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Molybdenum production and use increases in Q2 2013
27/11/2013
Global use of molybdenum in the second quarter of 2013 was 127.3 million pounds, up 4% from 122.6 million pounds in the previous quarter, figures released by the International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) show. Global production also increased by 7% from the first quarter, rising to 131.3 million pounds.
China remained the biggest user, with 41.9 million pounds in the second quarter of 2013, an increase of 9% from 38.6 million pounds in the previous quarter, although 25% down compared to the same quarter in 2012. Europe was the second largest user with 35.4 million pounds, down fractionally from 35.5 million pounds in the previous quarter but an increase of 5% compared to the same quarter in the previous year.
Usage in the USA increased by 5% to 13.7 million pounds compared with 13.0 million pounds in the previous quarter. Use in Japan also increased slightly, rising by 4% to 14.7 million pounds from 14.1 million pounds in the previous quarter.
Usage in the CIS countries increased fractionally from 5.6 to 5.7 million pounds, whilst usage in other countries also increased from 15.8 to 16.0 million pounds.
Production in China in the second quarter of 2013 reached 47.5 million pounds, an increase of 18% compared with the previous quarter and just eclipsing production in North America at 46.5 million pounds. South American production increased slightly from 26.9 million pounds in the first quarter of 2012 to 27.7 million pounds in the second quarter, whilst production in other countries remained static at 9.4 million pounds.
Commenting on the figures, IMOA Secretary-General Tim Outteridge said: “Production and use recovered slightly over the previous quarter, but the picture was mixed, regionally. Outside China, there were two consecutive quarters of growth in use.”
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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