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| TABLE 1 | ||||||||||||
| SALIENT CHROMIUM STATISTICS1 | ||||||||||||
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | ||||||||
| World, production, contained chromium: | ||||||||||||
| Chromite ore (mine)2 | metric tons | 4,510,000 | r | 4,740,000 | r | 5,460,000 | r | 5,940,000 | r | 5,850,000 | ||
| Ferrochromium (smelter)3 | do. | 2,880,000 | 3,460,000 | 3,760,000 | r | 3,740,000 | 3,990,000 | |||||
| Stainless steel4 | do. | 3,480,000 | 3,860,000 | 4,180,000 | 4,130,000 | 4,080,000 | ||||||
| U.S. supply: | ||||||||||||
| Components of U.S. supply, contained chromium: | ||||||||||||
| Domestic mines | do. | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||||||
| Secondary | do. | 174,000 | r | 180,000 | r | 177,000 | r | 174,000 | r | 179,000 | ||
| Imports: | ||||||||||||
| Chromite ore | do. | 35,300 | 55,300 | 49,500 | 52,900 | 53,800 | ||||||
| Chromium chemicals | do. | 17,400 | 10,300 | 6,040 | 11,400 | 12,100 | ||||||
| Chromium ferroalloys | do. | 203,000 | 243,000 | 261,000 | 278,000 | 265,000 | ||||||
| Chromium metal | do. | 7,430 | 8,570 | 9,630 | 11,000 | 10,900 | ||||||
| Stainless steel mill products & scrap | do. | 142,000 | 124,000 | 163,000 | 150,000 | 179,000 | ||||||
| Stocks, January 1: | ||||||||||||
| Government | do. | 706,000 | 643,000 | 560,000 | 466,000 | 375,000 | ||||||
| Industry5 | do. | 16,700 | 8,390 | 9,870 | 7,900 | 8,600 | ||||||
| Total� | do. | 1,300,000 | 1,270,000 | 1,240,000 | r | 1,150,000 | r | 1,080,000 | ||||
| Distribution of U.S. supply, contained chromium: | ||||||||||||
| Exports: | ||||||||||||
| Chromite ore | do. | 7,680 | 32,800 | 14,000 | 13,700 | 17,400 | ||||||
| Chromium chemicals | do. | 10,500 | 9,710 | 14,500 | 18,900 | 16,700 | ||||||
| Chromium ferroalloys and metal | do. | 10,800 | 3,770 | 6,250 | 24,700 | 22,300 | ||||||
| Stainless steel mill products & scrap | do. | 105,000 | 141,000 | 136,000 | 162,000 | 156,000 | ||||||
| Stocks, December 31: | ||||||||||||
| Government | do. | 643,000 | 560,000 | 466,000 | 375,000 | 272,000 | ||||||
| Industry5 | do. | 8,390 | 9,870 | 7,900 | 8,600 | 9,640 | ||||||
| Total� | do. | 785,000 | 758,000 | 645,000 | 603,000 | 494,000 | ||||||
| Production, reported:6 | ||||||||||||
| Chromium ferroalloy and metal net production: | ||||||||||||
| Gross weight | do. | W | W | W | W | W | ||||||
| Chromium content | do. | W | W | W | W | W | ||||||
| Net shipments, contained chromium | do. | W | W | W | W | W | ||||||
| Consumption: | ||||||||||||
| Apparent, contained chromium | do. | 516,000 | r | 514,000 | r | 591,000 | r | 548,000 | r | 589,000 | ||
| Reported: | ||||||||||||
| Chromite ore and concentrates, gross weight | do. | W | W | W | W | W | ||||||
| Chromite ore, average Cr2O3 | percent | 45.4 | 45.0 | 45.0 | 45.0 | 45.0 | ||||||
| Chromium ferroalloys:7 | ||||||||||||
| Gross weight | metric tons | 407,000 | 411,000 | 449,000 | 431,000 | 429,000 | ||||||
| Contained chromium | do. | 236,000 | 240,000 | 262,000 | 250,000 | 252,000 | ||||||
| Chromium metal, gross weight | do. | 5,080 | 5,140 | 5,690 | 7,280 | 6,210 | ||||||
| Stocks, December 31, gross weight: | ||||||||||||
| Government: | ||||||||||||
| Chromite ore | do. | 339,000 | 235,000 | 135,000 | 73,400 | 1,160 | ||||||
| Chromium ferroalloys | do. | 767,000 | 691,000 | 595,000 | 492,000 | 373,000 | ||||||
| Chromium metal | do. | 7,220 | 7,120 | 6,670 | 6,190 | 5,290 | ||||||
| Industry: | ||||||||||||
| Producer8 | do. | W | W | W | W | W | ||||||
| Consumer: | ||||||||||||
| Chromite ore9 | do. | W | W | W | W | W | ||||||
| Chromium ferroalloys10 | do. | 13,700 | 16,300 | 13,000 | 14,200 | 15,900 | ||||||
| Chromium metal | do. | 230 | 242 | 182 | 228 | 194 | ||||||
| Prices, average annual: | ||||||||||||
| Ferrochromium, chromium content11 | dollars per pound | $0.317 | $0.433 | $0.690 | $0.684 | $0.695 | ||||||
| Electrolytic chromium metal, gross weight12 | dollars per pound | $4.50 | $4.50 | $4.50 | $4.50 | $4.50 | ||||||
| Aluminothermic chromium metal, gross weight13 | do. | $2.08 | $1.84 | $2.27 | $2.72 | $2.94 | ||||||
| Value of trade:14 | ||||||||||||
| Exports, contained chromium | thousands | $67,600 | $58,400 | $80,700 | $116,000 | $121,000 | ||||||
| Imports, contained chromium | do. | $256,000 | $322,000 | $477,000 | $583,000 | $529,000 | ||||||
| Net exports, contained chromium15 | do. | -$188,000 | -$264,000 | -$397,000 | -$468,000 | -$408,000 | ||||||
