# Germanium: Stocks

Why the limit is recovery, not geology

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/germanium/stocks/

What this tab covers How much is left and how much is held. For minerals and energy: reserves, current output, years of supply and recycling for the top five countries. For farm commodities: production, ending stocks and stocks-to-use for the top five producers (USDA, October 2026). It also covers inventories and stockpiles.

#### Top five countries: reserves, output and years of supply

| Country | Reserves not estimated (USGS publishes no germanium reserves) | Current output t Ge (refinery output, 2024, World Mining Data) | Years of supply | Recycling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **China** | – | 140 | – | n/a |
| **Russia** | – | 5 | – | n/a |
| **United States** | – | 2 | – | n/a |
| **Japan** | – | 2 | – | n/a |
| **DR Congo** | – | 1 | – | n/a |

 World Mining Data 2026 (2024 production by country); USGS MCS 2026, Germanium. Years of supply = reserves ÷ current output; reserves grow as prices and technology change, so this is not a countdown.

#### Recycling

USGS gives no world production or reserves for germanium, so output here is from World Mining Data (world 150 t in 2024). Other estimates are higher: Antaike put Chinese output at 180 t in 2022, about 60% of the world (Reuters 2023), which would imply about 300 t including recycled metal. Reserves are not reported; resources sit in zinc and lead-zinc-copper sulphide ores and lignite, plus tailings in China, DR Congo, Russia and the US (USGS 2026). The EU end-of-life recycling input rate is 2% (EU CRM 2023). The US recycles new scrap and old military lenses but USGS cannot estimate the tonnage. No India figure exists.

USGS reports no germanium reserves, because deposits are rarely quantified for it. Resources sit in zinc ores and lignite, plus tailings in China, Congo (Kinshasa), Russia and the United States. So the limit is recovery during host processing, not geology. New scrap from infrared optics machining and fibre production is routinely recycled, and old military lenses are reclaimed. Even so, the EU end-of-life recycling input rate is only 2%. The US stockpile planned up to 5,000 kg of potential disposals for fiscal 2025.

#### Recycling
 End-of-life recycling input rate in the EU: 2% of demand met from post-consumer scrap (EU CRM study 2023).

New scrap from infrared optics and fibre manufacture and old military infrared lenses are recycled, but secondary output is not quantified.

## Other sections

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