OVERVIEW OF THE GLOBAL TUNGSTEN MARKET. PART 3. COMMODITY FLOWS OF FINAL TUNGSTEN PRODUCTS

Abstract

Link for citation: Boyarko G.Yu. Overview of the global tungsten market. Part 3. Commodity flows of final tungsten products. Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University. Geo Аssets Engineering, 2023, vol. 334, no. 6, рр.57-74. In Rus. The relevance of the work is caused by the need to study the problems of quite volatile global market of final tungsten products. Objective: to study the dynamics of global commodity flows (production, import, export, consumption) of final tungsten products (ferrotungsten, tungsten metal, tungsten carbide); to assess the criticality of the world market of tungsten products. Methods: statistical, graphical, logical. Results. The global market of final tungsten products is quite complex. The world production of final tungsten products increased from 42–52 kt 100 % W/year in the 70s of the XX century to 100–119 kt 100 % W/year in the 10s of the XXI century with an increase rate of +2,2 %/year over a 50-year period. In 1970–1980, there was a period of the usual low-growth global consumption of final tungsten products with a growth rate of their demand +1,9 %/year. There was a strong decrease in demand for tungsten products (–4,9 %/year) in the military sphere (the end of the Cold War) and reducing the role of Russia in the tungsten market (the consequences of stagnation of the Russian economy, primarily metalworking) in the 1990s. In the 2000–2010s, there was a rapid growth in global demand for final tungsten commodity products, tungsten carbide, due to the exponential increase in the capabilities of the Chinese industry. The growth rate of global demand for final tungsten products during this period amounted to +6,7 %/year. China dominates in the global production, consumption and trade of final tungsten products, so its trade policy of deterrence export quotation of these goods sets the dynamics of the global tungsten market. By 2020, China is the leader in the production of final tungsten products: 68 % of the world ferrotungsten supply, 57 % of tungsten metal and 75 % of tungsten carbide. Most of these commodity products remain in China and go to national consumption: 69 % of the global demand for ferrotungsten, 53 % of tungsten metal and 55 % of tungsten carbide. Since 1990s, the world trade market of tungsten product ceases to be a raw material, and final tungsten products begin to prevail on it. The shares of the value of final tungsten products in world trade totals of all tungsten products were 20–30 % in the 1970–1980s, began to increase in 1989, exceeding 50 % in 1993 and fluctuates in the range of 45–65 % in the 2000–2010s. Top exporters to date are: for ferrotungsten – China, for metal tungsten – China, the USA and Germany, for tungsten carbide – China. Top importers for ferrotungsten are Germany, Japan, Netherlands and Austria, for metal tungsten – Germany and USA, for tungsten carbide – Germany, Japan and USA. Most of the industrialized countries such as the USA, European Union countries and Japan, which are consumers of final tungsten products have become dependent on imports of tungsten products and will continue to remain so in the foreseeable future.

Keywords

• Ferrotungsten
• metal tungsten
• tungsten carbide
• production
• export
• import