Back | Latest news overview
Global molybdenum production rises year on year in Q2, use falls
20/10/2020
Figures released today by the International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) show that the global production of molybdenum rose by 3% to 148.2mlbs when compared to the previous quarter of 2020 and the same quarter of 2019.
Global use of molybdenum also rose by 3% to 126.9mlbs when compared to the previous quarter, but fell by 14% when compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
South America became the largest producer of molybdenum at 49.4mlbs surpassing China which became the second largest producer at 47.2mlbs. South American production was 11% higher than the previous quarter and 12% higher than the same quarter of the previous year. China's production was 1% lower than the previous quarter and 8% lower than the same quarter of the previous year. Production in North America saw the largest percentage fall, 7%, to 36.8mlbs when compared to the previous quarter, a 3% fall when compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Other regions saw a significant percentage rise in production to 14.8mlbs, a 26% increase when compared to the previous quarter and a 39% increase when compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
China, the only region to see a rise in use, remained the largest user of molybdenum at 58.9mlbs, a 46% rise when compared to the previous quarter, a 7% rise when compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Europe remained the second largest user at 26.4mlbs, although this represented a 15% fall when compared to the previous quarter and a 28% fall when compared to the same quarter of the previous year. For the second quarter Japan continued to be a bigger user of molybdenum than the USA at 10.2mlbs, although this represented a 20% drop in usage when compared to the previous quarter and a 28% drop in comparison to the same quarter of the previous year. The USA and CIS saw the largest falls in usage. The USA used 9.5mlbs which represented a fall of 25% when compared to the previous quarter, a 34% drop when compared to the same quarter of the previous year. The CIS used 3.2mlbs which represented the largest fall, 44%, when compared to the same quarter of the previous year and a 25% fall when compared to the previous quarter. Other countries used 18.6mlbs, a 17% drop in comparison to the previous quarter and a 13% drop when compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
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.
Back | Latest news overview