Chromium — material dossier
Chromium is the no-substitute alloying element: there is no replacement for it in stainless steel, its leading end use, or in superalloys, the major strategic one. That single fact puts a structural floor under its supply-risk score regardless of formal export controls.
What it is
Hard, corrosion-resistant transition metal (atomic number 24; melting point 1907°C). Reaches steelmakers as ferrochrome (FeCr), an iron-chromium alloy smelted from chromite ore (FeCr₂O₄) in electric-arc furnaces. ~80% of chromium demand is metallurgical (stainless and alloy steel); the rest is chemicals and refractories.
Where it comes from
Chromite ore mining (~51 Mt/yr gross, 2025 — USGS MCS 2026)
- South Africa ~45% — Bushveld Complex (Glencore-Merafe,
Samancor). The dominant ore source.
- Turkey ~18%, Kazakhstan ~14% (ERG Donskoy/Kazchrome),
India ~6%, Brazil/Zimbabwe ~4% each, Finland ~4% (Outokumpu Kemi, the only EU chromite mine).
Ferrochrome conversion (the binding stage)
China is the leading ferrochrome and stainless-steel producer, built largely on imported South African ore (~46% estimated, ICDA), ahead of South Africa (~27%, power-constrained), Kazakhstan (~14%) and India (~9%). The value-add step has migrated to China even though the ore has not.
Why it matters
Stainless and alloy steels, gears, bearings, fasteners and corrosion-critical parts. For wind turbines (Vestas), chromium is in the stainless and alloy steels of the gearbox, fasteners and corrosion-exposed structural components.
Supply-risk read
Two-stage concentration (South-Africa ore + China conversion) combined with zero substitutability holds the score up despite the absence of formal export controls. The USGS-flagged watch item: potential South African export controls or tariffs on chromite ore would hit Chinese ferrochrome output directly, coupling the two ends of the chain. Treat the chromite shares as USGS-exact and the ferrochrome split as an ICDA-based estimate.