# Where does silicon come from?

Source: Commodity Origins, https://commodityorigins.com/commodities/silicon/ — data JSON: https://commodityorigins.com/data/commodities/silicon.json — license CC BY 4.0 (upstream data keeps its license; see Sources below).

Silicon comes mainly from China, which produced 4 million tonnes in 2025, 87% of the world's 4.6 million tonnes (USGS MCS). Brazil (3.9%), Norway (2.8%) and France (1.5%) follow; the top five together supply 96%. The biggest exporter of silicon metal (HS 280469) is China (41% of world export value in 2024, CEPII BACI). Silicon is smelted from quartz and carbon in electric furnaces, USGS calls the resources abundant, and China produced most of the world's silicon metal in 2025, so the issues are smelters, trade measures and the purification step to polysilicon.

*Made by smelting quartz with carbon in electric furnaces, as silicon metal for aluminum alloys, silicones and, after further refining, solar cells and chips, and as ferrosilicon for steelmaking.* Also called: Si, silicon metal, metallurgical silicon, ferrosilicon.

## Where does silicon come from?

| Rank | Country | Production 2025 (tonnes) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 4 million | 87% |
| 2 | Brazil | 180,000 | 3.9% |
| 3 | Norway | 130,000 | 2.8% |
| 4 | France | 68,000 | 1.5% |
| 5 | Australia | 47,000 | 1% |
| 6 | Russia | 35,000 | 0.8% |
| 7 | Canada | 34,000 | 0.7% |
| 8 | Iceland | 16,000 | 0.3% |
| 9 | Germany | 13,000 | 0.3% |
| 10 | South Africa | 10,000 | 0.2% |
| | Rest of world | 46,000 | 1.5% |
| | World | 4.6 million | 100% |

Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, MCS 2026.

USGS publishes two silicon production series and gives each its own world total, so this page quotes them separately and never adds them. They are silicon metal (the metallurgical grade) and ferrosilicon (an iron and silicon alloy). USGS states that its figures are in silicon content unless otherwise specified, and the world table does not specify otherwise.

For silicon metal, China produced 4 million tonnes in 2025, 87% of the world's 4.6 million tonnes (USGS MCS). Brazil followed with 3.9%, then Norway (2.8%), France (1.5%) and Australia (1%). The top five account for 96%, and 12 countries have published figures, not counting the United States, whose entry is withheld. World output changed -16% on the previous year. The fall came mainly from a lower Chinese estimate. All figures are estimates, and the world totals exclude United States output, which USGS withholds to avoid disclosing company data.

For ferrosilicon, China produced 3.5 million tonnes in 2025, 70% of the world's 5 million tonnes. Russia was second with 8.4% (420,000 tonnes), then Brazil (3.4%), Norway (3%) and Malaysia (2.4%), which is tied with Kazakhstan on 120,000 tonnes in the USGS table. China is less dominant here, and its ferrosilicon estimate rose from 2024 while its silicon metal estimate fell. USGS states that China accounted for almost 80 percent of total global estimated production of silicon materials (ferrosilicon and silicon metal combined) in 2025; this page does not add the two series itself.

USGS does not publish a reserves table for silicon. It says that world and domestic resources for making silicon metal and alloys are abundant and, in most producing countries, adequate to supply world requirements for many decades, and that the source of the silicon is silica in natural forms such as quartzite. This page therefore gives no reserves ranking. USGS adds that US ferrosilicon and silicon metal came from five facilities in 2025, all east of the Mississippi River.


## Who exports and imports silicon?

Metallurgical-grade silicon is further purified to polysilicon for solar cells and chips; that step, not the smelting, is the narrow part of the chain.

