Specialty metals market analysis
Other Critical Metals
Selenium, tellurium and uranium sit outside the headline base- and alloy-metal groups yet are indispensable to clean-energy build-outs, advanced optics and secure power generation. Our specialty metals market analysis shows how these by-product metals move through highly concentrated supply chains, revealing risks that can upend budgets and timelines.
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Other critical metals are typically used in
Energy generation and storage
- Uranium fuel assemblies for commercial and research reactors
- Tellurium in cadmium-telluride (CdTe) thin-film solar modules
- Selenium-doped glass electrolytes in emerging solid-state batteries
Electronics and photonics
- Selenium photoconductors for optical sensors and photocells
- Tellurium-based thermoelectric devices for waste-heat recovery
- Uranium-doped scintillators in scientific detectors
Specialty glass and industrial processing
- Selenium to decolorise float glass and tint architectural glazing
- Tellurium catalysts for high-temperature rubber vulcanisation
- Uranium pigments in ceramic and specialty-glass coatings
Uranium prices climb on nuclear revival and AI data-centre demand
Enriched-uranium costs have reached record highs amid sanctions on Russian material and new long-term reactor build plans, squeezing utilities and highlighting conversion bottlenecks.
China’s export controls tighten tellurium availability for CdTe solar
February 2025 licensing rules on cadmium-telluride exports threaten global CdTe supply chains, potentially raising module costs and prompting new Western refining projects.
Copper-smelter economics put selenium output at risk
Zero treatment-charge agreements mean smelters rely on by-product credits; any production cuts could quickly curtail selenium recovered from anode slimes, creating upside price pressure.
Other metals market analysis
Our other specialty metals market analysis quantifies mine supply, refinery by-product yields and real-time logistics for selenium, tellurium and uranium. We flag emerging chokepoints so you can act before shortages disrupt projects or procurement.
Other metals
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