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Global molybdenum production and use near equilibrium
21/08/2013
Global use of molybdenum in the first quarter of 2013 was 122.6 million pounds, down 2% from 125.5 million pounds in the previous quarter, but fractionally up from the same quarter in 2012, figures released by the International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) show.
Global production also slowed to 123.2 million pounds for the first quarter of 2013, down 7% from 132.9 million pounds in the previous quarter and down by 5% compared with the same period in 2012.
China remained the biggest user, with 38.6 million pounds in the first quarter of 2013, a decrease of 18% from 47.2 million pounds in the previous quarter, but an increase of 17% compared to the same quarter in 2012.
Europe was the second largest user with 35.5 million pounds, an increase of 13% from 31.4 million pounds in the last quarter of 2012 but a decrease of 6% compared to the same quarter in the previous year.
Usage in the USA increased by 5% to 13 million pounds compared with 12.3 in the previous quarter, while use in Japan increased by 4% from 13.6 million pounds in the last quarter of 2012 to 14.1 in the first quarter of 2013.
Usage in the CIS countries increased by 9% to 5.6 million pounds, whilst usage in other countries remained static at 15.8 million pounds, although this was 9% less than the same quarter in 2012.
North America overtook China in production, reaching 46.3 million pounds in the first quarter of 2013, a slight drop in output from the previous quarter. China’s production saw a sharp drop of 21% compared with the previous quarter, from 50.9 million pounds to 40.4.South American production fell slightly from 27.3 million pounds in the last quarter of 2012 to 27 million pounds in the first quarter of this year, whilst production in other countries increased by 18%, from 8 million pounds in the last quarter of last year to 9.4 million pounds in the first quarter of 2013.
Commenting on the figures, IMOA Secretary General Tim Outteridge said: “These statistics indicate that global production and use is close to equilibrium.It is worth noting that the values for 2012 have been revised and that the percentage changes from the last quarter will reflect this.”
General information for media
IMOA is a non profit trade association, representing the majority of the molybdenum industry worldwide. It works to raise awareness about the unique properties of molybdenum, its beneficial effects on materials performance, its safety in use and its contribution to sustainable development.
Molybdenum is added to alloy steels to improve strength, toughness, hardenability and weldability for numerous applications in the automotive, shipbuilding, construction, mining, chemical, oil & gas and energy generation industries. In stainless steels and superalloys, it improves corrosion resistance and high-temperature performance and finds uses in many industrial applications. It is also used in a variety of products from catalysts and lubricants to pigments and paint.
IMOA has a strict antitrust compliance policy which delegates of all meetings are required to observe. All such meetings are observed by legal counsel.
For more information please email the communications team at media@imoa.info.
For up-to-date information please follow IMOA on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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