of China: 2025 annual results announcement (HKEXnews, 27 March 2026)
Related topics
Gallium price
The price page for gallium.
Gallium substitutes
The substitutes page for gallium.
China profile
Production, policy and projects in China.
Critical Minerals Lists Compared
The US, EU, Australian and Canadian lists side by side.
Export Controls and Restrictions
China, Indonesia, DR Congo and other measures with dates.
Germanium
Profile of germanium.
