Silicon: Stocks
The Earth's crust is mostly silica: no shortage here
The Earth's crust is mostly silica: no shortage here What this tab covers How much is left and how much is held. For minerals and energy: reserves, current output, years of supply and recycling for the top five countries. For farm commodities: production, ending stocks and stocks-to-use for the top five producers (USDA, October 2026). It also covers inventories and stockpiles.Top five countries: reserves, output and years of supply
| Country | Reserves not applicable (quartz resources are abundant; USGS gives no reserves) | Current output kt Si content (ferrosilicon + silicon metal, 2025e) | Years of supply | Recycling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | – | 7,500 | – | n/a |
| Russia | – | 455 | – | n/a |
| Brazil | – | 350 | – | n/a |
| Norway | – | 280 | – | n/a |
| Kazakhstan | – | 127 | – | n/a |
Recycling
Silicon recycling is insignificant in the US (USGS 2026), and the EU end-of-life recycling input rate for silicon metal is 0% (EU CRM 2023). Some solar panel and wafer-kerf recycling is emerging, but no national rates were found.
Reserves are not quantified. USGS says silica resources are abundant and adequate for many decades in most producing countries; silica makes up about two-thirds of the upper crust by mass (Hayes & McCullough, pdf p. 7). Recycling is insignificant, because silicon is dissipated into steel, alloys and silicones, and the EU gives it an end-of-life recycling input rate of 0%. Inventories matter more than geology. US producer stocks were about 15,000 tons at end-2023, and in 2025 an overhang of polysilicon stocks helped depress silicon metal prices.
Recycling
End-of-life recycling input rate in the EU: 0% of demand met from post-consumer scrap (EU CRM study 2023).USGS describes silicon recycling as insignificant.