Cobalt in 2025: USGS Shows Congo Supplies Nearly Three Quarters After an Export Ban and Quotas

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 estimates world cobalt mine production in 2025 at about 310,000 metric tons, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo supplying an estimated 73% of it. The USGS also reports that Congo temporarily banned cobalt exports in February 2025 and replaced the ban with export quotas in October, and that prices rose. This article on cobalt in 2025 summarizes the USGS cobalt chapter, explains the main numbers and notes what it leaves out.

Who mines cobalt?

The USGS table gives estimated mine production in 2025, in metric tons of cobalt content:

• Congo (Kinshasa): 230,000
• Indonesia: 44,000
• Russia: 7,700
• Madagascar: 3,900
• Philippines: 3,700
• Australia: 3,700
• Canada: 3,500
• Papua New Guinea: 2,800
• China, Cuba: 2,000 each
• Turkey: 1,900
• United States: 300

The rounded world total is 310,000 metric tons, up from 302,000 in 2024. The USGS says Congo supplied an estimated 73% of world mined cobalt and Indonesia 14%. By our own arithmetic, the shares from the table are about 74% and 14%, and the small difference comes from rounding.

What are the reserves?

World reserves are listed at 12 million metric tons. Congo holds 6 million, which by our arithmetic is half of the world total. Some other reserve lines in the text we could read, including Russia, did not add up to the world total, so we do not report them. Australia’s reserve line is also flagged by the USGS with a separate JORC-compliant figure of 680,000 tons.

What happened to export rules?

Congo temporarily banned cobalt exports in February 2025 to address oversupply and low prices. In October, the ban was replaced with export quotas: 18,125 tons for the rest of 2025, and up to 96,600 tons per year in 2026 and 2027, including 9,600 tons for national strategic reserves. The USGS says the supply uncertainty likely contributed to a sharp rise in estimated U.S. imports and industry stocks in 2025. By our own arithmetic, the 2026 quota of 96,600 tons is about 42% of Congo’s 2025 estimated production of 230,000 tons, though the two numbers may not measure exactly the same thing.

How did prices move?

The USGS gives these 2025 prices against 2024, in dollars per pound: U.S. spot cathode $21 against $16.77, and London Metal Exchange cash $15 against $11.84. By our arithmetic, those are rises of about 25% and 27%. The total estimated value of U.S. cobalt consumed in 2025 was $320 million.

What is cobalt used for?

The USGS estimates the 2025 shares of U.S. consumption as superalloys, mainly for aircraft gas turbine engines, 51%; chemical applications, 25%; other metallic applications, 15%; and cemented carbides for cutting and wear-resistant uses, 9%. China remained the world’s leading refined cobalt producer and consumer, mainly for lithium-ion batteries.

How dependent is the United States?

U.S. import reliance was 79% of apparent consumption in 2025, estimated, up from 74% in 2024. A U.S. solicitation to buy 7,480 tons for the National Defense Stockpile over five years was canceled before the end of 2025. The USGS does not explain the cancellation in the text we read.

How to read the numbers

Production, reserves, quotas and prices measure different things. A quota limits exports, which can differ from production when stocks change. A price rise can come from lower supply or higher demand, and the USGS ties the 2025 rise to supply uncertainty from the export ban, without separating the two. The shares given for uses apply to the United States, not to the world, where batteries matter more according to the chapter’s note about China. Readers should keep the scope of each figure in mind.

Why does one country’s policy matter?

With roughly three quarters of mined supply in a single country, a policy change there can ripple through the market. The 2025 ban and quota show this, since the USGS says they likely contributed to a jump in U.S. imports and industry stocks. That is a USGS inference, and it illustrates how buyers react to uncertainty by stocking up.

How does cobalt connect to other minerals?

Cobalt often comes together with other metals in the same supply chains. Our article on nickel in 2025 covers a metal where Indonesia dominates, and our report on copper in 2025 covers the USGS view of copper prices. Our summary of lithium in 2025 and the guide to graphite in 2025 cover two other battery materials. Each shows a different pattern of concentration.

What should readers watch for next?

The main questions for 2026 are how the Congo quotas affect supply and whether prices stay high. The USGS chapter covers 2025 only, so it does not answer them. Readers should watch the next edition and any revised export rules.

Glossary

• Cobalt content: the weight of cobalt in ore or products
• Superalloy: a metal alloy that keeps strength at very high temperatures
• Cemented carbide: a hard composite used for cutting tools
• Export quota: a cap on how much can be shipped abroad
• National Defense Stockpile: a U.S. reserve of strategic materials

These definitions are general explanations and are not quoted from the USGS.

What is not covered here?

We did not use the USGS price forecasts or the details of recycling, and we did not read other chapters. Some table lines were unclear in the text we could read, so we left them out.

Key facts at a glance

• World mine production, 2025: about 310,000 tons
• Congo share: about 73%, with Indonesia at 14%
• Export quotas: up to 96,600 tons a year in 2026 and 2027
• U.S. import reliance: 79%
• Top U.S. use: superalloys at 51%

Frequently asked questions

Why did Congo ban cobalt exports?

The USGS says it did so in February 2025 to address oversupply and low prices.

What replaced the ban?

Export quotas set in October 2025.

What is cobalt used for in the United States?

Mostly superalloys for aircraft engines.