{"slug":"niobium","name":"Niobium","aliases":["Nb","columbium","ferroniobium","pyrochlore"],"category":"metals","subcategory":"minor-metals","tier":3,"what_is_it":"A soft grey metal, mined from pyrochlore and sold mostly as ferroniobium, that adds strength to steel in tiny proportions and is used in superalloys and superconducting magnets.","unit_display":"tonnes (niobium content)","wikidata":"Q1046","related":["steel","manganese","chromium"],"exchanges":[],"industry_body":{"name":"US Geological Survey National Minerals Information Center","url":"https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/niobium-and-tantalum-statistics-and-information"},"hs":[{"code":"720293","label":"Ferro-niobium","primary":true}],"trade_form":"ferroniobium (HS 720293)","processing_note":"Niobium ore has no customs line of its own (it shares a heading with tantalum and vanadium ores), so trade here is the ferroniobium that is the main commercial product.","production_note":null,"sources":{"usgs_mcs":{"id":"usgs_mcs","name":"USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries","short":"USGS MCS","url":"https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/mineral-commodity-summaries","license":"Public domain (US Government work)","license_url":"https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits","citation":"U.S. Geological Survey, {year}, Mineral Commodity Summaries {year}: U.S. Geological Survey. 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