# Strontium: Cycles

A price series that swings with drilling and odd shipments

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/strontium/cycles/

What this tab covers Price history and what drives booms and busts, including this commodity's super-cycles, the drivers behind them and the metrics to track. It charts monthly prices (World Bank) with a switch to inflation-adjusted annual prices; where there is no World Bank series it uses USGS US prices.

The USGS unit value of US celestite imports swung from $210/t in 2021 to $82 in 2023, $807 in 2024 and $160 in 2025. The 2024 figure rests on just 29 t (strontium content) of imports, and USGS notes some high-value shipments were likely mineral specimens. Demand tracks oil and gas drilling. US rig counts fell 6% in the first nine months of 2025 and stayed 42% below 2019. Celestite competes with barite in drilling mud, so it gains when barite prices are high.

#### US price, Unit value of US celestite imports
 2021 210 2022 143 2023 82.0 2024 807 2025 160 dollars per metric ton. USGS MCS 2026; 2025 is an estimate.

#### Super-cycles in strontium

Strontium has had demand eras rather than super-cycles. Its biggest market, cathode-ray TV glass, vanished in the 2000s, and US carbonate production ended in 2006. Since then demand has rested on ferrite magnets, fireworks and drilling mud. Prices are set in private deals and swing with Chinese plant policy and Iranian logistics. The 2024-2025 squeeze doubled carbonate prices in China and Europe even as celestite output rose, because conversion capacity, not ore, was short.

1. 1990s-2006

Colour TV and monitor glass used strontium carbonate to block X-rays; flat-panel displays replaced CRTs and demand collapsed. Large-scale US strontium carbonate production ceased in 2006.

no price series for this period in the sources used

2. 2021-2025 (celestite)

US celestite imports swung with drilling activity and barite prices, from 106 t (2021) to 9,160 t (2022), 29 t (2024) and 8,100 t (2025). Tiny volumes make unit values erratic.

US celestite import unit value $210/t (2021), $143/t (2022), $82/t (2023), $807/t (2024, mostly specimens), $160/t (2025) (USGS MCS 2026)

3. 2024-2025 (carbonate squeeze)

China ordered upgrades of black-ash plants, its largest producer entered reorganisation, an explosion hit Iran's Shahid Rajaee port on 26 April 2025, and fire damaged Kandelium's Mexican plant.

Strontium carbonate in China rose from RMB 8,000/t (Sep 2024) to RMB 16,000/t (Jun 2025), with quotes above RMB 18,000/t; Europe rose from $1,200/t to $2,400/t (Guidechem)

#### What drives the cycle

- **Chinese safety and environmental rules for black-ash plants.** China holds about 205,000 t/yr of carbonate capacity; forced upgrades cut supply quickly.
- **Iranian exports and logistics.** Iran is the largest celestite miner (250,000 t in 2025) and has high-grade ore that Chinese plants need.
- **Rig counts and barite prices.** Drilling-grade celestite substitutes for barite; US rigs were 42% below 2019 levels in 2025 (USGS).
- **Ferrite magnet demand.** Small motors in cars and appliances use strontium ferrite as a low-cost, rare-earth-free magnet.
- **Defence and pyrotechnic demand.** Flares and signals need strontium nitrate; the US is funding domestic production.

#### Metrics to track

| Metric | Why it matters | Where to track it |
|---|---|---|
| **China strontium carbonate price (RMB/t)** | Main market price | Chinese chemical price services (SunSirs, Guidechem); summarised in trade press |
| **Iran celestite exports to China** | Feed for Chinese carbonate plants | China General Administration of Customs |
| **US celestite imports and unit value** | Drilling-grade demand signal | US Census Bureau; USGS MCS |
| **Baker Hughes rig count** | Drilling-fluid demand | Baker Hughes weekly rig count |
| **World celestite output** | Supply trend | USGS MCS; Spanish government mining statistics |

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/strontium/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/strontium/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/strontium/correlation/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)
- [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)