Niobium — Structural brief

Where niobium is produced

Brazil is the largest producer of niobium, at 93.2 percent of the published world total in 2025^[1]. It is followed by Canada at 5.4 percent, Democratic Republic of the Congo at 0.9 percent and Russia at 0.3 percent. The USGS puts world production at 112,000 metric tons; the sum of the country figures is 111,630 metric tons, the difference being rounding in the published total.^[1] Reserves are held principally by Brazil (14,000,000 metric tons), China (6,500,000 metric tons), Canada (640,000 metric tons)^[1].

How concentrated supply is

Measured by the Herfindahl-Hirschman index over production shares, niobium supply is highly concentrated, with an index of 8,709. The top three producers hold 99.4 percent of output, and a single producer accounts for more than half of supply. An index below 1,500 is conventionally read as unconcentrated and above 2,500 as highly concentrated; the thresholds are the United States merger-review bands, used here as a published reference point rather than as a judgement about market conduct. The United States was entirely reliant on net imports for niobium (columbium) in 2025, with the principal import sources over 2021–24 being Brazil, Canada.^[2] The principal sources of United States imports over 2021–24 were Brazil (67 percent) and Canada (28 percent)^[3].

Trade measures in force

The USGS compilation of export controls effective January 2026 records one measure bearing on niobium. Venezuela maintains an export ban covering Bauxite, cassiterite, columbite-tantalite, copper, gold, rhodium, silver, and thorium (2024), as compiled by the USGS from official and reported sources effective January 2026.^[4] A control listed here removes the tonnage concerned from the international market by law, whatever the production table implies about availability.

Recent United States official notices

Federal Register documents naming niobium, most recent first. 2025-11-07: Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals. Critical minerals are essential for national security, economic stability, and supply chain resilience because they underpin key industries, drive technological innovation, and support critical infrastructure vital for a modern American economy. The United States is heavily reliant on imports of certain mineral commodities from foreign sources, some of which are at risk of serious, sustained, and long-term supply chain disruptions.^[5]