Specialty and minor metals
Overview
As demand for semi-conductors, touch-screens and other highly engineered products continues to grow, manufactures rely on the Argus metals price data and reliable market intelligence to track volatility and specialty materials and manage their impact on production costs.
Argus covers electronic, light and high-temperature metals, as well as specialist alloys and rare earths, through Argus Non-Ferrous Markets, Argus Battery Materials and the Argus Rare Earths Analytics service.
Electronic metals
Argus delivers transparent price data, market news and analysis across base metals, minor metals and battery materials to allow downstream participants to achieve a sustainable supply of electronic metals and reduce their exposure to price risk, all while researching and tracking individual materials in their components.
- Arsenic prices
- Bismuth prices
- Gallium prices
- Germanium prices
- Indium prices
- Selenium prices
- Tantalum prices
- Tellurium prices
- Zirconium prices
Light metals
Argus is the leader in light metals price data and serves the most active consuming regions globally in aerospace, automotive and other highly engineered industries. Manufacturers of alloyed materials and light metals benefit from both primary and scrap material coverage in the Argus suite of products.
High-temperature metals
Some materials necessitate higher temperature and corrosion resistance beyond that offered by carbon steel, these often rely on a proprietary blend of alloyed materials. Argus worked closely with manufacturers to develop the Alloy Calculator tool, a one-stop solution for estimating the current value of raw materials in their specific composition to price even the most specific blends of alloys to be priced in primary and scrap form.
- Chromium prices
- Cobalt prices
- Hafnium prices
- Molybdenum prices
- Niobium prices
- Rhenium prices
- Tantalum prices
- Tungsten prices
- Tungsten outlooks
- Vanadium prices
Highlights of specialty metals coverage
- Independent reference prices for highly illiquid markets and niche materials
- Brings transparency to markets with few global suppliers but increasing global demand
- Exchange data with 30-minute delay standard and the option to add real-time
- Twice weekly global bulk alloys, noble alloys and steel feedstock prices
- Comprehensive global electronic metals price assessments
- High-temperature metals price assessments, including full scope of tungsten coverage with optional short and long-term forecasting
- Light metals including a suite of titanium and aerospace-grade price assessments
- Rare earths prices assessments with short and long-term forecasts
- Electronic vehicle and aerospace raw materials coverage, including highly engineered components and structural materials
- Coverage of supply chain issues, including demand, capacity, risks to responsible sourcing and supply
- Alloy Calculator tool allows easy identification of cost implications for material substitutions in any alloyed metals
- Synthetic prices can be created in the Alloy Calculator to provide material value in the absence of spot market assessments
Latest specialty and minor metals news
Browse the latest market moving news on the specialty and minor metals industry.
US delays Mexico tariffs by a month: Update
US delays Mexico tariffs by a month: Update
Adds comments from press conference, White House response, historic context. Mexico City, 3 February (Argus) — The US has agreed to postpone the 4 February implementation of 25pc tariffs on Mexican goods by one month to allow more time for negotiations, President Claudia Sheinbaum said today. Under an agreement with the US, Mexico will immediately reinforce its border with the US with 10,000 national guard troops to limit drug trafficking into the US, with a specific focus on fentanyl, Sheinbaum posted on social media platform X. The US pledged to take stronger action to curb the flow of high-powered firearms into Mexico, she said. The pause will allow "Mexico time to demonstrate good results for the US people and our people" on key security concerns, Sheinbaum said. US president Donald Trump confirmed the tariff delay in a social media post, saying there would be negotiations in the coming weeks with Mexican officials and US secretary of state Marco Rubio, secretary of the treasury Scott Bessent and secretary of commerce Howard Lutnick. The White House praised Mexico's willingness to respond positively to the tariff threats, while characterizing the Canadian response as [a] misunderstanding. "The good news is that in our conversations over the weekend, one of the things we've noticed is that Mexicans are very, very serious about doing what President Trump said," White House National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett said in a broadcast interview. Canada had "misunderstood the plain language of the executive order and they're interpreting it as a trade war." Trump said this morning that he "looks forward to negotiations" with Sheinbaum to reach a deal between the countries. He is also talking to Canadian premier Justin Trudeau later today. The announcements today do not address Trump's complaints of a trade deficit with Mexico, which Sheinbaum said during a press conference today the US misinterprets as a negative. Both the US and Mexico benefit from the region becoming more competitive, she said. Mexico will also keep its retaliatory tariffs on the table: "We will save Plan B for later, if necessary," Sheinbaum said. The current tensions are similar to those from 2019, when Trump threatened to impose 5pc tariffs on all Mexican goods. He relented when former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Mexico would deploy 21,000 national guard troops to contain the flow of migrants toward the US. If the tariffs were implemented, it would disrupt the energy trade between the US and Mexico. Nearly all of Mexico's roughly 500,000 b/d of crude shipments to the US in January-November 2024 were waterborne cargoes sent to US Gulf coast refiners. Those shipments in the future could be diverted to Asia or Europe. Mexico also imports much of its road fuels and LPG from the US. But the country is unlikely to hit these goods with retaliatory tariffs, according to market sources. By Antonio Gozain and Cas Biekmann Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US manufacturing expands in Jan after 26 months: ISM
US manufacturing expands in Jan after 26 months: ISM