### Exporters of silicon, less than 99.99% silicon by weight (HS 280469), 2024

| Rank | Country | Value (US$) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | $1.6 billion | 41% |
| 2 | Norway | $502.9 million | 12% |
| 3 | Brazil | $477.3 million | 12% |
| 4 | France | $219.2 million | 5.4% |
| 5 | Canada | $128.5 million | 3.2% |
| 6 | Australia | $121.7 million | 3% |
| 7 | Netherlands | $119.4 million | 3% |
| 8 | Spain | $104.5 million | 2.6% |
| 9 | Malaysia | $98.6 million | 2.4% |
| 10 | South Africa | $97 million | 2.4% |
| 11 | Laos | $86.7 million | 2.1% |
| 12 | Iceland | $78.3 million | 1.9% |
| 13 | Germany | $60.7 million | 1.5% |
| 14 | United States | $48.6 million | 1.2% |
| 15 | Thailand | $44.9 million | 1.1% |

### Importers of silicon, less than 99.99% silicon by weight (HS 280469), 2024

| Rank | Country | Value (US$) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | $589.6 million | 15% |
| 2 | United States | $528 million | 13% |
| 3 | Japan | $379.6 million | 9.4% |
| 4 | Thailand | $315 million | 7.8% |
| 5 | Netherlands | $277.1 million | 6.9% |
| 6 | Malaysia | $201.4 million | 5% |
| 7 | India | $185.1 million | 4.6% |
| 8 | South Korea | $172.7 million | 4.3% |
| 9 | China | $163.1 million | 4% |
| 10 | United Kingdom | $156.6 million | 3.9% |
| 11 | Italy | $132.6 million | 3.3% |
| 12 | United Arab Emirates | $123.1 million | 3% |
| 13 | France | $86.9 million | 2.1% |
| 14 | Poland | $74.7 million | 1.8% |
| 15 | Norway | $69.1 million | 1.7% |

### Exporters of ferro-silicon, more than 55% silicon (HS 720221), 2024

| Rank | Country | Value (US$) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | $565.3 million | 17% |
| 2 | Brazil | $312.2 million | 9.7% |
| 3 | Malaysia | $308.1 million | 9.5% |
| 4 | Norway | $297.7 million | 9.2% |
| 5 | Russia | $232.8 million | 7.2% |
| 6 | Iceland | $188.9 million | 5.8% |
| 7 | Kazakhstan | $179.2 million | 5.5% |
| 8 | Bhutan | $161.1 million | 5% |
| 9 | Poland | $119.6 million | 3.7% |
| 10 | Iran | $94.4 million | 2.9% |
| 11 | France | $77.4 million | 2.4% |
| 12 | Netherlands | $75.7 million | 2.3% |
| 13 | Germany | $71.7 million | 2.2% |
| 14 | Vietnam | $63.1 million | 2% |
| 15 | Canada | $57.6 million | 1.8% |

### Importers of ferro-silicon, more than 55% silicon (HS 720221), 2024

| Rank | Country | Value (US$) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | $531.2 million | 16% |
| 2 | South Korea | $320.8 million | 9.9% |
| 3 | United States | $267.9 million | 8.3% |
| 4 | India | $251.4 million | 7.8% |
| 5 | Germany | $213.3 million | 6.6% |
| 6 | Netherlands | $185.8 million | 5.7% |
| 7 | Turkey (Türkiye) | $126.4 million | 3.9% |
| 8 | Belgium | $121.1 million | 3.7% |
| 9 | Italy | $104.9 million | 3.2% |
| 10 | Indonesia | $103.9 million | 3.2% |
| 11 | Other Asia, nes | $87.8 million | 2.7% |
| 12 | China | $84.4 million | 2.6% |
| 13 | Austria | $65.1 million | 2% |
| 14 | Mexico | $60.5 million | 1.9% |
| 15 | Finland | $48.4 million | 1.5% |

Source: CEPII BACI international trade database (HS22, V202601).

Neither customs line below is the high-purity silicon used in solar cells and chips. HS 280469 is silicon of less than 99.99% purity, the metallurgical grade, and it is the line this page uses for silicon metal. It mixes every purity below that threshold. USGS lists silicon of 99.99% purity or more under a separate tariff subheading (2804.61), and describes polysilicon as a further processing step. This page quotes no trade figures for that higher-purity product.

