Chromium · Cr
base_metal · primary
Bottom line
Chromium sits on 2 federal critical-minerals lists; mine supply is concentrated (HHI 0.25, 2023), led by 🇿🇦 South Africa at 44% of output. The US is 79% net import-reliant (2025). Prices fell 12% over the past year (+10%/yr over 4y).
At a glance
Headline indicators
Price · 2025e
290dollars per metric ton
USGS MCS (Chromite ore (gross weight), d) · source marks this value estimated
Price trend
-12% 1Y
+10%/yr · 4Y CAGR
US net import reliance · 2025
79%
Mine production (chromite ore) HHI
0.25
Concentrated · 2023
From ore to use
lifecycle flow
- 01Reserves
540.0Mt
South Africa leads · 20% share
- 02Production
50.9Mt
South Africa top · 2025
- 03Trade
380.0Kt
net importer · 2025
- 04Stocks
5.0Kt
year-end · 2025
- 05Consumption
480.0Kt
Consumption (includes recycling): Apparent · 2025
Coverage
Data coverage notes
- datedMaterial-flow analysis is historical - All 1254 material-flow records date to 2005 or earlier (Yale STAF era). They describe the anthropogenic cycle of that period, not today's system.
- datedEnvironmental footprint is dated - Cradle-to-gate intensity rows carry a 2008 inventory vintage (Nuss & Eckelman-era LCA). Current-process footprints are not yet in scope.
- datedExport-restriction inventory ends 2020 - The OECD industrial-raw-materials inventory (vendored snapshot) reports HS-line measures only through 2020; restrictions enacted since are not reflected in the measure table.
- narrowConsumption geography is single-economy (United States) - Reported consumption covers one economy only - the world usage split must be read from trade flows, not from a consumption table.
Methodology
How strata reads a commodity
The eight-stage lens, the observed-vs-estimated membrane, stage-honest supply, per-stage concentration, ownership resolution and the demand lens - the full method is illustrated live on copper, nickel and lithium.
Provenance
Where this data comes from
- BGS World Mineral Statistics
- ICDA ferrochrome + chrome-ore production by region (chromium)
midstream_components_seed
- Minerals Council South Africa 'Facts and Figures' Datasheets XLSX (free public download) - archived via `strata mcsa-facts pull`; the Manganese + Chrome sheets parse to South Africa saleable-ore production, total-sales and export-sales SupplyRecords (2013-2024, DMPR + SARS national series). SA is the world's #1 producer of both manganese ore and chromite. All tonnages are GROSS saleable ore, never contained metal.
ni43101_deposits
ownership_control_seed
- USGS DS-140 (constant 1998 USD)
- USGS DS-140 (nominal)
- USGS MCS (Chromite ore (gross weight), d)
- USGS MCS (Chromium metal (gross weight),)
- USGS MCS (Ferrochromium (chromium conten)
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries World Data (legacy wide format, 2023-2025 vintages)
- USGS Minerals Yearbook OFR 2025-1047
- USGS Minerals Yearbook Vol III, reference year 2019
- usgs myb1 chromium 2022
- usgs myb1 chromium 2023
usgs_critmin_deposits_v3
usgs_deposit_gt
usgs_mrds_2016
usmin_critical_deposits
22 sources · titles open the source card · url opens the publisher