Silicon: Overview
Steel, aluminium alloys, silicones, solar cells and chips
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silicones and other chemicals (silicon metal) | 54% | about 2.5 Mt Si a yearbasis | Silicon metal reacts with methyl chloride to make the building blocks of silicones: sealants, lubricants, medical tubing, cosmetics and electrical insulation. Silicones are heat-stable, water-repellent and flexible, which few carbon-based polymers match. Chemical makers are one of the two main US buyers (USGS). EU CRM study 2023; USGS MCS 2026 | Polyurethane and acrylic sealants Fluoropolymers and organic rubbers in some uses |
| Aluminium alloys (casting alloys for engines, wheels, housings) | 38% | about 1.7 Mt Si a yearbasis | Adding silicon makes aluminium flow into moulds, shrink less and resist wear, so most cast aluminium parts in cars contain it. Weak aluminium demand was one reason silicon metal prices fell in 2025 (USGS). EU CRM study 2023; USGS MCS 2026 | Recycled aluminium alloys that already contain silicon Wrought alloys or magnesium castings for some parts |
| Solar-grade polysilicon for photovoltaic cells | 6% | n/a basis | Crystalline silicon converts sunlight to electricity cheaply and durably. Solar polysilicon needs 8-9 nines purity (99.999999% or better), reached through the energy-intensive Siemens process (Conway). Polysilicon stock overhangs depressed silicon prices in 2025 (USGS). EU CRM study 2023; Conway (2023); USGS MCS 2026 | Cadmium telluride thin film Perovskite cells (emerging) Gallium arsenide in space cells |
| Semiconductor-grade silicon wafers for chips | 2% | about 90,000 t Si a yearbasis | Chips need up to ten nines purity, so that only one stray atom exists per 10 billion silicon atoms (Conway). Single crystals are pulled by the Czochralski method and sliced into wafers by a few firms such as Shin-Etsu. Silicon's oxide and its abundance keep it the base of nearly all microelectronics. EU CRM study 2023; Conway (2023); USGS MCS 2026 | Gallium arsenide and germanium in some semiconductor and infrared uses (USGS) Silicon carbide and gallium nitride in power devices |
| Ferrosilicon for steelmaking and cast iron | n/a | about 5.0 Mt Si content a yearbasis | Ferrosilicon removes oxygen from molten steel and adds silicon to electrical steels and cast iron, where it promotes graphite formation. Most US ferrosilicon goes to foundries and steel mills (USGS). It is cheap and made from abundant quartz. USGS MCS 2026 | Aluminium, silicon carbide and silicomanganese in some applications (USGS) |
From mine to user
- 1. Quartz quarrying High-purity quartz or quartzite is mined and washed. World resources are abundant (USGS).
- 2. Carbothermic smelting Quartz, coal, coke and wood chips are reduced in submerged-arc furnaces at high temperature. China made almost 80% of world silicon materials in 2025 (USGS).
- 3. Metallurgical-grade silicon or ferrosilicon Tapped silicon is cast and crushed at 98-99% purity (Conway); adding iron gives ferrosilicon of 50% or 75% Si.
- 4. Chemical routes Silicon metal goes to silicone plants or is reacted with hydrogen chloride to trichlorosilane, which is distilled.
- 5. Polysilicon In the Siemens process, purified gas deposits silicon on heated rods in bell jars at 1,150 C; energy use per kilogram is more than 3,000 times that of cement (Smil, cited in Conway).
- 6. Ingots, wafers and cells Polysilicon is melted and pulled into single crystals or cast, then sawn into wafers for solar cells or chips.
- 7. End use Products go into silicones, cast aluminium parts, steel, solar panels and chips. End-of-life recycling of silicon is insignificant (USGS).
Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25
No public daily or monthly benchmark price for this commodity in the datasets used.
Three things to know
- China produced almost 80% of the world's silicon materials in 2025 (USGS).
- Semiconductor-grade polysilicon can reach ten nines purity: one stray atom per ten billion silicon atoms (Conway, pdf p. 81).
- In April 2025 Chinese silicon metal prices hit their lowest level since November 2016 (USGS).
Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days
- Wolfspeed, Infineon expand silicon carbide wafer supply deal By Investing.comInvesting.com India · 2026-10-15
- PMB Technology bets $133m on silicon-aluminium alloys amid mounting silicon metal lossesAL Circle · 2026-10-10
- India: Ferro silicon prices rise slightly w-o-w despite cautious market sentimentBigMint · 2026-10-13
- LME: Silicon Valley trying to lock in copper supply for AI build-outCNBC · 2026-10-21
- China proposes ban on export of 12 solar manufacturing technologiesBusiness Standard · 2026-10-19