What is it?
A dense metal whose oxide layer stores charge extremely reliably, which is why it is in the capacitors of anything that must not fail.
Why does it matter?
Tantalum is also one of the '3TG' conflict minerals, so its supply chain carries formal due-diligence obligations in the US and EU.
Deeper written sections for this material have not been published yet. Everything below is drawn straight from the source datasets and is complete.
Where it comes from in the rock
All ore minerals →These are the minerals that actually carry tantalum. A deposit is only an orebody if one of them is concentrated enough to pay for digging it up.
Who produces it
See it on a map →Mine production
Mine productionmetric tons 2025 (estimated) World total 2,500 metric tons
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · Mine production of contained tantalum; much comes from artisanal sources. · source ↗
Scroll the table sideways for the remaining columns.
| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| Congo (Kinshasa) | 1,300 | 52.0% |
| Rwanda | 400.0 | 16.0% |
| Nigeria | 390.0 | 15.6% |
| Brazil | 190.0 | 7.6% |
| China | 80.00 | 3.2% |
| Australia | 50.00 | 2.0% |
| Ethiopia | 40.00 | 1.6% |
| Russia | 30.00 | 1.2% |
| Burundi | 2.00 | 0.1% |
| Bolivia | 2.00 | 0.1% |
| Mozambique | 1.00 | 0.0% |
| United States | Zero | — |
| World total | 2,500 | 100% |
“Withheld” means the USGS suppressed the figure to avoid disclosing an individual company's data — it does not mean zero. Country rows do not always sum to the world total because the source rounds each figure independently and does not always break out an “other countries” line.
Who holds the reserves
Reserves
Reservesmetric tons 2025
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗
| Country | Reserves | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| China | 240,000 | — |
| Australia | 120,000 | — |
| Brazil | 40,000 | — |
| Russia | 150.0 | — |
| Ethiopia | Not applicable | — |
| Mozambique | Not applicable | — |
| Nigeria | Not applicable | — |
| Rwanda | Not applicable | — |
| United States | Zero | — |
| Bolivia | Not applicable | — |
| Burundi | Not applicable | — |
| Congo (Kinshasa) | Not applicable | — |
| World total | Not applicable | 100% |
Price
tantalite, annual average, dollars per kilogram of tantalum oxide (Ta2O5) content
Annual averagedollars per kilogram
Basis: tantalite, annual average, dollars per kilogram of tantalum oxide (Ta2O5) content. Annual averages as published in USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗. These are reference annual averages, not a live market quote.
Mines that produce it
All mines →
Where it is processed and refined
| Plant | Kind | Stage | Country | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aero-Engine Turbine Plant, Derby | Manufacturing plant | Product | United Kingdom | Input |
What it is used for
All end markets →| End market | What it does there | Importance |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer Electronics | Capacitors | Defining |
| Data Centres & AI | Capacitors on power delivery | Important |
| Aerospace & Defence | Superalloy and capacitors | Important |
| Semiconductors | Diffusion barrier and capacitors | Important |
How much of it a technology needs
| Technology | Quantity | Quoted | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-Crystal Turbine Blade | trace | per blade set | Solid-solution strengthening |
Indicative range compiled from published technology studies and chemistry; verify against a manufacturer specification before use. Run these numbers at any scale in the material calculator →