Molybdenum Concentrate (Molybdenite MoS₂, 45–57% Mo)

Molybdenite concentrate from primary and copper by-product mines, sold to roasters on contained Mo and graded on copper, lead and phosphorus

Molybdenum concentrate is molybdenite, MoS₂, floated out of ore bodies that carry only 0.01–0.25% of it. IMOA, the International Molybdenum Association, sorts the mines into three kinds: primary mines, where molybdenite is the sole objective, such as Freeport-McMoRan's Climax and Henderson in Colorado; co-product mines, which recover molybdenite and copper minerals together; and by-product mines, where copper is the objective and molybdenite adds value, such as Freeport's Cerro Verde in Peru and Bagdad, Sierrita and Morenci in Arizona, Codelco's Chuquicamata in Chile, and Southern Copper's mines in Peru and Mexico, which mined about 64 million pounds of molybdenum in 2024. IMOA puts the flotation concentrate at 85–92% MoS₂, about 51–55% Mo, and grades run from 45% Mo up to 57% Mo; China's industry standard YS/T 235-2016 names them KMo-47 to KMo-57 by minimum Mo content. Sulphur, bound in the MoS₂, is about 34–37% of the weight and leaves in the roaster, so after molybdenum the buyer reads copper, lead and phosphorus: further acid leaching dissolves copper and lead where needed, and the roasted oxide has to meet Cu ≤ 0.5%, Pb ≤ 0.05% and P ≤ 0.05%. Multiple-hearth roasters at 500–650 °C turn the concentrate into technical molybdenum oxide at 57% Mo minimum, and 30–40% of that oxide goes on into ferromolybdenum. UN Comtrade 2024 export declarations under HS 2613.90, unroasted molybdenum ores and concentrates, total USD 3.27 billion from 36 reporters. Peru declared USD 1.57 billion and 78,300 MT, 48% of the total, shipped to Chile (41%), the USA (26%), China (24%), the Netherlands and Korea; the USA declared USD 541 million, about three-quarters of it to the Netherlands; and Chile USD 444 million, to Belgium, Korea, the USA, China, the Netherlands and Thailand. Mexico's 2024 declarations are not in the Comtrade preview for this code, but US import declarations record 2,759 MT of Mexican molybdenum concentrate that year.

The buyer is a roaster or converter, and the enquiry is a molybdenum range with copper, lead and phosphorus ceilings, a tonnage and a delivery point. Processing capacity is concentrated: Molymet, which states about 35% of world molybdenum processing capacity, runs plants at Nos (San Bernardo) and Mejillones in Chile, Cumpas in Mexico and Ghent in Belgium, and both buys concentrate and processes it on toll for small and large miners; Freeport-McMoRan's Climax Molybdenum has run its Rotterdam plant, which delivers technical molybdic oxide, since 1965, and Freeport's Sierrita operation in Arizona has two molybdenum roasters taking concentrate from Sierrita, its other mines and third parties. China (29%), Chile (22%), the USA (15%), the Netherlands (13%), Korea (9%), Belgium (8%) and Thailand (3%) made 99% of 2024 import declarations under HS 2613.90. CBIL is a commodity brokerage company and brokers molybdenite concentrate from mid-tier mine and trader allocations in Peru, Chile, the USA and Mexico, and from China only with the exporter's MOFCOM export licence, against SGS, Alfred H Knight or Bureau Veritas weighing, sampling and assay of Mo, Cu, Pb, P and moisture, with settlement on the dry weight, assays exchanged and an umpire laboratory named in the contract; IMOA publishes weighing, sampling and assaying procedures for molybdenite concentrates, with the gravimetric method and XRF both accepted. Where the buyer's responsible-sourcing policy asks for it, the file carries mine-to-roaster chain-of-custody documents to the OECD Due Diligence Guidance. Concentrate moves in bulk bags or steel drums by container on FCA, FOB, CIF and DAP terms, priced per lot on contained molybdenum with the Platts and Fastmarkets molybdic oxide assessments as reference points. Send the Mo range, the copper, lead and phosphorus you accept, the tonnage and the delivery point, and the enquiry is screened and worked against it.

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Excluded origins are not offered, including product re-exported, blended or re-processed through a third country. Every lot moves with a certificate of origin naming the producing plant, mine or grower country, and nothing is quoted before the seller and loading point are known.