In 2024 China was the largest exporter of silicon metal (HS 280469) with 41% of world export value, ahead of Norway (12%), Brazil (12%), France (5.4%) and Canada (3.2%), on world trade of $4 billion (CEPII BACI). The largest importer was Germany with 15%, ahead of the United States (13%), Japan (9.4%), Thailand (7.8%) and the Netherlands (6.9%). China is both the leading exporter and only the ninth-largest importer, at 4% of import value.

The trade and production tables are different sources for different years. Norway holds 12% of 2024 export value but 2.8% of the 2025 production estimate, and Brazil holds 12% of export value but 3.9% of production. This page does not reconcile them. See [producing, exporting and processing](/learn/producing-vs-exporting-vs-processing/) for how to read such tables.

The second line is HS 720221, ferrosilicon with more than 55% silicon. Ferrosilicon at or below that threshold is outside it, and USGS notes that the standard ferrosilicon grades are 50% and 75% silicon plus miscellaneous silicon alloys, so the 50% grade is not captured by this line. In 2024 China led exports with 17% of world export value, ahead of Brazil (9.7%), Malaysia (9.5%), Norway (9.2%) and Russia (7.2%), on world trade of $3.2 billion. The largest importers were Japan (16%), South Korea (9.9%), the United States (8.3%) and India (7.8%). China produces 70% of the ferrosilicon USGS tabulates but accounts for a much smaller share of export value. The tables do not say where the rest of its output goes.


## What does silicon cost?

### How it is priced

This page quotes no silicon price, because there is no free public series. USGS reports US prices from commercial sources: its table gives an average price in cents per pound of contained silicon for 75% ferrosilicon and for silicon metal, both drawn from the mean import prices published by S&P Global Platts in Metals Week, and it notes that a CRU Group series of spot prices for 50% ferrosilicon was discontinued in April 2022. These are subscription products.

Silicon metal and ferrosilicon have different price series, and HS 280469 spans every purity below 99.99%, so a customs unit value averages over grades. A US import price and a Chinese domestic price are different measurements, so check which market and grade a quote refers to.

There is one exchange benchmark that this site does not carry. According to a Chinese government announcement, the Guangzhou Futures Exchange began trading industrial silicon futures on 22 December 2022. How that contract's specification maps onto the grades in HS 280469 is not covered here.

USGS describes 2025 as follows. According to industry publications cited by USGS, the January through October 2025 average US price of silicon metal was lower than the 2024 annual average. USGS says the decrease was attributed to oversupply, weak demand from the aluminum and silicon industries, and the availability of polysilicon stocks. The average US price of 75% ferrosilicon was higher than in 2024. This page describes nothing after 2025. Companies named below are listed for context on who operates in the market, and naming a listed company is not investment advice. Their headquarters and listing details were read from the source given for each company as of 7 October 2026, except Ferroglobe's, which comes from a May 2025 filing.


## What moves the price of silicon?

### Chinese output and 2025 silicon metal prices

USGS's 2025 table puts China's silicon metal estimate at 4 million tonnes, 87% of the world total, lower than in 2024, and its ferrosilicon estimate at 3.5 million tonnes, higher than in 2024. World silicon metal output changed -16%. Citing industry publications, USGS says the fall in the average US silicon metal price in 2025 was attributed to oversupply, weak demand from the aluminum and silicon industries, and polysilicon stock availability.

### Aluminum and silicones demand

USGS names producers of [aluminum](/commodities/aluminum/) alloys and the chemical industry, in particular makers of silicones, as the main consumers of silicon metal in the United States.

### Steel and foundry demand for ferrosilicon

USGS reports that most US ferrosilicon is consumed in the ferrous foundry and steel industries, predominantly in the eastern United States. See the page on [steel](/commodities/steel/).

