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This table presents data on global refinery production of tellurium, broken down by country or locality, measured in kilograms of tellurium content. This information is crucial for understanding the supply dynamics of tellurium, a rare metalloid used extensively in the electronics industry, photovoltaics, and thermoelectric devices. Tracking production by country helps identify key producers, assess market trends, and inform economic and industrial planning, especially given tellurium’s strategic importance in emerging technologies such as solar panels and advanced semiconductors.
Analysis of the data from 2019 through 2023 reveals that China remains the dominant producer, increasing its refinery output from 450,000 kilograms in 2019 to 725,000 kilograms in 2023, marking a significant upward trend. Canada also shows steady growth, reaching an estimated 27,000 kilograms in 2023 compared to 13,000 kilograms in 2019. Russia’s production fluctuated slightly but overall increased to an estimated 73,000 kilograms in 2023. Notably, Uzbekistan’s output declined sharply from an estimated 35,000 kilograms in 2019 to around 13,000 kilograms in 2023. Sweden’s tellurium concentrate production decreased from 40,953 kilograms in 2019 to 35,507 kilograms in 2023. The United States’ data remains withheld to protect proprietary information, indicating potential production but no disclosed figures. Overall, global refinery production rose steadily, reaching an estimated total of 944,000 kilograms in 2023, up from 683,000 kilograms in 2019, underscoring growing demand and expanding production capacity worldwide.
| TABLE 7 | |||||||||||
| TELLURIUM: WORLD REFINERY PRODUCTION, BY COUNTRY OR LOCALITY1, 2 | |||||||||||
| (Kilograms, tellurium content) | |||||||||||
| Country or locality3 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | ||||||
| Bulgaria | 2944 | 3676 | 2797 | 2790 | r | 1087 | |||||
| Canada | 13000 | 23000 | 24000 | e | 24000 | e | 27000 | e | |||
| China | 450000 | r, e | 575000 | r | 650000 | r | 675000 | r | 725000 | ||
| Japan | 66664 | 72000 | e | 65000 | e | 68000 | e | 65000 | e | ||
| Russia | 70600 | 70200 | 68000 | e | 68000 | r, e | 73000 | e | |||
| South Africae | 3900 | 3800 | r | 4500 | r | 4100 | r | 4200 | |||
| Sweden, tellurium concentrate | 40953 | 41742 | 41367 | 32708 | 35507 | ||||||
| United States, copper telluride | W | W | W | W | W | ||||||
| Uzbekistan | 35000 | e | 25000 | e | 12750 | 13680 | r | 13000 | e | ||
| Total | 683000 | r | 814000 | r | 868000 | r | 888000 | r | 944000 | ||
eEstimated. rRevised. W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data; not included in total.
1Table includes data available through November 20, 2024. All data are reported unless otherwise noted; totals may include estimated data. Totals and estimated data are rounded to no more than three significant digits; may not add to totals shown.
2Unless otherwise noted, data relate to refinery output only to the extent possible. Countries and (or) localities that produced tellurium contained in copper ore and concentrates, copper smelter products (blister and anodes), and (or) refinery residues but did not recover refined tellurium are excluded. Totals exclude multiple tellurium-producing countries for which available information was inadequate to make reliable estimates of output.
3In addition to the countries and (or) localities listed, Australia, Belgium, Chile, Germany, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, and the Philippines may have produced refined tellurium, but available information was inadequate to make reliable estimates of output.
Source: United States Geological Survey Mineral Resources Program
See also: Selenium statistics | Mineral commodity prices