Tantalite prices jump to over two-decade high on Congo supply fears
Tantalite prices have surged to their highest level in more than two decades on supply fears following landslides at a major mine in top producer, the Democratic Republic of Congo, while demand for the metal used in electronics and chemical-processing equipment remained robust.
Tantalite is the primary source of tantalum, a metal used in capacitors, aerospace components, and nuclear technology.
European tantalite prices have surged to between $200/lb and $210/lb, a 90% year‑to‑date jump and the highest since the 2000s.
Earlier this month, a landslide hit the Rubaya columbite/tantalite mine in eastern Congo. The Rubaya mine is in rebel‑controlled territory and falls outside any official due diligence system, but the shutdown is still disrupting supply because much of the metal from the DRC ends up in top consumer China, three market sources said.
According to the US Geological Survey, Congo produced more than 50% of global tantalum mine output in 2025, while Rwanda is a major producer and exporter.
"AI data centers are expected to buy up a lot of tantalum-containing products like capacitors and memory chips this year. Additionally, if you're building an AI data center with a big gas turbine, some of the super-alloys used in industrial gas turbine blades contain significant amounts of tantalum," said Sian Morris, a senior analyst at information provider Argus.
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Developed to exceed the latest EN 15964 standards for police breathalysers proving that it will remain accurate and reliable for many years to come.
VISIT SHOWROOM
Rittal is a world leading provider of top-quality integrated systems for enclosures, power distribution, climate control, IT infrastructure and...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
