Cobalt: Overview
Jet engines, batteries and cutting tools
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric vehicle batteries (NMC and NCA cathodes) | 41% | 113 kt Co in 2025basis | Cobalt stabilises the layered structure of nickel-rich cathodes, so cells hold their energy over many cycles and are less likely to overheat. Nickel-cobalt chemistries give the longest range per kilogram, which matters for premium and long-range cars. Cobalt Institute, Cobalt Market Report 2025 (May 2026); USGS MCS 2026 Cobalt | LFP cathodes, cobalt-free, held significant share in China (USGS) Higher-nickel, lower-cobalt NMC (thrifting) Sodium-ion cells |
| Portable electronics (lithium cobalt oxide cells) | 34% | about 93 kt Co in 2025basis | Lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) gives the highest volumetric energy density of the common cathodes, so phones, tablets and laptops still use it. Cobalt is a small part of device cost. Cobalt Institute, Cobalt Market Report 2025 | NMC cathodes with less cobalt No practical substitute for LCO in thin phones today |
| Superalloys (jet engines, gas turbines) | 7% | about 20 kt Co in 2025basis | Cobalt and cobalt-bearing nickel superalloys keep their strength and resist corrosion close to their melting point, which is essential in turbine blades and vanes. Aerospace and defence buyers pay for qualified material, so price matters less than certification. Cobalt Institute 2025; USGS MCS 2026 (51% of US cobalt use was in superalloys in 2025) | Nickel-base alloys with less cobalt Ceramic matrix composites in some hot-section parts (USGS) |
| Hard metals and hard facing (cemented carbide tools, wear parts) | 5% | about 14 kt Co in 2025basis | Cobalt is the binder that holds tungsten carbide grains together in cutting tools, drill bits and mining picks. It wets carbide well and keeps toughness at high temperature. Cobalt Institute, Cobalt Market Report 2025 | Nickel or iron-nickel binders (USGS) Ceramics and cermets in some cutting tools |
| Chemicals: catalysts, ceramics and colours, tyres, soaps and paint driers | 6% | about 17 kt Co in 2025basis | Cobalt-molybdenum catalysts remove sulphur from oil products; cobalt salts give the deep blue of glass and ceramics, help rubber bond to steel cord in tyres and speed the drying of paints. Cobalt Institute 2025; USGS MCS 2026 substitutes | Nickel-molybdenum catalysts in hydrotreating (USGS) Manganese, iron or vanadium driers in paints (USGS) Other pigments |
| Battery energy storage systems | 2% | about 6.2 kt Co in 2025basis | Some grid batteries still use NMC cells, which carry cobalt. The share is small because most stationary storage now uses LFP. Cobalt Institute, Cobalt Market Report 2025 | LFP cells (cobalt-free) Sodium-ion cells |
| Magnets (samarium-cobalt, alnico) | 1% | about 3 kt Co in 2025basis | Samarium-cobalt magnets keep their strength at high temperature and resist corrosion, so they are used in defence systems, aerospace motors and sensors. The US stockpile lists samarium-cobalt alloy. Cobalt Institute 2025; USGS MCS 2026 | Neodymium-iron-boron magnets (USGS) Ferrite magnets for low-performance uses |
From mine to user
- Mining of copper-cobalt or nickel ore Copper-cobalt ores in the Congo (Kinshasa) copperbelt and nickel laterites in Indonesia supply most cobalt; DRC mined 230 kt (73%) and Indonesia 44 kt in 2025 (USGS).
- Concentration and leaching DRC ore is leached with sulphuric acid; Indonesian laterite is leached under high pressure (HPAL).
- Intermediate production Cobalt is precipitated as cobalt hydroxide in the DRC or as mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) with nickel in Indonesia, then exported.
- Refining Intermediates are refined into cobalt sulphate, tetroxide or metal; China produced 78.6% of 240 kt of refined cobalt in 2025, Finland 6.6% (Cobalt Institute).
- Precursor and cathode Cobalt sulphate is co-precipitated with nickel and manganese into pCAM, then lithiated into NMC or LCO cathodes in China, Korea and Japan.
- End use Batteries took about three-quarters of 2025 demand; superalloys, hard metals and chemicals the rest (Cobalt Institute).
- Recycling Scrap and spent batteries are processed into black mass and refined; secondary supply was roughly 10% of 2025 supply (Cobalt Institute).
Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25
No public daily or monthly benchmark price for this commodity in the datasets used.
World production 269k tonnes, 2024 Largest producer DR Congo 74.51% of world Reserve life 39 yrs reserves ÷ 2025 outputThree things to know
- Congo's 2026-27 cobalt export quota of up to 96,600 tonnes a year is about 42% of its 2025 mine output of 230,000 tonnes (USGS).
- By 2020, Chinese companies financed or owned 15 of DR Congo's 19 cobalt mines (Scheyder).
- USGS estimates 5 billion tonnes of cobalt in seafloor polymetallic nodules, against about 25 million tonnes of land-based resources.
Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days
- Hydroxide standoff and broad decline: Q3 2026 Cobalt Price ReviewBenchmark Mineral Intelligence · 2026-09-30
- Q3 2026 Black Mass Price ReviewBenchmark Mineral Intelligence · 2026-09-28
- Upstream and downstream policy push: Europe Regional SpotlightBenchmark Mineral Intelligence · 2026-10-12
- Q3 2026 Nickel Price ReviewBenchmark Mineral Intelligence · 2026-09-29
- Battery Cell Price Review Q3 2026Benchmark Mineral Intelligence · 2026-10-09