Tellurium Price: Range, Benchmarks and Drivers

USGS reports the average 2025 price of tellurium at $120/kg (tellurium, annual average, United States; +60% on 2024). The price has changed by an average of +15% a year since 2021. The table gives the annual averages for each year available, and the sections after it give the dealer price where one is listed and the recent events the sources report.

Tellurium price: what the sources report

What recent events affect the tellurium market?

• February 2025. Exporters in China were required to submit documents verifying the end users and end uses of tellurium shipments abroad. A license typically took 45 days to issue and a new one was needed for any change of recipient or use. Europe's annual average price rose 84% to an estimated $150 per kilogram, and the US warehouse price rose 60% to $120.
• 2025. China accounted for 80% of estimated global refined tellurium production, excluding countries with inadequate data. Its output rose over ten years alongside a nearly 75% increase in electrolytic copper refining capacity.
• August 2025. The leading US solar module producer, which predominantly makes CdTe modules, opened its fifth domestic manufacturing plant. Production was expected to begin by yearend 2026 and ramp up in the first half of 2027, with up to 14 gigawatts a year at full capacity.

Frequently asked questions

How much does tellurium cost?

USGS reports the average 2025 price of tellurium at $120/kg (tellurium, annual average, United States; +60% on 2024).

Which country produces the most tellurium?

China produces the most tellurium: an estimated 800 t, or 78% of the world total, in 2025, according to the USGS refinery production figures.

Is tellurium a critical mineral?

Yes. Tellurium is on the US, Australian and Canadian critical minerals lists. Tellurium was already on the 2022 US list and stays on the final 2025 list of 60 minerals. US net import reliance for tellurium in 2025 was more than 25%.

What is tellurium used for?

Tellurium is used in solar power cells, thermoelectric devices and metallurgy. Solar power cells: 70% of estimated global consumption in 2025; cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film cells.

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: Tellurium. 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. First Solar, Form 10-K for 2025 (filed 24 February 2026)
8. 5N Plus: company website