Selenium: Overview
Manganese, farms and glass: where selenium really goes
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metallurgy, mainly electrolytic manganese metal production, plus free-machining steel and copper alloys | 40% | about 1,500 t Se a yearbasis | Selenium dioxide added to the electrolyte raises current efficiency and yield when Chinese plants electrowin manganese metal for steel and batteries, which makes China the largest selenium consumer. In steel and brass it improves machinability. Sulphur dioxide can replace it in manganese electrolysis but uses more energy. USGS MCS 2026 | Sulphur dioxide (electrolytic manganese, less energy efficient) Bismuth, lead or tellurium (free-machining alloys) |
| Agriculture and animal health: fertiliser additive, feed supplements, human dietary supplements | 20% | about 760 t Se a yearbasis | Selenium is an essential micronutrient for people and livestock, so it goes into feed premixes and dietary supplements, and fertiliser additives help crops tolerate environmental stress (USGS 2026). There is no substitute for an essential nutrient, which makes this one of the steadiest uses. USGS MCS 2026 | None for nutrition (organic selenium yeast is another form of selenium) |
| Glass manufacturing: decolouriser for container and float glass, bronze and red tints | 20% | about 760 t Se a yearbasis | A few grams of selenium per tonne of glass neutralise the green tint from iron impurities in soda-lime glass, which is cheaper than buying low-iron sand. It also gives bronze architectural glass and red colours. USGS MCS 2026 | Cerium oxide (colourant or decolouriser) Low-iron raw materials |
| Electronics and photovoltaics: CIGS solar films, photocells, rectifiers | 10% | about 380 t Se a yearbasis | Selenium's photoconductivity made it the material of early rectifiers, photocopier drums and light meters. Today the main electronic use is copper indium gallium diselenide thin-film solar cells, a small share of the solar market. USGS MCS 2026 | Silicon (rectifiers) Amorphous silicon and cadmium telluride (thin-film PV) |
| Chemicals and pigments: cadmium sulphoselenide reds and oranges, catalysts, rubber vulcanising | 5% | about 190 t Se a yearbasis | Cadmium sulphoselenide pigments are heat-stable reds and oranges for plastics and ceramics. Selenium also acts as a selective oxidation catalyst and a vulcanising agent in rubber. USGS MCS 2026 | Organic pigments Tellurium or sulphur in rubber |
| Other: anti-dandruff shampoo (selenium sulphide), plating, blasting caps, gun bluing | 5% | about 190 t Se a yearbasis | Selenium sulphide is an active anti-dandruff ingredient; selenium also improves plating finish, controls delays in blasting caps and gives a corrosion-resistant blue finish on gun steel. USGS MCS 2026 | Zinc pyrithione and ketoconazole (shampoo) |
From mine to user
- 1. Copper ore mining Selenium substitutes for sulphur in copper sulphide minerals. It is not paid for at the mine.
- 2. Smelting and anode casting Part of the selenium leaves with off-gas and dust; the rest goes into copper anodes.
- 3. Electrolytic refining Selenium collects in anode slimes with gold, silver and tellurium. More than 80% of selenium ever produced came from these slimes (USGS 2026).
- 4. Slime roasting or leaching Slimes are roasted or pressure-leached; selenium is volatilised as dioxide and scrubbed, then reduced to crude selenium. About 50-60% of the selenium in ore ends up as refined metal (USGS Circular 1365).
- 5. Refining and compounds Crude selenium is distilled to 99.5% commercial grade or higher, or made into selenium dioxide and other compounds. World capacity was 5,100 t in 2025 against output of 3,800 t (USGS).
- 6. Consumers Manganese electrolysis plants, glassworks, feed and fertiliser makers, pigment and electronics firms.
- 7. Recycling Insignificant in the US; most electronic scrap is exported for recovery (USGS 2026). The EU end-of-life recycling rate is about 1% (EU CRM 2023).
Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25
No public daily or monthly benchmark price for this commodity in the datasets used.
World production 4,237 tonnes, 2024 Largest producer China 42.53% of worldThree things to know
- More than 80% of all selenium produced has come from anode slimes left by electrolytic copper refining (USGS).
- Metallurgy, mainly electrolytic manganese production, took an estimated 40% of global selenium use in 2025 (USGS).
- China's selenium output grew over ten years as its copper anode capacity more than doubled; it made 53% of refined selenium in 2025 (USGS).
Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days
No recent articles from the listed publishers were found in the snapshot.