Vanadium in 2025 was mined at an estimated 110,000 metric tons worldwide, down from 118,000 in 2024, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026. China produced about three quarters of it. The United States mines no vanadium from primary ore, and the USGS shows its supply coming from recycling and imports. This article summarizes the USGS vanadium chapter, explains the main numbers and flags what the chapter does not say.
Who produces vanadium?
The USGS lists estimated 2025 mine production, in metric tons of vanadium content:
- China: 82,000 (about 84,000 in 2024)
- Russia: 21,000
- Brazil: 5,300
- South Africa: 5,000 (8,050 in 2024)
The United States and Australia show no mine production. By our own arithmetic, China’s share is about 75% of the rounded world total, and South Africa’s output fell about 38%. The four country lines add to about 113,000, a little above the rounded world figure, so the USGS total reflects rounding and should be treated as approximate.
How much vanadium is left?
The USGS puts world reserves at 21,000 thousand tons and world resources above 63 million tons. China holds 5,800 thousand tons of reserves, Russia 5,000, South Africa 520, Brazil 94 and the United States 50. The Australian reserve line was garbled in the copy we read, so we do not report it.
What is vanadium used for?
The USGS says metallurgical use, mainly alloying iron and steel, accounted for more than 90% of reported 2025 domestic consumption. The major nonmetallurgical use is catalysts for making maleic anhydride and sulfuric acid. Our article on manganese in 2025 covers another metal that goes mostly into steel.
Where does U.S. vanadium come from?
There is no U.S. production from primary ore. Instead, vanadium is recovered from ash, residues and spent catalysts, and the estimate for that source was 7,500 tons in 2025, against 6,800 in 2024 and 3,200 in 2021. By our own arithmetic, recovery from these secondary sources has more than doubled in four years. Apparent consumption was estimated at 13,000 tons in 2025, against 12,700 in 2024, while reported consumption was 9,000. The USGS does not explain the gap between the two measures in the copy we read.
How did prices move?
The Chinese price of vanadium pentoxide (98% V2O5) averaged $5.02 per pound in 2025, against $5.44 in 2024, a fall of about 8% by our arithmetic. The U.S. price of ferrovanadium (78% to 82% vanadium) moved the other way, averaging $14.14 per pound against $13.05, a rise of about 8%. Two products tied to the same metal therefore moved in opposite directions, which the chapter attributes to no single cause.
How dependent is the United States on imports?
Net import reliance fell to an estimated 41% of apparent consumption in 2025 from 46% in 2024 and 61% in 2021. For 2021 to 2024, total imports came from Canada (34%), Brazil (13%), South Africa (13%) and Austria (10%), with other countries supplying 30%. Ferrovanadium came mainly from Canada (50%) and Austria (35%). Vanadium pentoxide came from Brazil (47%) and South Africa (43%). These shares cover 2021 to 2024 and should not be compared directly with the 2025 estimates. Estimated 2025 imports were based on data through July.
What tariffs does the chapter mention?
The USGS notes Executive Order 14257, effective April 5, 2025, which set a 10% baseline reciprocal tariff, and Executive Order 14323, effective August 6, 2025, which raised tariffs on many Brazilian imports from 10% to 50%. The chapter lists these as facts about the trade setting and does not estimate their effect on vanadium.
What changed in imports of specific products?
The import table shows large swings by product. Vanadium ores and concentrates fell from 395 tons in 2024 to an estimated 90 in 2025. Vanadium pentoxide fell from 2,360 to 1,800, while ferrovanadium stayed near 2,200 after 1,820. By our arithmetic, pentoxide imports fell about 24% and ferrovanadium imports rose about 21%. Aluminum-vanadium master alloy fell from 67 to 10. These are estimates, and the USGS revises earlier years, so small changes should not be over-read.
Why does recycling matter for vanadium?
Recycling here mainly means reprocessing spent catalysts into new catalysts. The USGS says the vanadium content of spent catalysts varies with the crude oil feedstock they handled, and that the uncertainty in the quantity recycled is significant. That is a candid warning: the secondary figures are the least certain part of the table. The USGS also reports yearend stocks of 240 tons in 2025, up from 230, and says the government holds no vanadium stockpile. Together these facts show a market where industry, not the state, holds the buffer.
How to read the numbers
Mine figures are tons of vanadium content, while trade figures cover many forms, from ash to alloys, and are converted with factors the USGS footnotes. Consumption has two measures, apparent and reported, and they answer different questions. Estimates for 2025 are first reads that the USGS may revise.
How does vanadium connect to other coverage?
Vanadium sits in the same steel and battery supply chains as other metals. See our reports on tungsten in 2025, nickel in 2025 and cobalt in 2025, and the USGS summary of U.S. mineral production.
What should readers watch for next?
Readers can watch Chinese steel demand, South African output, secondary recovery in the United States and the next USGS edition, which replaces estimates with reported data.
Glossary
- Ferrovanadium: an iron and vanadium alloy added to steel
- Vanadium pentoxide: a vanadium oxide used to make alloys and catalysts
- Spent catalyst: a used chemical catalyst that still holds metal
- Net import reliance: imports minus exports, as a share of apparent consumption
- Reserves: resources that can be mined economically today
These definitions are general explanations and are not quoted from the USGS.
What is not covered here?
We omit the Australia reserve line, the tariff schedule by product code and any price forecast.
Key facts at a glance
- World mine production, 2025: about 110,000 tons
- China: 82,000 tons, about 75%
- U.S. net import reliance: 41%
- U.S. secondary recovery: 7,500 tons
- Steel and iron use: more than 90%
Frequently asked questions
Which country produces the most vanadium?
China, at an estimated 82,000 tons in 2025.
What is vanadium mainly used for?
Strengthening steel and iron alloys.
Does the United States mine vanadium?
No. The USGS shows no primary production, only recovery from residues and spent catalysts.
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