Hafnium: Stocks
Reserves are uncounted, but the host mineral is plentiful
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 hafnium reserves) | Current output% of world hafnium processing (EU CRM 2023) | Years of supply | Recycling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | – | 49 | – | n/a |
| United States | – | 44 | – | n/a |
| China | – | 5 | – | n/a |
| Russia | – | 3 | – | n/a |
Recycling
USGS says world primary hafnium production data and quantitative reserve estimates are not available; resources are associated with zircon and baddeleyite. Supply is about 70-75 t/yr of pure metal (Argus 2025). Recycling: EU end-of-life recycling input rate 0% (EU CRM 2023) and US hafnium metal recycling minimal (USGS). The EU is a net exporter of hafnium because of French production (EU CRM 2023).
Hafnium reserves are not quantified. USGS says hafnium resources are tied to zircon and baddeleyite. Zirconium reserves exceed 70 million t of ZrO2 content, so the host is not scarce. The limit is how much zircon is processed into hafnium-free zirconium. Recycling of hafnium metal is minimal, and the EU end-of-life recycling input rate is 0%. US imports of unwrought hafnium rose from 23 t in 2021 to 72 t in 2025. No exchange or published stockpile data exist.
Recycling
End-of-life recycling input rate in the EU: 0% of demand met from post-consumer scrap (EU CRM study 2023).Hafnium metal recycling was minimal.