# Helium: Overview

Labs, chips, lifting and MRI: who uses helium

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/overview/

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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Analytical, engineering, laboratory, science and specialty gases (incl. NMR and research cryogenics)** | 22% | about 11 million m3 a year in the USbasis | Liquid helium boils at about 4 K, colder than any other coolant, so it is the only practical way to run superconducting magnets in NMR spectrometers and many physics experiments. It is also inert and does not react with samples, which makes it a standard carrier gas in gas chromatography. USGS MCS 2026, Helium and rare gases | Hydrogen or nitrogen as chromatography carrier gas Closed-cycle cryocoolers and helium recovery systems (cut, not replace, use) |
| **Controlled atmospheres, optical fibre drawing and semiconductor fabrication** | 17% | about 8.7 million m3 a year in the USbasis | Helium conducts heat well and is completely inert. Fibre-optic draw towers use it to cool glass fast without bubbles, and chip fabs use it to cool wafers during etching and as a purge gas. The EU notes semiconductors as a key reason it rates helium critical. USGS MCS 2026; EU CRM study 2023 | Argon or nitrogen in some inert-atmosphere steps Hydrogen in some cooling steps (flammability limits) |
| **Lifting gas (balloons, airships, weather and research balloons)** | 17% | about 8.7 million m3 a year in the USbasis | Helium is the lightest gas after hydrogen and does not burn, so it is the safe choice for party balloons, blimps and scientific balloons. This is the most price-sensitive use and the first to be cut in shortages. USGS MCS 2026 | Hydrogen (USGS: some lighter-than-air uses) Air-filled decorations |
| **Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) magnet cooling** | 15% | about 7.7 million m3 a year in the USbasis | MRI scanners use niobium-titanium superconducting coils that only work near 4 K, which only liquid helium reaches. Nothing substitutes below about -429 F (USGS). New sealed or low-helium magnets reduce top-ups but still need some helium. USGS MCS 2026 | Low-helium sealed magnets Higher-temperature superconductors cooled by nitrogen (in development, USGS) |
| **Aerospace (purging and pressurising rocket fuel systems)** | 9% | about 4.6 million m3 a year in the USbasis | Helium stays a gas at liquid-hydrogen and liquid-oxygen temperatures, so it can purge and pressurise cryogenic propellant tanks without freezing or reacting. Launch activity therefore adds lumpy demand. USGS MCS 2026 | Nitrogen where temperatures allow Autogenous pressurisation (propellant's own vapour) in some rocket designs |
| **Welding shielding gas** | 8% | about 4.1 million m3 a year in the USbasis | Helium gives a hotter arc than argon, which helps weld thick aluminium and copper. It is used alone or blended with argon. USGS MCS 2026 | Argon and nitrogen (USGS: substitutable in welding) Argon-CO2 mixes |
| **Deep-sea diving gas and leak detection** | 10% | about 5.1 million m3 a year in the USbasis | Divers breathe helium-oxygen mixes at depth because nitrogen becomes narcotic under pressure. Helium's tiny atoms find leaks in vacuum systems, refrigeration circuits and fuel tanks that other tracer gases miss. USGS MCS 2026 | Hydrogen and argon in diving mixes (USGS) Hydrogen-nitrogen tracer gas (5% H2) for leak testing |

 US end-use shares by quantity in 2025 (USGS MCS 2026); no world split is published.

#### From mine to user

1. **1. Helium-bearing gas reservoir** Helium forms from radioactive decay of uranium and thorium and collects in some gas fields. Gas in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas holds about 0.5-1.5% helium (BLM 2012).
2. **2. Gas production and processing** Helium rides along with methane or LNG feed gas. Qatar's helium comes from its LNG trains at Ras Laffan; the US from fields such as LaBarge (Shute Creek) and the Hugoton area.
3. **3. Crude helium extraction** Cryogenic separation yields crude helium of 60-80% He. The US had nine crude helium plants in 2025 (USGS).
4. **4. Purification to Grade-A** Pressure-swing adsorption and further cryogenics give Grade-A helium of 99.997% or more. Five US plants made Grade-A in 2025 (USGS).
5. **5. Storage** Surplus can be stored underground. Three Texas sites store helium in caverns, and a cavern at Beaumont opened in 2025 (USGS). The federal Cliffside reserve was sold to Messer in 2024 for $460 million (E&E News).
6. **6. Liquefaction and shipping** Helium is liquefied and shipped in insulated ISO containers that boil off over weeks, so long voyages from Qatar or Algeria lose product.
7. **7. Distribution by industrial gas companies** A few gas majors trans-fill into dewars and cylinders and sell on contract to hospitals, fabs, labs and welders.
8. **8. End use and recovery** Most helium is vented after use and lost to space; closed-loop recovery is spreading in labs and fabs. EU end-of-life recycling input is 2% (EU CRM 2023).

#### Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25

No public daily or monthly benchmark price for this commodity in the datasets used.

#### Three things to know

- World helium output of 190 million cubic metres in 2025 weighs only about 32,000 t, using USGS conversion factors.
- US Grade-A and gaseous helium sales were about 81 million cubic metres in 2025, worth an estimated $970 million.
- Qatar produced about a third of the world's helium in 2025, and nearly all its exports pass the Strait of Hormuz.

#### Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days

- [US designates helium as a critical material, citing its importance for semiconductors](https://news.google.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?oc=5)The Economic Times · 2026-10-24
- [Pulsar Helium president featured on CBS 60 Minutes segment By Investing.com](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiuwFBVV95cUxQQlhrTEpUSHZqX1B3WVE5RUdLd09hZm1Rb3ZIeDBuc1RMUGVnQ1NQYkVvV2JoT05hTk1XS2RhS0x6eUxmTWlGaFRXWDQ2TmR1XzNPN3FlMWRXaGlXQVJTU0JoOGtfWEFZVHM1UDVtc3BTWTVDWEJQLVpBUXRZSGhqbW9JLWVueW52YllIaDhsbmNRNlVFMXlBdW1nNkpweGhFb2Uyd29OZ2xscmlvT0NZZnNDZzZ0QlU3b2NN?oc=5)Investing.com India · 2026-10-21
- [The U.S. designated helium as a critical material for semiconductor supply chains](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMif0FVX3lxTE10VGZQQ3l3YVVadjBBemRpNzh0ZVRvOWRBbzczRlQ2NEdUd1UtMG9xM09jQ3c4QVh2aXlPanFGdmRxdDdVS0wtdU1XQ0VqQXVRYzVHUndHRDd1Mk5Rb2RzWXNWVkdmbkdRY1I0TWFQNElySk15bU9JVlJZS2JkMFk?oc=5)Quartz · 2026-10-23
- [This Ultra-Rare Gas Could Become An Ace In Canada's Hands](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipwFBVV95cUxPVmZZbHNfaElURk9UczBiTUVrMURrQVc0UlhmaU1NbUpROWlHMnJBMjVzNkhsNGYzaGdtZ3c3d1ZRaGl6OVBsQU04T0x2Wnd5bWY5aWJYWGVPRTd6Q0RJNG1EMVJNeHZiVWVuZy12aXR3Ry0xd2tzSU5BeW1fekl3X21qRGFtMUR4Z29SZi1vWjZBcDFTM0RqTDlIRFlZZV95UzdFQTY5d9IBrAFBVV95cUxPRzJLa0NRZlJFbUFlWTd6WG5Kc0JDeXpFZmhqVWh6Q1BwcUJmV05GWmdtUWpielB4UG54SU8xYzlwSDRwQTN1aGRlcnM4N1loNlZtb2psZThYSHJGd1QtR2hNaHhvVGRhM1hVdHlLOTkyeDRwVlBnaUpFajV6UWdXYmVjTVU5bzEyOEY5dGl3d0hhRmsycTNma3BhOVI2SmJIeVJQQkdxbmkwZ3pF?oc=5)Crude Oil Prices Today | OilPrice.com · 2026-10-12
- [US Department of Energy names helium to critical materials list](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMikAFBVV95cUxQYnY5bEEta011OGJ2U05NMF8yV0ZMWDljXzFDN282Z1pwcHhld2Z6WnFDcWxVM2JyN3BlNmgyT090NmtBZjBhX25DeTZmaVo3M0JCWEJTRWFMOGFkdEozLUg0VUxBSWQ0WWpoeDFYemdneTMwRW9oZXAyLTROVjBWM0t0WnlSTzdCTmt5dlV0Mm4?oc=5)Mining.com · 2026-10-23

#### Chemicals made from it
[ESG Electronic specialty gases](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/electronic_gases/)

#### Read the tabs
[Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/extraction/)[Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/production/)[Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/stocks/)[Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/cycles/)[Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/trading/)[Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/movement/)[Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/criticality/)[Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/characteristics/)[Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/emissions/)

## Other sections

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