PRICING NOTICE: Launch of tantalum concentrate price

Fastmarkets today launches a weekly tantalum concentrate price assessment, expanding its current price coverage of raw materials.

After undertaking an extensive consultation period that began on May 18, which was then extended by one month on June 16, Fastmarkets has launched a price assessment for tantalite, basis min 25% Ta2O5, cif China price.

The extended period of consultation with the market has confirmed an appetite for third-party price assessments for tantalum.

Tantalum prices had found support earlier in the year from supply tightness and concerns about obtaining material during the Covid-19-related lockdown in Rwanda. No tantalum mines were allowed to operate during the lockdown in the country, which accounts for the majority of global tantalum output.

Tantalum prices are now trading around their highest level since the beginning of the year.

Meanwhile, demand for tantalum is likely to continue to rise, with the electrification of homes and the increasing adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G communications technologies.

Tantalum is mainly used in high-performance capacitors, superalloys, aerospace components, and military and consumer electronics.

The specifications for this assessment are as follows:

Assessment: Tantalite, basis min 25% Ta2O5, cif China
Quality: Lump 0-10mm grain concentrate; Ta2O5 25% min; Nb2O5 15% min; U3O8+ThO2 0.10% max
Quantity: Minimum 10-tonne lots
Location: cif main ports China
Unit: USD per lb Ta2O5
Payment terms: Provisional payment against scan copy of the full set of documents, balance upon finalization or DP or provisional payment after arrival at destination port, balance upon finalization; other payment terms normalized.
Publication: Weekly; Fridays 2-3pm London time.

To provide feedback on this price or if you would like to provide price information by becoming a data submitter to this price, please contact Ewa Manthey by email at: pricing@fastmarkets.com. Please add the subject heading FAO: Ewa Manthey, re: Tantalum pricing.
To see all Fastmarkets’ pricing methodology and specification documents go to https://www.fastmarkets.com/about-us/methodology

What to read next
The following prices were affected: MB-STE-0007 Steel hot-rolled coil domestic monthly, exw Brazil, reais/tonne MB-STE-0005 Steel cold-rolled coil domestic monthly, exw Brazil, reais/tonne MB-STE-0006 Steel hot-dipped galvanized coil domestic monthly, exw Brazil, reais/tonne MB-STE-0008 Steel reinforcing bar (rebar) domestic monthly, delivered Brazil, reais/tonne These prices are a part of the Fastmarkets steel package. For more information or to provide […]
Fastmarkets proposes to discontinue the following duplicate prices, which were previously assessed on a US timestamp and also assessed in Asia, to better reflect observed market liquidity and based on previously received market feedback. Fastmarkets assessed these markets in both the US and Asia following the acquisition and merger of The Jacobson and Palm Oil […]
Fastmarkets has proposed several changes to the methodologies for its suite of global palm and lauric oil methodologies to give more insight into how these prices are assessed. It is also clarifying the timing and monthly rolls of several assessments. Fastmarkets has observed growth and market interest in these prices and wishes to give more […]
Fastmarkets proposes to amend the pricing frequency of its copper grade A cathode premium, delivered Germany; copper grade A cathode premium, cif Leghorn; and copper EQ cathode premium, cif Europe to one a week from the current fortnightly basis, effective December 30.
The following prices were affected: MB-STE-0916 Green steel domestic, differential to US HRC, fob mill, $/short ton MB-STE-0917 Green steel base price, hot-rolled coil fob US mill, weekly inferred, $/short ton These prices are a part of the Fastmarkets steel package. For more information or to provide feedback on the delayed publication of this price or if […]
Fastmarkets will launch a new weekly price assessment for tungsten concentrate, basis 50-70% WO3, spot price, $/mtu WO3 on Friday December 19, with a slight amendment to the originally proposed incoterms. Based on feedback from market participants, Fastmarkets will now launch a price assessed on a CIF global basis, rather than on a CIF Rotterdam […]