Bismuth: Overview
From stomach remedies to sprinkler triggers: bismuth's many uses
From stomach remedies to sprinkler triggers: bismuth's many uses What this tab covers What the commodity is used for, why, in what volumes and with what alternatives, and its chain from mine or field to end user. Also the latest price moves, top recent news, three things to know, and buttons into each tab.Key uses
| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemicals: pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, pigments and catalysts | 84% | about 13,400 t Bi a yearbasis | Bismuth is non-toxic for a heavy metal (USGS calls it a nontoxic substitute for lead), so its compounds are used in the body and on the skin. Bismuth subsalicylate is the active ingredient in over-the-counter stomach remedies and other compounds treat ulcers and burns. Bismuth oxychloride gives pearlescent cosmetics and bismuth vanadate is a bright, lead-free yellow pigment. Most US consumption is in chemicals (USGS). EU CRM study 2023; USGS MCS 2026 | Alumina, antibiotics, calcium carbonate and magnesia (pharmaceuticals, USGS) Titanium-dioxide-coated mica flakes and fish-scale extracts (pearlescent pigments, USGS) |
| Low-melting (fusible) alloys: fire-sprinkler triggers, lens blocking, bending fillers, well plugs | 9% | about 1,440 t Bi a yearbasis | Bismuth melts at only 271 C and its alloys with tin, lead and indium melt lower still, and they expand slightly on freezing. That makes them ideal triggers for sprinklers, temporary fillers when bending tubes and holders for grinding optical lenses (USGS). EU CRM study 2023; USGS MCS 2026 | Glycerin-filled glass bulbs (sprinklers, USGS) Resins (holding parts during machining, USGS) Cadmium, indium, lead and tin alloys (partial, USGS) |
| Metallurgical additive: lead-free brass, free-machining steel and aluminium, malleable iron | 7% | about 1,120 t Bi a yearbasis | Bismuth replaces lead to make brass, steel and aluminium easy to machine without toxicity. US demand for bismuth brass in plumbing grew after 2014 when the Safe Drinking Water Act cut the lead allowed in 'lead-free' fittings from 8% to 0.25% (USGS). EU CRM study 2023; USGS MCS 2026 | Lead, selenium or tellurium in free-machining alloys (USGS) Silicon brasses for plumbing |
| Lead-free solders and electronics (including bismuth telluride thermoelectrics and semiconductor pastes) | n/a | n/a basis | Tin-bismuth solders melt at low temperature, which protects heat-sensitive components, and bismuth telluride converts heat to electricity in thermoelectric coolers and generators (Pitron 2020; USGS). USGS MCS 2026; Pitron (2020) | Tin-silver-copper solders Indium-based solders (partial, USGS) |
| Lead replacement in shot, fishing weights and greases | n/a | n/a basis | Bismuth is dense like lead but non-toxic, so it replaces lead in hunting shot where lead is banned, fishing weights and lubricating greases (USGS). USGS MCS 2026 | Steel and tungsten shot Tin and zinc weights |
From mine to user
- 1. Mining of host ores Bismuth occurs in lead, tungsten, zinc and other ores; the Tasna mine in Bolivia (inactive since 1996) and one Chinese mine are the only mines where it is the main product (USGS).
- 2. Smelting of host metal In lead smelting, bismuth follows lead into bullion; in tungsten and zinc processing it reports to concentrates and residues.
- 3. Separation Lead refineries remove bismuth by adding calcium and magnesium (debismuthising) or collect it in anode slimes from electrolytic refining, producing crude bismuth.
- 4. Refining to 99.99% Crude bismuth is refined to 99.99% metal, the traded grade; China produced 14,000 t of the world's 16,000 t in 2025 (USGS).
- 5. Chemicals and alloys Metal is converted to nitrate, oxide, subsalicylate, oxychloride and vanadate, or alloyed for fusible alloys, brass and solders.
- 6. Recycling Little bismuth is recovered: alloy scrap is up to 10% of US consumption and the EU end-of-life recycling input rate is 0% (USGS; EU CRM 2023).
Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25
No public daily or monthly benchmark price for this commodity in the datasets used.
World production 7,349 tonnes, 2024 Largest producer China 81.64% of worldThree things to know
- Bismuth's 2025 average price of about $20/lb was the highest annual average on record, almost four times 2024's.
- Only two mines worldwide, one idle since 1996, have produced bismuth as their main product (USGS).
- Since 2014, US 'lead-free' plumbing may contain at most 0.25% lead, down from 8%, which lifted bismuth use in brass.
Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days
No recent articles from the listed publishers were found in the snapshot.