Proposal to amend Fastmarkets’ germanium metal specifications

The proposal is intended to standardize specified metal purity of the two assessments, in line with Minor Metal Trade Association guidance, at Ge 99.999% and, in line with our methodology, to remedy inconsistencies between the purities identified in the price name and the specified quality of the material.

Fastmarkets’ germanium 99.99% Ge, in-whs Rotterdam, $/kg price assessment will be renamed “germanium 99.999% Ge, in-whs Rotterdam, $/kg,” with the quality corrected to “Ingot. Ge 99.999%, no other elements specified,” from “Ingot. Ga 99.999%, no other elements specified.”

The specified quality for Fastmarkets’ germanium 99.999% Ge min, in-whs China, yuan/kg price assessment will also be corrected from “Ge 99.99% min” to “Ge 99.999% min.”

Fastmarkets (then Metal Bulletin) changed the name of its germanium metal $/kg Rotterdam price in 2013, to germanium metal MB free market. At that point, the price’s specification referred to 99.999% purity material.

Errors in the title were introduced in a pricing notice in 2019, when 99.99% purity was referred to in the title and Ga 99.999% purity was in the specification.

The changes bring the specifications back in line with the initially published specification when Fastmarkets (then Metal Bulletin), first introduced renminbi-denominated germanium metal pricing in 2011, covering 99.999% purity material.

After making the proposed changes, the specifications will be as follows:

MB-GER-0003 Germanium 99.999% Ge, in-whs Rotterdam, $/kg
Quantity: Min 100 kg (+/- 2%)
Quality: Ingot. Ge 99.999%, no other elements specified
Location: In-whs Rotterdam
Timing: Prompt release
Unit: USD/kg
Payment: Cash, other payment terms normalized
Publication: Twice-weekly. Wednesday and Friday between 2pm and 3pm London time
Notes: Packed in plastic sleeves, original producer cases

MB-GER-0004 Germanium 99.999% Ge min, in-whs China, yuan/kg
Quality: Ingots with no specific dimension or weight. Ge 99.999% min, 50ohm/cm; no other elements specified
Quantity: Min 50 kg
Location: In-whs China
Unit: CNY/kg
Payment terms: Cash, other payment terms normalized
Publication: Weekly. Wednesday by 3pm London time

The consultation period for these proposed amendments starts on July 5 and will end on August 2. The amendments will take place, subject to market feedback, on August 3.

To provide feedback on this consultation or if you would like to provide price information by becoming a data submitter to these prices, please contact Solomon Cefai and Sayaka Kurata by email at: pricing@fastmarkets.com. Please add the subject heading “FAO: Solomon Cefai and Sayaka Kurata re: germanium metal.”

To see all Fastmarkets’ pricing methodology and specification documents, go to https://www.fastmarkets.com/methodology.