Ruthenium Supply Chain: Producers and Processing

Ruthenium is one of the six platinum-group metals, and South Africa is the world leading producer of platinum-group-metal-containing mined material. USGS does not estimate US net import reliance for ruthenium. Ruthenium is on all four official critical minerals lists: the US, EU, Australian and Canadian.

Which countries produce ruthenium?

USGS publishes country production figures only for palladium and platinum and says information is insufficient to estimate world production of iridium, rhodium and ruthenium. It names South Africa as the world leading producer of PGM-containing mined material and Russia as the leading producer of mined palladium.

How is ruthenium traded and what limits supply?

• 2025. The annual average ruthenium price rose 53% to $690 per troy ounce, the largest rise of any platinum-group metal in 2025, which USGS attributed to decreased production and increased demand.
• 2025. US imports of ruthenium were an estimated 14,000 kilograms, against 9,780 kilograms in 2024.

Resources. World resources of platinum-group metals are estimated to total more than 100 million kilograms. The largest resources and reserves are in the Bushveld Complex in South Africa.

Frequently asked questions

Where is ruthenium produced?

USGS publishes country production figures only for palladium and platinum and says information is insufficient to estimate world production of iridium, rhodium and ruthenium. It names South Africa as the world leading producer of PGM-containing mined material and Russia as the leading producer of mined palladium.

What is ruthenium used for?

Ruthenium is used in platinum-group metal uses and electrical contacts. Platinum-group metal uses: USGS does not split platinum-group metal uses by metal. The leading use is catalytic converters that cut harmful emissions from automobiles. Other uses it names are catalysts for bulk chemical production and petroleum refining, dental and medical devices, electronics (computer hard disks, hybridized integrated circuits and multilayer ceramic capacitors), glass manufacturing, investment, jewelry and laboratory equipment.

Is ruthenium a critical mineral?

Yes. Ruthenium is on all four official critical minerals lists: the US, EU, Australian and Canadian. Ruthenium was already on the 2022 US list and stays on the final 2025 list of 60 minerals. USGS does not estimate US net import reliance for ruthenium.

Can ruthenium be recycled?

About 140,000 kilograms of palladium and platinum were recovered globally from new and old scrap in 2025, including about 50,000 kilograms of palladium and 8,600 kilograms of platinum from automobile catalytic converters in the United States.

Sources

Read on October 13, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.

1. USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Platinum-group metals. Production, reserves, uses, substitutes, recycling and events
2. USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: introduction (Table 7 and Figures 10A and 10B). Net import reliance, leading producer and price changes for critical minerals
3. Federal Register: Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals
4. EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2024/1252
5. Department of Industry, Science and Resources: Australia’s Critical Minerals List and Strategic Materials List
6. Government of Canada: Canada’s critical minerals
7. Impala Platinum: Annual Integrated Report for the year to 30 June 2026
8. Valterra Platinum: 2026 interim results short-form announcement
9. Sibanye-Stillwater: Form 6-K with results for the half-year ended 30 June 2026 (1 September 2026)
10. Johnson Matthey: 2026 PGM market report release (14 May 2026)
11. Heraeus Precious Metals: release with Sibanye-Stillwater (14 November 2023)