Tantalum: Stocks
Big reserve figures, but no world total to trust
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 t Ta content | Current output t Ta content (mine production, 2025e) | Years of supply | Recycling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Congo | – | 1,300 | – | n/a |
| Rwanda | – | 400 | – | n/a |
| Nigeria | – | 390 | – | n/a |
| Brazil | 40,000 | 190 | 211 | n/a |
| China | 240,000 | 80 | 3000 | n/a |
Recycling
USGS has no reserve estimates for the main African producers or a world total. Australia holds 120,000 t (33,000 t JORC-compliant) against 50 t of 2025 output. Recycling: US recycled tantalum may account for up to 30% of domestic primary processors' consumption (USGS 2026); EU end-of-life recycling input rate 1% (EU CRM 2023). No India, China or Japan rate was found.
USGS publishes no world reserve total, so reserve life cannot be computed. Listed reserves include China 240,000 t, Australia 120,000 t and Brazil 40,000 t, though Australia's code-compliant figure is 33,000 t. Identified resources are judged adequate. US deposits hold about 55,000 t, mostly subeconomic. Recycling relies on new scrap from component manufacture and carbide and superalloy scrap. It may supply up to 30% of US primary processors' needs, yet the EU end-of-life rate is only 1%. The US Defense Logistics Agency bought ingots for the National Defense Stockpile in 2025.
Recycling
End-of-life recycling input rate in the EU: 1% of demand met from post-consumer scrap (EU CRM study 2023).Tantalum is recycled mostly from new scrap from electronic-component manufacture and from carbide and superalloy scrap, possibly up to 30% of US primary processors' consumption.