Houston, 3 February (Argus) — US manufacturing activity expanded in January after 26 consecutive months of contraction, according to the Institute for Supply Management's latest factory survey. The manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) registered 50.9 in January, up from 49.2 in December. The new orders index rose to 55.1 last month from 52.1 in December, marking a third month of expansion. Readings above 50 signal expansion while readings under that point to contraction. Production rose to 52.5 last month from 49.9 the prior month. Employment rose to 50.3 from 45.4. "Demand clearly improved, while output expanded and inputs remained accommodative," ISM said. "Demand and production improved; and employment expanded." US factory activity expanded robustly in the first two years after Covid-19 hit, then contracted for the subsequent two years, even as growth in services activity, the largest part of the economy, maintained the overall economy in expansion territory. The new export orders index rose by 2.4 points to 52.4 and the imports index rose by 1.4 points to 51.1. The prices index rose to 54.9 from 52.5, with aluminum, freight rates, natural gas, and scrap among gainers. "Prices growth was moderate, indicating that further growth will put additional pressure on prices," ISM said. The inventories index fell by 2.5 to 45.9, signaling contracting inventories. Backlog of orders fell by one point to 44.9, indicating order backlogs contracted for the 28th consecutive month after 27 months of expansion. Supplier deliveries rose by 0.8 to 50.9, suggesting marginally slower deliveries. By Bob Willis Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US delays Mexico tariffs by a month
US delays Mexico tariffs by a month
Mexico City, 3 February (Argus) — The US has agreed to postpone the implementation of 25pc tariffs on Mexican goods for one month, "allowing Mexico time to demonstrate good results for the US people and our people" on key security concerns, President Claudia Sheinbaum said today. Under the agreement Mexico will immediately reinforce its border with the US with 10,000 national guard troops to prevent drug trafficking into the US, with a specific focus on fentanyl, Sheinbaum posted on social media platform X following a conversation with President Donald Trump. The US pledged to take stronger action to curb the flow of high-powered firearms into Mexico, she said. US president Donald Trump confirmed the tariff delay in a social media post, saying there would be negotiations in the coming weeks with Mexican officials and US secretary of state Marco Rubio, secretary of the treasury Scott Bessent and secretary of commerce Howard Lutnick. The tariffs were originally set to take effect on 4 February. By Antonio Gozain Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Indian budget's infrastructure, green push boosts steel
Indian budget's infrastructure, green push boosts steel
Mumbai, 3 February (Argus) — A 10pc increase in the Indian government's capital spending, including a focus on shipbuilding and decarbonisation, are among the positive outcomes for the steel sector outlined in the union budget, industry sources said. The government has allocated 11.2 trillion rupees ($129bn) for capital expenditure (capex) in the April 2025-March 2026 fiscal year, compared to a revised estimate of Rs10.2 trillion in the current fiscal year. The government's initial capex target for 2024-25 had been Rs11.1 trillion, which was revised lower during the budget presentation by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 1 February. Robust infrastructure spending will boost domestic steel demand, market participants said. The building, construction and infrastructure sector was estimated to account for 69pc of India's total steel consumption in 2023-24, according to a report by Deloitte. Indian steelmakers have been banking on increased government spending to drive a recovery in domestic steel demand this year after last year's funding slowdown amid elections. But some industry experts have cautioned that the capex increase may not be sufficient to drive double-digit steel demand growth in 2025-26. The budget has not increased the allocation for roads and railways, which are major drivers of steel demand, the vice-president and sector head at Indian credit rating agency Icra, Ritabrata Ghosh, said. In the financial years 2021-24, the compound annual growth rate (Cagr) for government spending was about 30pc, Ghosh said. "In the past, [the] unprecedented pace of government spending was a shock absorber for the domestic steel industry, insulating it partially from external pressures such as imports. While 10pc growth in capex spend is still robust, it won't be as strong a stabilizer for the steel industry as it was in the last three years," he said. Focus on nuclear energy, scrap The government will invest Rs200bn to set up a nuclear energy initiative for the development of small modular reactors. The nuclear energy push "will help in driving the green transformation of the country and steel industry", ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India's chief executive Dilip Oommen said. "The steel sector also stands to benefit from indigenous shipbuilding and marine development projects, and enhanced credit availability for MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), which will have access to financing for businesses involved in the construction and manufacturing sectors," he said. Provisions to support MSMEs include an enhanced credit guarantee cover, customised credit cards with a Rs500,000 limit for micro enterprises and the launch of an export promotion initiative. For the ship industry's long-term financing, the government will set up a maritime development fund worth Rs250bn, of which it will contribute 49pc. The budget also aims to increase the categories and capacity of ships by providing the necessary infrastructure, labour and technological support. Additionally, ship scrapping will be incentivised through credit notes for shipbreaking in Indian yards. Under this scheme, a credit note of 40pc of the scrap value will be issued, "which can be reimbursed to buy new made in India ships", according to a government statement. This measure is likely to boost availability of local scrap in India, aiding decarbonisation efforts, according to industry experts. India's secondary steelmakers use scrap as a feedstock in induction furnaces to produce steel, but often rely on imported material, given low domestic availability. Increased use of scrap in steelmaking is a key focus area in the government's green steel initiative as each ton of scrap reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 58pc, compared with iron-ore based production. By Amruta Khandekar Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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