### Electricity and smelter operating conditions

Smelting is an electric process. One steelmaking reference puts power use at roughly 9,000 to 10,000 kilowatt-hours for a tonne of 75% ferrosilicon, which makes electricity a major input.

### Polysilicon, solar and semiconductors

Silicon metal can be refined into polysilicon, which feeds solar and chip supply chains. USGS reports that a US polysilicon facility announced at the end of 2024 that it would cease production. A section 232 proclamation signed on 6 August 2026 sets minimum import prices for polysilicon, ingots, wafers, cells and modules and a tariff on derivatives, for goods entered from 4 December 2026. As of 7 October 2026 it is not yet in effect.

### Trade remedies and safeguards

USGS records an April 2025 US finding of injury from ferrosilicon imports from Brazil, Kazakhstan and Malaysia, leading to antidumping and countervailing duty orders. A November 2025 EU safeguard with country quotas covers ferro-manganese, ferro-silicon, ferro-silico-manganese and ferro-silico-magnesium; silicon metal is not listed. This was read from secondary copies (lawplayer.com and eurometal.net) because EUR-Lex could not be fetched.

### Critical-mineral policy and substitution

Silicon is on the 2025 US critical minerals list and the EU list names silicon metal. Substitutes exist in some applications, according to USGS, which lists aluminum, silicon carbide and silicomanganese for ferrosilicon in some uses and gallium arsenide and germanium for silicon in semiconductor and infrared applications.

## How is silicon produced?

Los Alamos National Laboratory describes commercial silicon as prepared by heating silica and carbon in an electric-arc furnace, and USGS notes that US ferrosilicon is sourced primarily from domestic quartzite.

Ferrosilicon is made in a similar way, with an iron source in the charge. A steelmaking reference (ispatguru) describes the raw materials as quartzite lumps, an iron source such as iron ore, steel scrap or mill scale, and a carbon reductant such as coal or petroleum coke, smelted in a submerged arc furnace with self-baking electrodes. The same reference describes the process as very energy-intensive, says silicon recovery is high only if silicon monoxide gas is recovered in the cooler outer layers of the charge, and gives about 85 percent as the typical industrial yield in a well-operated furnace. USGS names two standard grades, 50% and 75% silicon, and groups the miscellaneous silicon alloys with them.

Chips and solar cells use ultra-high-purity silicon, commonly referred to as polysilicon, which USGS describes as a further processing step from silicon metal. The Royal Society of Chemistry describes electronics-grade silicon as prepared by thermal decomposition of ultra-pure trichlorosilane followed by recrystallization. That purification is a separate processing step from the smelting described above.


## What is silicon used for?

USGS gives no end-use percentage split for silicon, so this page gives none.

USGS reports that the main US consumers of silicon metal are producers of aluminum alloys and the chemical industry, in particular for making silicones. The Royal Society of Chemistry lists aluminum-silicon alloys for engine components. Silicones are lubricants, sealants and rubber products, according to the same source. A third route is purification to polysilicon, which USGS says three US companies carried out in 2025.

Ferrosilicon goes to steel. USGS reports that most US ferrosilicon is consumed in the ferrous foundry and steel industries, predominantly in the eastern United States. The Royal Society of Chemistry also lists steel deoxidation and silicon carbide abrasives among silicon's uses.

Substitution is possible in some cases. USGS lists aluminum, silicon carbide and silicomanganese as substitutes for ferrosilicon in some applications, and gallium arsenide and germanium as the principal substitutes for silicon in semiconductor and infrared uses. USGS describes recycling of silicon as insignificant.


## Supply chain and chokepoints

The chain runs from quartz and carbon, through an electric furnace, to silicon metal or ferrosilicon, and then to different customers. Silicon metal goes to aluminum alloy makers, silicone makers and polysilicon refiners. Ferrosilicon goes to steel and foundries. The production table has 12 countries with published figures (the United States' entry is withheld) but is concentrated, with 94% of silicon metal output from three countries and China alone at 87%. The step USGS describes as further processing, purifying silicon metal to ultra-high purity, is the one that links this page to solar panels and chips.

