# Beryllium: Cycles

Why the alloy's unit value doubled in 2023

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beryllium/cycles/

Why the alloy's unit value doubled in 2023 What this tab covers Price history and what drives booms and busts, including this commodity's super-cycles, the drivers behind them and the metrics to track. It charts monthly prices (World Bank) with a switch to inflation-adjusted annual prices; where there is no World Bank series it uses USGS US prices.

The USGS unit value of beryllium-copper master alloy, per kilogram of contained beryllium, was $680 in 2021 and $660 in 2022. It jumped to $1,400 in 2023 and reached $1,600 by 2025. The series is calculated from import values, so it is noisy. Demand follows electronics, cars and defence budgets. In early 2025, sales to automotive electronics, consumer electronics and life sciences fell. With one integrated US producer, prices are set by contract rather than by daily trading.

#### US price, Beryllium-copper master alloy, unit value of imports
 2021 680 2022 660 2023 1,400 2024 1,500 2025 1,600 dollars per kilogram of contained Be. USGS MCS 2026; 2025 is an estimate.

#### Super-cycles in beryllium

Beryllium is a contract market run by one integrated US producer and a few processors in Kazakhstan and China, so it lacks the public price swings of exchange metals. The best public indicator, the USGS unit value of imported beryllium-copper master alloy, is noisy. It rose from about $317/kg of contained beryllium in 2007 to about $503/kg in 2010, held near $660-680/kg in 2021-22, then roughly doubled to $1,400-1,600/kg in 2023-25. Defence policy has shaped the industry more than cycles: it was a pre-war cartel industry, and the US government funded a new metal plant in 2010.

1. Before 1945

Beryllium was among the industries organised by a world cartel before the Second World War (Tilton and Guzman 2016).

No price series in the sources used.

2. 2007-2011

Demand rose for electronics and defence; in 2010 a public-private partnership under the Defense Production Act, Title III, restarted US beryllium metal production. Higher prices lifted the producer's 2011 revenue (USGS 2012).

Master-alloy unit value $144/lb Be (2007, about $317/kg), $159 (2008), $154 (2009), $228 (2010, about $503/kg) and $205 (2011) (USGS MCS 2012).

3. 2021-2025

Defence, semiconductor and data-centre demand grew while consumer and automotive electronics weakened in 2025. US mine shipments rose from 175 t (2021) to 230 t (2024-25).

Unit value $680/kg Be (2021), $660 (2022), $1,400 (2023), $1,500 (2024) and $1,600 (2025) (USGS MCS 2026).

#### What drives the cycle

- **Defence budgets.** Aerospace and defence take about a quarter of US beryllium sales, and the US government supports domestic supply directly.
- **Consumer and automotive electronics.** Connectors and springs are the largest revenue segment; 2025 sales fell in these markets (USGS).
- **Semiconductor and data-centre build-out.** Materion's semiconductor volumes rose 21% and telecom and data-centre volumes 24% in 2025.
- **Kazakhstan-to-China trade.** Most unwrought beryllium trade runs from Kazakhstan to China (Comtrade 2023), so Chinese demand and Ulba output matter outside the US.
- **Health and safety regulation.** Workplace limits on beryllium dust raise costs and push users to substitutes where possible.

#### Metrics to track

| Metric | Why it matters | Where to track it |
|---|---|---|
| **Materion Performance Materials segment sales and end-market volumes** | The only listed integrated producer | Materion quarterly reports and Form 10-K (SEC EDGAR) |
| **USGS beryllium-copper master alloy unit value** | Annual public price proxy | USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries |
| **US Department of Defense budget for munitions, satellites and aircraft** | Defence demand indicator | US DoD budget documents |
| **Beryllium trade flows (HS 8112.12, 2617.90)** | Tracks Kazakhstan exports and Chinese imports | UN Comtrade |
| **Global smartphone and vehicle production** | Connector demand | IDC; OICA |

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beryllium/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beryllium/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beryllium/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beryllium/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beryllium/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beryllium/stocks/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beryllium/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beryllium/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beryllium/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beryllium/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beryllium/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beryllium/links/index.md)