# Strontium: Correlation Prices it moves with, and why Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/strontium/correlation/ Strontium comes from celestite mined in Spain, China, Mexico and Iran, usually converted to strontium carbonate. Demand comes from ferrite magnets, pyrotechnics, drilling fluids and aluminium alloys. Small volumes trade on private contracts, often linked to Chinese processing costs. No public price Strontium has no public monthly price series: Small volumes on private contracts; no public monthly price series. #### What its price moves with Commodity [Ba Barite](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/barite/)Substitute Ground celestite can replace barite as a weighting agent in oil and gas drilling muds, since both are dense sulphate minerals. When barite is scarce or costly, some celestite moves into drilling, which links the two markets loosely. No public price for barite, so the link is explained in words only. Commodity [Sda Soda ash](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soda_ash/)Process input Celestite is converted to strontium carbonate by reacting it with soda ash or by heating it with coal and then adding soda ash. Soda ash price therefore feeds into carbonate production costs. Not enough overlapping price history to measure. Commodity [Iop Iron oxide pigments](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/iron_oxide/)Magnet partner Strontium ferrite magnets are made by firing strontium carbonate with iron oxide. These cheap ceramic magnets are used in small motors, speakers and fridge seals, the largest use of strontium carbonate. No public price for iron oxide pigments, so the link is explained in words only. Energy [Mot Electric motors and drives](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_motors/)Main use Ferrite magnets made with strontium power many small motors in cars and appliances. If rare earth magnet prices spike, designers can shift some motors to ferrite magnets, adding demand for strontium. Not enough overlapping price history to measure. Energy [Exp Explosives and propellants](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_propellants/)Pyrotechnic use Strontium nitrate and carbonate produce the red colour in fireworks and signal flares. Demand from this sector is seasonal and modest, and safety rules shape the market more than price. Not enough overlapping price history to measure. How to read these numbers **Correlation of monthly changes** (the number in the coloured pill) compares how much each price moved, month by month, since 2006 or the first month both series exist. It runs from −1 to +1: near +1 the two usually rise and fall in the same months, near 0 there is no link, and a negative number means they tend to move in opposite directions. Above 0.7 is strong, 0.4 to 0.7 moderate, 0.2 to 0.4 weak. **12-month changes** compare year-on-year moves, which shows whether two prices share the same cycles even when the month-to-month noise differs. **Price function** is a straight-line fit of the two prices on logarithmic scales: price ≈ k × (partner price)^β. β is how much this price moves, in per cent, for a 1% move in the partner over the whole period, and R² is the share of the variation the fit explains. Two prices that both drift up with inflation can fit well without any real link, so read it together with the monthly correlation. **Lead or lag** checks whether the monthly correlation is clearly higher when one price is shifted by 1 to 6 months. Correlation is not cause. The reasons on each card explain the economic link; the numbers show how strongly it has shown up in prices. Proxy series are US producer price indexes or related prices and can blur the real link. Data: World Bank Commodity Price Data (Pink Sheet), October 2026; US Bureau of Labor Statistics producer price indexes, IMF primary commodity prices and US EIA prices via FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, retrieved November 2026. Calculations by this site. ## Other sections - [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/strontium/index.md) - [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/strontium/overview/index.md) - [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/strontium/extraction/index.md) - [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/strontium/production/index.md) - [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/strontium/stocks/index.md) - [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/strontium/cycles/index.md) - [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/strontium/trading/index.md) - [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/strontium/movement/index.md) - [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/strontium/criticality/index.md) - [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/strontium/characteristics/index.md) - [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/strontium/emissions/index.md) - [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/strontium/links/index.md)