Material Insights · Understanding the Material World

Molybdenum: Overview

Steel, superalloys, catalysts, lubricants and pigments

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

UseShareAnnual volumeWhy this commodityAlternatives
Engineering and alloy steels (pipelines, gears, pressure vessels, automotive parts)n/a n/a basis Fractions of a percent of molybdenum make steel harder, tougher and more resistant to softening at high temperature, so thick sections can be heat-treated evenly. It is valued in oil and gas pipe, power plant tubing, gears and crankshafts. USGS notes little substitution in steels and cast irons. USGS MCS 2026; Tilton and Guzman (2016) Boron, chromium, niobium and vanadium in some alloy steels (USGS)
Thicker sections of plain carbon steel
Stainless steels (duplex and austenitic grades such as 316)n/a n/a basis Molybdenum sharply improves stainless steel's resistance to pitting by chlorides, so it is specified for seawater, desalination, chemical plants, food processing and coastal buildings. Grades with 2-3% molybdenum are standard in these settings. USGS MCS 2026 Higher-nickel or higher-chromium grades
Titanium or nickel alloys in severe service
Coated carbon steel
Tool and high-speed steels, superalloys and molybdenum metaln/a n/a basis Molybdenum melts at 2,623 C and keeps strength when hot. It goes into high-speed cutting steels, nickel superalloys for jet engines, and pure metal for furnace parts, glass-melting electrodes and electronics. China put molybdenum powders under export control in February 2025 (USGS). USGS MCS 2026 Tungsten in tool steels (USGS)
Graphite, tantalum and tungsten in high-temperature furnace parts (USGS)
Chemicals: refinery catalysts, lubricants, pigmentsn/a n/a basis Cobalt-molybdenum and nickel-molybdenum catalysts remove sulphur from diesel and other fuels in hydrotreaters, a use driven by fuel-quality rules. Molybdenum disulphide is a solid lubricant, and molybdate orange is a pigment. Spent catalysts are a recycling source. USGS MCS 2026 Cadmium-red, chrome-orange and organic pigments (USGS)
Tungsten-based catalysts in some processes
Graphite and PTFE lubricants
Cast iron and foundry productsn/a n/a basis Molybdenum strengthens grey and ductile iron for engine blocks, brake drums and mill rolls, improving wear resistance and heat tolerance. USGS MCS 2026 Nickel, chromium and copper additions
Austempering heat treatment
End-use shares are not given in the USGS or EU sources used; the International Molybdenum Association publishes first-use shares to members. World use was about 77,400 t in Q1 2025 alone, with China taking about 38,500 t and Europe 13,000 t (IMOA, via SteelRadar).

From mine to user

  1. 1. Porphyry mining Molybdenite (MoS2) is mined from low-grade porphyry deposits, either primary molybdenum mines or copper mines. World mine output was about 260,000 t Mo in 2025 (USGS).
  2. 2. Flotation Ore is ground and floated. At copper mines, a bulk copper-molybdenum concentrate is split in a second circuit to give molybdenite concentrate.
  3. 3. Roasting Concentrate is roasted in air to technical molybdic oxide (about 57% Mo). The US had three roasting plants in 2025 (USGS).
  4. 4. Conversion Oxide is converted to ferromolybdenum (about 60-70% Mo), or to ammonium molybdate, powder and metal.
  5. 5. Trade Chile, Peru and the US exported 68% of world molybdenum ores and concentrates by value in 2024 (UN Comtrade).
  6. 6. Steelmaking and chemicals Steel mills add ferromolybdenum or oxide to the melt; catalyst makers use molybdate chemicals.
  7. 7. End use and recycling Steel and catalyst scrap carries molybdenum back into new products; recycled material may be up to 30% of US apparent supply (USGS).

Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25

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

World production 281k tonnes, 2024 Largest producer China 41.52% of world Reserve life 65 yrs reserves ÷ 2025 output

Three things to know

  • Only China and the US produce molybdenum from both primary mines and copper by-product mines (USGS).
  • China's share of world molybdenum mining rose from 20% in 2000 to 42% in 2013 (Humphreys).
  • Molybdenum's companionality with copper ranged between 47% and 75% from 1985 to 2013 (Nassar et al.).

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

Chemicals made from it

FCC Refining catalysts

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