Silicon is on the US 2025 critical minerals list and the EU list. USGS reports that the US list published on 7 November 2025 added silicon, along with copper, lead, potash, rhenium and silver, and says the additions were based on its updated methodology for the 2025 list. The EU list in Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 names silicon metal. The US entry reads silicon and the EU entry silicon metal. The [critical minerals](/critical-minerals/) hub explains what these lists are and how they differ, and the [glossary entry](/glossary/critical-mineral/) defines the term.

Trade measures act at several points. USGS estimates US net import reliance for silicon metal as above half of apparent consumption in 2025 and below half in 2024, and says 2025 silicon metal imports were substantially higher than in 2024, possibly because of uncertainty about tariffs and possible export restrictions elsewhere. The section 232 proclamation of 6 August 2026 sets minimum import prices and a derivatives tariff for goods entered from 4 December 2026, and as of 7 October 2026 it is not yet in effect. Its Annex I, which lists the minimum-price subheadings, includes HTSUS 2804.61.0000 (silicon of 99.99 percent or more) for polysilicon; the metallurgical line, 2804.69, is not among those subheadings, and USGS likewise lists 2804.61 separately from 2804.69. This page did not check the proclamation's other annex.

No shortage or bottleneck is asserted here. The point is where the stages sit and who is exposed to each.


## Key companies

- Elkem: producer of silicon, ferrosilicon and foundry alloys, with carbon solutions, Norway, listed (ELK)
- Ferroglobe: producer of silicon metal, silicon-based and manganese-based alloys and ferroalloys, United Kingdom, listed (GSM)
- Wacker Chemie: silicones and polysilicon maker with silicon-metal production in Norway, Germany, listed (WCH)

## Timeline

- 1824: Berzelius obtains silicon. The Royal Society of Chemistry gives 1824 as the date Jöns Jacob Berzelius, a Swedish chemist, discovered silicon by heating potassium fluorosilicate with potassium, after earlier attempts by Gay-Lussac and Thénard in 1811 had produced impure silicon. (https://periodic-table.rsc.org/element/14/silicon)
- 2010-06: Wacker announces the purchase of a Norwegian silicon-metal plant. Wacker Chemie said on 7 June 2010 that it was acquiring the Holla plant from FESIL, subject to approvals, to secure silicon metal as a raw material for silicones and polysilicon, an example of a chemical company buying smelting capacity. (https://www.wacker.com/cms/en-us/about-wacker/investor-relations/ad-hoc-disclosures/detail-101683.html)
- 2022-12: Guangzhou Futures Exchange lists industrial silicon futures. China announced that industrial silicon futures would begin trading on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange on 22 December 2022, with options the next day, adding an exchange contract that this site does not carry. (https://english.www.gov.cn/statecouncil/ministries/202212/10/content_WS6394255fc6d0a757729e44c1.html)
- 2024: EU critical raw materials list names silicon metal. Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 lists silicon metal among the 34 raw materials considered critical, which is the EU list's entry for the commodity covered on this page. (https://eitrawmaterials.eu/sites/default/files/2026-02/List%20of%2034%20Critical%20Raw%20Materials%20Annex%20II%20CRMA%202023.pdf)
- 2025-04: US finds injury from ferrosilicon imports from three countries. The US International Trade Commission voted on 30 April 2025 that a US industry was materially injured by imports of ferrosilicon from Brazil, Kazakhstan and Malaysia that Commerce had found sold at less than fair value and subsidized, so antidumping and countervailing duty orders followed; USGS also records the finding. (https://www.usitc.gov/press_room/news_release/2025/er0430_66902.htm)
- 2025-07: Commerce opens a section 232 investigation into polysilicon. The Bureau of Industry and Security initiated an investigation on 1 July 2025 into the national security effects of imports of polysilicon and its derivatives, with public comments due by 6 August 2025. (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/xml/2025/07/16/2025-13345.xml)
- 2025-11: US adds silicon to its critical minerals list. USGS reports that the Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals was published in the Federal Register on 7 November 2025 (90 FR 50494) and that silicon was among the additions to the 2022 list. (https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-silicon.pdf)
- 2025-11: EU adopts a safeguard on certain ferroalloys including ferrosilicon. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2351, dated 18 November 2025, imposes a three-year safeguard with country-specific tariff-rate quotas. It covers ferro-manganese, ferro-silicon, ferro-silico-manganese and ferro-silico-magnesium; silicon metal is not listed. This was read from secondary copies (lawplayer.com, eurometal.net) because EUR-Lex could not be fetched. (https://lawplayer.com/eu/act/32025R2351)
- 2026-08: US proclamation sets section 232 measures on polysilicon and derivatives. A section 232 proclamation signed on 6 August 2026 sets minimum import prices for polysilicon (HTSUS 2804.61.0000, silicon of 99.99 percent or more), polysilicon ingots and wafers, solar cells and solar modules, and a 15 percent tariff on derivatives, for goods entered on or after 12:01 a.m. ET on 4 December 2026. As of 7 October 2026 it is not yet in effect. (https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/08/adjusting-imports-of-polysilicon-and-its-derivatives-into-the-united-states/)

