Scandium: Characteristics
How a few tenths of a percent transforms aluminium
What this tab covers The supply and physical characteristics of the commodity. Supply: current production, inventories and stocks, capacity utilisation, geographic and producer concentration, how fast supply responds to price, the project pipeline and capital spending, and logistics and export flows. Material: the physical and chemical properties that set its grade, price and end uses (for example purity and conductivity for metals, API gravity, sulfur and energy content for fuels, moisture, protein and fibre quality for crops).Supply volume characteristics
| Characteristic | Figure | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current production volume | about 80 t scandium oxide (2025, industry estimate); consumption about 60 t | China is the leading producer. The Philippines makes scandium oxalate that Japan refines to oxide. All output is a by-product of titanium, nickel and other process streams or old residues. | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Inventory and stock levels | US stockpile plan: more than 6 t Sc2O3 over 5 years, about 10% of one year's world use | The Defense Logistics Agency announced in September 2025 that it would buy more than 6,000 kg from Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, for the National Defense Stockpile. Commercial stocks are not published. | USGS MCS 2026 (derived) |
| Capacity utilisation | below about 89% (80 t output against capacity of over 90 t, 2025) | Industry estimates put capacity above 90 t a year. Consumption of about 60 t was below output, so some oxide went to stock. | USGS MCS 2026 (derived) |
| Geographic and producer concentration | China 67% of processing; HHI not calculable from published data | EU CRM 2023 puts processing at China 67%, Russia 17%, and Ukraine, the Philippines, Canada and Kazakhstan about 4% each. Rio Tinto and Sumitomo Metal Mining are the main non-Chinese producers. | EU CRM 2023; USGS MCS 2026 |
| Supply elasticity | low for volume, but small plants can be added in 1-3 years | Supply depends on host plants adding recovery circuits. Rio Tinto's first 3 t/yr plant cost about $6 million. The constraint is thin, uncertain demand rather than geology. | Mining.com (2021); USGS MCS 2026 |
| Project pipeline and CapEx | Rio Tinto Sorel-Tracy to 9 t/yr; US and Australian projects at early stage | Canada Growth Fund committed $18 million (October 2025) to lift Sorel-Tracy to 9 t/yr with a Canadian government offtake. NioCorp's Elk Creek (Nebraska) received $10 million from the US Department of War; a $29.9 million award funds Sc and Ga recovery from waste. Nyngan (New South Wales) received a mining licence in October 2025. | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Logistics and export flows | no dedicated HS code; US imported about 4 t of oxide (2025e) | US imports in 2021-24 came from Japan 89% and China 11%. Shipments are small lots of oxide (5-100 kg) and metal (1-10 kg). China's April 2025 export controls on scandium are the chokepoint. | USGS MCS 2026 |
Material characteristics Metal / hard commodity
Scandium is a light rare-earth metal used in tiny amounts. In aluminium, a few tenths of a percent form fine Al3Sc particles that raise strength, refine grain and allow welding without cracking. In zirconia, scandia gives the highest oxygen-ion conductivity, which suits solid oxide fuel cells. Buyers specify oxide purity and master-alloy content.
| Property | Value / specification | Why it matters | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purity / grade | Sc2O3 99.99% powder; Sc metal 99.999% ingot; Al-Sc master alloy with 2% Sc | These three forms carry the published price series ($640/kg oxide, $5,200/kg metal, $30/kg alloy in 2025) | Asian Metal via USGS MCS 2026 |
| Density and melting point | 2.99 g/cm3; 1,541 C | Light as aluminium yet high melting, so it adds strength without weight | CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics |
| Strengthening in aluminium | about 0.1-0.5% Sc forms coherent Al3Sc precipitates | Raises yield strength and recrystallisation resistance and makes high-strength alloys weldable for aerospace and 3D printing | Standard aluminium alloy literature (indicative) |
| Ionic conductivity in zirconia | about 10 mol% Sc2O3 (ScSZ) conducts better than 8 mol% yttria-stabilised zirconia | Allows thinner, lower-temperature solid oxide fuel cell electrolytes | Standard fuel cell literature (indicative) |
| Ore grade | usually under 100 ppm in residues such as bauxite residue (Greek residue 70-100 ppm) | Low grades explain why scandium is a by-product and why its footprint per kg is high | Hengevoss et al. 2024, Cleaner Waste Systems |