| See footnotes at end of table. | ||||||||||||
| TABLE 1�Conitnued | ||||||||||||
| SALIENT CHROMIUM STATISTICS1 | ||||||||||||
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | ||||||||
| Stainless steel: | ||||||||||||
| Production: | ||||||||||||
| Gross weight16 | metric tons | 2,190,000 | 2,220,000 | 2,400,000 | 2,240,000 | 2,460,000 | ||||||
| Contained chromium17 | do. | 369,000 | 373,000 | 407,000 | 373,000 | 419,000 | ||||||
| Average grade, dimensionless18 | 0.1687 | 0.1683 | 0.1697 | 0.1667 | 0.1705 | |||||||
| Shipments, gross weight19 | metric tons | 1,720,000 | 1,790,000 | 1,880,000 | 1,730,000 | 1,890,000 | ||||||
| Exports, gross weight | do. | 273,000 | 327,000 | 323,000 | 371,000 | 410,000 | ||||||
| Imports, gross weight | do. | 752,000 | 639,000 | 811,000 | 770,000 | 872,000 | ||||||
| Scrap, gross weight: | ||||||||||||
| Receipts | do. | 1,020,000 | 1,060,000 | 1,040,000 | r | 1,030,000 | r | 1,050,000 | ||||
| Consumption | do. | 1,380,000 | 1,430,000 | 1,480,000 | r | 1,480,000 | r | 1,500,000 | ||||
| Exports | do. | 342,000 | 505,000 | 478,000 | 585,000 | 506,000 | ||||||
| Imports | do. | 81,000 | 89,200 | 146,000 | 111,000 | 180,000 | ||||||
| Value of trade: | ||||||||||||
| Exports | thousands | $742,000 | $895,000 | $1,030,000 | $1,340,000 | $1,580,000 | ||||||
| Imports | do. | $1,350,000 | $1,320,000 | $2,230,000 | $2,630,000 | $3,210,000 | ||||||
| Scrap exports | do. | $252,000 | $382,000 | $548,000 | $670,000 | $716,000 | ||||||
| Scrap imports | do. | $49,400 | $70,200 | $160,000 | $124,000 | $209,000 | ||||||
| Net exports15, 20 | do. | -$405,000 | -$115,000 | -$809,000 | -$744,000 | -$1,130,000 | ||||||
| rRevised. W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data.� -- Zero.�� | ||||||||||||
| 1Data are rounded to no more than three significant digits; may not add to totals shown.�� | ||||||||||||
| 2Calculated assuming chromite ore to average 44% Cr2O3, which is 68.42% chromium.�� | ||||||||||||
| 3Calculated assuming chromium content of ferrochromium to average 57% chromium.���� | ||||||||||||
| 4Calculated assuming chromium content of stainless steel to average 16.7% chromium.�� | ||||||||||||
| 5Includes consumer stocks of chromium ferroalloys and metal and other chromium-containing materials.��� | ||||||||||||
| 6Includes chromium ferroalloys and metal and other chromium materials in the United States.�� | ||||||||||||
| 7Chromium ferroalloy, chromite ore, and other chromium-containing materials excluding chromium metal.�� | ||||||||||||
| 8Chromium ferroalloy and metal producer stocks of chromium ferroalloys and metal.�� | ||||||||||||
| 9Chemical, chromium ferroalloy and metal, and refractory producer stocks of chromite ore.�� | ||||||||||||
| 10Consumer stocks of chromium ferroalloys, chromite ore, and other chromium-containing materials excluding chromium metal.�� | ||||||||||||
| 11Time-weighted average U.S. price of imported high-carbon chromium that contains 50% to 55% chromium as reported in Platts Metals Week.�� | ||||||||||||
| 12Time-weighted average U.S. price of domestically produced electrolytic chromium metal as reported by Ryan's Notes.�� | ||||||||||||
| 13Time-weighted average U.S. price of� imported aluminothermic chromium metal as reported by Ryan's Notes.�� | ||||||||||||
| 14Includes chromite ore and chromium ferroalloys, metal, and chemicals.�� | ||||||||||||
| 15Negative data indicate that imports are greater than exports.�� | ||||||||||||
| 16Source:� American Iron and Steel Institute annual report of stainless and heat-resisting raw steel production and shipments.�� | ||||||||||||
| 17Estimated mass-weighted average of the mean chromium content of stainless steel production by grade.� Uncertainty is approximatly � 0.01 owing�� | ||||||||||||
| to the range of chromium chemical specification limits by stainless steel grade.�� | ||||||||||||
| 18Ratio of estimated mass-weighted average chromium content of stainless steel production by grade to production.� Expressed as a fraction.���� | ||||||||||||
| Source: American Iron and Steel Institute quarterly reports of stainless and heat-resisting raw steel production by grade.�� | ||||||||||||
| 19Source: American Iron and Steel Institute annual report of stainless and heat-resisting raw steel shipments.�� | ||||||||||||
| 20Includes stainless steel and stainless steel scrap.�� | ||||||||||||
Source: United States Geological Survey Mineral Resources Program