The U.S. Geological Survey’s Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 estimates world tungsten mine production in 2025 at 85,000 metric tons, with China producing 67,000 of them. The USGS also reports that tungsten prices roughly doubled in some forms during 2025 and that new supply started in Kazakhstan. This article on tungsten in 2025 summarizes the USGS tungsten chapter, explains the main numbers and flags what the chapter does not say.
Who mines tungsten?
The USGS table gives mine production in metric tons of tungsten content. For 2025 it lists:
- China: 67,000
- Vietnam: 3,000
- Kazakhstan: 2,400
- North Korea: 2,000
- Russia: 2,000
- Bolivia: 1,700
- Rwanda: 1,300
- Australia: 1,000
- Austria: 840
- Spain: 800
- Portugal: 700
- Other countries: 2,400
The rounded world total is 85,000 tons, up from 82,000 in 2024. The United States had no mine production in 2024 or 2025. By our own arithmetic, China’s 67,000 tons is about 79% of the world total, and the world total rose about 3.7%.
What are the reserves?
The USGS lists world reserves above 4.7 million tons, with China at 2.5 million. By our arithmetic, that is about 53% of the world total. Russia is listed at 400,000, Vietnam at 170,000, and several countries have no figure. Australia has a separate note about its reserves under a mining-industry reporting code, which we do not repeat.
How did prices move?
The USGS gives the average Rotterdam concentrate price in dollars per metric ton unit of tungsten trioxide: 225 in 2021, 275 in 2022, 258 in 2023, 252 in 2024 and 380 in 2025, estimated. By our own arithmetic, the 2025 figure is about 51% above 2024. The USGS adds that Rotterdam prices for 65% concentrate rose from $266 to $551 per metric ton unit during 2025, and ammonium paratungstate, a common intermediate product, rose from $331 to $675. Both are close to double, by our arithmetic. The yearly average and the within-year move differ because prices climbed through the year.
What is tungsten used for?
About 60% of U.S. consumption went to cemented carbide parts, which are used for cutting and wear-resistant purposes, mainly in construction, metalworking, mining and oil and gas drilling. The rest went to alloys and specialty steels, electrical and lighting components, welding and chemicals. The USGS says U.S. import reliance has been above 50% of apparent consumption in every year from 2021 through 2025, estimated.
What events does the USGS note?
The chapter lists these events:
- At the end of 2024, the United States raised tariffs to 50% on several tungsten products from China under Section 301(b)
- In February 2025, China imposed export controls on selected tungsten items
- Production started at the Boguty deposit in Kazakhstan, contributing to higher world mine output
- Canada and the United States received Defense Production Act, Title III awards for several projects
- In October, Kazakhstan and the United States announced a joint venture to develop tungsten resources
How to read the numbers
Production shares show where tungsten is mined, and reserves show where more could be mined. Prices in the table are market averages for particular products, and they respond to trade measures, demand and supply. The USGS lists the tariff and the export controls without separating their effects, so we do not attribute the price rise to either. A reader should see the chapter as a record of what happened in the same year, not a proof of cause.
Why is Kazakhstan’s output notable?
The table shows no 2024 figure for Kazakhstan and 2,400 tons in 2025. The USGS links that jump to production starting at Boguty. By our arithmetic, Kazakhstan’s 2,400 tons accounts for most of the world total’s increase of 3,000 tons. That conclusion is ours and rests on rounded figures, so it should be read as approximate.
How does tungsten connect to other minerals?
Tungsten shares a pattern with other critical metals in which one country dominates mining. Our article on cobalt in 2025 covers a metal where Congo dominates, and our report on nickel in 2025 covers one where Indonesia leads. The copper in 2025 article shows a more diversified market, and the guide to rare earth elements covers another metals group where China looms large.
What should readers watch for next?
The questions for 2026 are whether prices stay high, how new Kazakh output ramps up and whether the joint venture and the Defense Production Act awards add supply. The USGS chapter covers 2025 and does not forecast, so these remain open.
What does import reliance mean for buyers?
Import reliance is the share of apparent consumption met by imports, and the USGS reports it above 50% for tungsten in each year from 2021 through 2025, estimated. With no U.S. mine output in 2024 or 2025, the supply that reaches U.S. manufacturers comes from imports and from recycled material. That general explanation is ours and is not quoted from the USGS. It helps explain why trade measures such as tariffs and export controls appear so prominently in the chapter, because they act on the flows that supply most of the market. The chapter reports the measures and the prices side by side, and readers can compare them without assuming one caused the other.
Related reading: Zinc in 2025: USGS Shows China Mines 32 Percent as U.S. Output Falls 12 Percent.
Related reading: Tin in 2025: USGS Shows China and Indonesia Mine 46 Percent.
Glossary
- Metric ton unit: a standard trading unit of 10 kilograms of tungsten trioxide
- Cemented carbide: a very hard composite used for cutting and drilling tools
- Ammonium paratungstate: a tungsten compound used as a trading intermediate
- Apparent consumption: production plus imports minus exports and stock changes
- Defense Production Act, Title III: a U.S. authority to support domestic industrial capacity
These definitions are general explanations and are not quoted from the USGS.
What is not covered here?
We did not read the USGS discussion of recycling, stocks or the world outlook, and we have not added figures from other sources. The Australia reserve note is omitted.
Key facts at a glance
- World mine production, 2025: 85,000 tons, up from 82,000
- China: 67,000 tons, about 79%
- U.S. mine production: none in 2024 or 2025
- Price, Rotterdam concentrate: 380 in 2025 against 252 in 2024
- Top use: cemented carbides, about 60% of U.S. consumption
Frequently asked questions
Does the United States mine tungsten?
The USGS reports no U.S. mine production in 2024 or 2025.
Why did prices rise?
The USGS lists tariffs, export controls and new supply, but it does not separate their effects.
What is tungsten used for?
Mostly cemented carbide cutting and wear parts.
More in Business
- Silver in 2025: USGS Reports a $38 Average Price and a Continued Supply Deficit
- U.S. Mineral Production Hits $112 Billion in USGS 2026 Summaries
- Gold in 2025: USGS Reports a Record $3,300 Average Price and 3,300 Tons Mined
- Platinum-Group Metals in 2025: USGS Shows South Africa Mines 71 Percent of Platinum