Mineral Commodity Summaries 2003 - Mineral Resources Program ...

66
GALLIUM
(Data in kilograms of gallium content, unless otherwise noted)
Domestic Production and Use: No domestic primary gallium recovery was reported in 2002. Two companies in
Oklahoma and Utah recovered and refined gallium from scrap and impure gallium metal. Imports of gallium, which
supplied most of U.S. gallium consumption, were valued at about $6 million, most of which was low-purity material.
Gallium arsenide (GaAs) components represented about 98% of domestic gallium consumption. About 34% of the
gallium consumed was used in optoelectronic devices, which include light-emitting diodes (LEDs), laser diodes,
photodetectors, and solar cells. Integrated circuits represented 65% of gallium demand. The remaining 1% was used
in research and development, specialty alloys, and other applications. Optoelectronic devices were used in areas
such as aerospace, consumer goods, industrial components, medical equipment, and telecommunications. Integrated
circuits were used in defense applications, high-performance computers, and telecommunications.
Salient Statistics—United States: 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 e
Production, primary — — — — —
Imports for consumption 26,300 24,100 39,400 27,100 21,000
Exports
Consumption:
NA NA NA NA NA
Reported 26,900 29,800 39,900 27,700 21,000
Apparent NA NA NA NA NA
Price, yearend, dollars per kilogram, 99.99999%-pure 595 640 640 640
1
550
Stocks, producer, yearend NA NA NA NA NA
Employment, refinery, number e
20 20 20 20 20
Net import reliance 2 as a percentage
of apparent consumption NA NA NA NA NA
Recycling: Old scrap, none. Substantial quantities of new scrap generated in the manufacture of GaAs-based
devices were reprocessed.
Import Sources (1998-2001): France, 44%; Kazakhstan, 16%; Russia, 12%; China, 8%; and other, 20%.
Tariff: Item Number Normal Trade Relations
12/31/02
Gallium metal 8112.92.1000 3.0% ad val.
Gallium arsenide wafers, undoped 2851.00.0010 2.8% ad val.
Gallium arsenide wafers, doped 3818.00.0010 Free.
Depletion Allowance: Not applicable.
Government Stockpile: None.
Events, Trends, and Issues: One of the two refiners in the United States announced that it would exit the gallium
business because of a slump in demand by the telecommunications industry. The Oklahoma firm said that it would
liquidate its remaining inventory before the end of 2002. This leaves the United States with only one gallium refiner,
located in Utah.
Imports continued to supply almost all U.S. demand for gallium and decreased from those in 2001 because of the
continued slowdown in the wireless communications industry. Using partial-year data, China, France, and Russia
were the principal U.S. gallium suppliers in 2002. Through July, China had supplied nearly 90% of total imports.
Gallium prices remained lower throughout the year because of the decreased demand. The price of low-purity gallium
from China was estimated to be about $250 per kilogram at midyear, and prices for high-purity gallium were estimated
to be between $400 and $500 per kilogram.
Prepared by Deborah A. Kramer, [(703) 648-7719, dkramer@usgs.gov, fax: (703) 648-7722]