## Frequently asked questions

### which country produces the most silicon

For silicon metal, China produced 4 million tonnes in 2025, 87% of the world's 4.6 million tonnes (USGS MCS), followed by Brazil (3.9%) and Norway (2.8%). For ferrosilicon, China led with 70% of 5 million tonnes. The two series are quoted separately and are estimates that exclude United States output.

### what is silicon used for

Silicon metal is used mainly by makers of aluminum alloys and by the chemical industry for silicones, and it can be refined further into polysilicon for solar cells and chips, according to USGS. Ferrosilicon is used mostly in steel and foundries. USGS gives no end-use percentage split, so this site does not either.

### what is the difference between silicon metal, ferrosilicon and polysilicon

Silicon metal is metallurgical-grade silicon smelted from silica and carbon, and it is traded under HS 280469 (less than 99.99% silicon). Ferrosilicon is an iron and silicon alloy used in steelmaking, traded under HS 720221 when it has more than 55% silicon. Polysilicon is silicon purified to ultra-high purity for semiconductors and solar cells, a further step that this page has no trade figures for.

### how much silicon is left

USGS gives no reserves figure for silicon. It says that resources for making silicon metal and alloys are abundant and, in most producing countries, adequate to supply world requirements for many decades, and that the silicon comes from silica in forms such as quartzite. The questions on this page are about smelting, power, trade measures and purification.

### which country exports the most silicon metal

China was the largest exporter of silicon metal (HS 280469) in 2024 with 41% of world export value, ahead of Norway (12%) and Brazil (12%), while Germany was the largest importer with 15% (CEPII BACI). For ferrosilicon (HS 720221) the leading exporter was China.

### why is there no silicon price on this page

No free public series exists. USGS draws its US silicon metal and 75% ferrosilicon prices from the mean import prices published by S&P Global Platts in Metals Week, a subscription source, and a CRU series for 50% ferrosilicon was discontinued in April 2022. Silicon metal and ferrosilicon are priced separately, and HS 280469 covers many purities, so this site shows no price level.

## Sources

- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, MCS 2026, fetched 8 October 2026. License: Public domain (US Government work). https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/mineral-commodity-summaries
- CEPII BACI international trade database (HS22, V202601), BACI HS22 V202601, fetched 6 September 2026. License: Etalab Open Licence 2.0. https://www.cepii.fr/CEPII/en/bdd_modele/bdd_modele_item.asp?id=37

Text last reviewed 2026-10-07. The text is written with AI assistance and checked against the cited data; figures are computed by scripts from the sources (https://commodityorigins.com/about/#how-ai-is-used). Cite as: Commodity Origins, "Where does silicon come from?", https://commodityorigins.com/commodities/silicon/.