The current price of Hafnium is $4,451.81 per kg.
Please note that the price provided above is the retail price for private investors and is aligned with industry retail pricing. For bulk hafnium purchases, whether investment or industry, please contact us directly for a quotation.
Table: Hafnium Historical Prices and Price Changes
| Date | Hafnium Price | Change % to Today | Annual Change % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 21 2024 | $4,451.81 / kg | ||
| Jan 1 2024 | $4,657.10 / kg | –4.41% | |
| Jan 1 2023 | $4,560.00 / kg | –2.37% | +2.13% |
| Jan 1 2022 | $1,632.40 / kg | +172.72% | +179.34% |
| Jan 1 2021 | $1,404.30 / kg | +217.01% | +16.24% |
| Jan 1 2020 | $1,565.76 / kg | +184.32% | -10.31% |
| Jan 1 2019 | $1,856.40 / kg | +139.81% | -15.66% |
| Jan 1 2018 | $2,011.70 / kg | +121.30% | -7.71% |
Hafnium Historical Price Movement
At today’s price of $4,451.81 per kg, hafnium has changed –4.41% so far since the start of 2024. Since the beginning of 2022 ( $1,632.40 per kg), it has gained a massive +172.72%, and compared to its price of $1,404.30 per kg on Jan 1st 2021 hafnium has increased +217.01% today. If we go back further to Jan 1st 2018, when the cost of hafnium was $2,011.70 per kg, then this rare metal is up +121.30%.To gain a better understanding of hafnium’s potential future market price, let’s explore its various applications and the countries who produce it (click here to jump to the forecast).
Hafnium is a chemical element with the symbol Hf and atomic number 72. Found in zirconium minerals, it’s a shiny, silvery, ductile metal that resists corrosion due to the formation of a tough, impenetrable oxide film on its surface.
Hafnium Uses
This strategic metal is used in a variety of industries and applications, including:
- Nuclear plants: Hafnium is used in nuclear reactors because it can absorb high levels of radiation. Its neutron-absorbing properties make it an ideal material for use in control rods in nuclear reactors.
- Aerospace industry: This industry uses hafnium because of its high melting point and resistance to corrosion. It is often used in rocket engines and spacecraft components.
- Chemical industry: This industry uses hafnium as a catalyst, often in the production of ammonia and other chemicals.
- Microelectronics: Hafnium oxide is used as a dielectric material in microelectronics. Intelâ„¢ also proclaim the use of hafnium in their Pentium processors, adding heat resistance.
- Other applications: This metal is used to make anti-reflective coated glass in camera lenses and eyeglasses. Because of its ability to shed electrons into air, it’s also used as the electrode in plasma cutting.
Where is Hafnium Produced?
Commercial sources of hafnium-bearing zirconium minerals are found in beach sands and river gravel in the United States (principally Florida), Australia, Brazil, India, and Western Africa.
Currently, the major hafnium-producing countries are the US and France. Russia produces smaller amounts too, and it’s believed that Ukraine, another notable producer, has ceased production since the war and that raw material passes to Russia for processing. India and China have some low-volume hafnium production for domestic use, but they don’t export.
What Factors Determine the Price of Hafnium?
Simply put, the laws of supply and demand determine the price of this strategic metal, as they do with all other commodities. As mentioned above, hafnium is a critical component in several industries. So, for example, if the demand for jet engines or Intel Pentium increases, so will the demand for hafnium.
Regarding the supply, we already noted that there’re no independent hafnium deposits, and this strategic metal is always a by-product of mining zirconium. While zirconian is more than twice as abundant as copper and zinc, it’s usually only found in minimal quantities and tiny crystals (typically around 0,1 mm). Therefore, it was considered rare in ancient times. However, the costly hafnium extraction process mainly constrains the supply.
Unlike with many other strategic metals and rare earths, China isn’t a contributing factor in the supply chain. China currently only produces hafnium to satisfy its own demand, and most of the demand from the West is met by production from France and the US.
Hafnium Price Forecast
Historically, hafnium’s primary demand stemmed from the nuclear industry, where it plays a crucial role in control rods. While this demand will continue, it’s not expected to grow substantially due to the global shift toward greener energy sources.
Today, more than half of hafnium’s annual production is consumed by the aerospace and industrial gas turbine sectors, where it’s used in superalloys for turbine blades and vanes. The long-term outlook for these applications remains strong, with demand from the aerospace industry expected to double over the next 20 years, driven by increasing air travel and the push for more efficient, environmentally friendly engines.
In other sectors, hafnium’s use in semiconductor technology, such as in Intel Pentium processors, continues to rise, as does its application in high-performance materials like plasma-cutting tips. However, hafnium’s availability remains tightly linked to the production of zirconium, which limits supply growth (for every 50 tonnes of zirconium, only 1 tonne of hafnium is produced).
Despite the optimistic long-term demand forecast, hafnium prices saw a 3.44% decline in the first 10 months of 2024. This reflects short-term market adjustments, partly due to economic headwinds and a period of stabilization following the massive 179% price surge in 2022 (VIDEO: reason behind hafnium’s price increase in 2022). The aerospace industry’s recovery, while underway, is progressing slower than initially anticipated, contributing to this year’s moderate price decline.
Looking ahead, the medium to long-term outlook for hafnium remains highly favorable. Supply constraints coupled with sustained demand growth, especially from the aerospace sector, suggest that hafnium remains an attractive investment in strategic metals. Investors with a long-term perspective are likely to see significant returns, as the factors driving demand continue to intensify. Hafnium’s price may fluctuate in the short term, but its role as a critical material in high-tech industries positions it for steady appreciation over the next decade.
In conclusion, while we’ve seen a short-term price dip, hafnium is still a key asset for any mixed strategic metals portfolio, particularly for those aiming for long-term growth in sectors critical to technology and aerospace.
How to Buy Hafnium Bars
If you Google search “buy hafnium bars”, you’ll find several suppliers and online marketplaces like Alibaba, eBay, and Amazon selling this metal. It’s worth noting though that unless you purchase from a reputable dealer, there’s no guarantee of the purity and no possibility of liquidation to anyone other than hobbyists.
Corporate buyers like Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, GE Aviation, and Intel only use licensed metal dealers to buy the industry-grade hafnium they need in their production process. Experienced metals dealers, such as ourselves, act as key intermediaries between the industry users and the producers of strategic raw materials.
Any discerning investor who wants to benefit from future hafnium price increases by purchasing and owning this metal can do this through us, the only globally licensed industry supplier offering this option to private investors. We sell industry-grade hafnium at a minimum of 99.9% purity and less than 0.2% zirconium: Hf+Zr min. 99,9% (Zr < 0,2%). Please note that this is the purest form of hafnium that is preferred by the aerospace industry.
You can also trade hafnium futures contracts in the Shanghai Metal Market (SMM).
How to Sell Hafnium
If you own some hafnium bars, you can sell them online to other hobbyists at sites like eBay, Amazon Marketplace, or Alibaba. However, you won’t get market rates because industry buyers like Safran, Intel, General Electric, and Rolls-Royce only buy pure industrial-grade hafnium from established industry suppliers.
They will only transact with a seller that can provide documentary evidence of the entire chain of custody, purity reports, and proper storage facilities. Because we’re a reputable industry supplier, we guarantee the safe and fast liquidation of our investors’ hafnium and other strategic metals to the market.
All prices on this page last updated Oct 21 2024.