Molybdenum Product Quotations: Ferromolybdenum and Molybdenum Oxide Prices

Molybdenum Product Quotations for 25 September 2023

Molybdenum products traded in a softer quotation cycle on 25 September 2023. Ferromolybdenum containing 65-70% Mo was assessed at 55.30-55.40 USD/kg, down 0.20 USD/kg from the previous quotation, while molybdenum oxide containing 57% Mo was assessed at 22.90-23.10 USD/lb of contained molybdenum. The two quotations normally move together, because molybdenum oxide is the main feedstock for ferromolybdenum, and the conversion spread between oxide and ferromolybdenum is one of the key indicators followed by smelters, trading houses and alloy steel producers.

Ferromolybdenum and Molybdenum Oxide Price Table

The table below lists the reference quotations published across the September 2023 pricing window. Ferromolybdenum is quoted per kilogram of contained molybdenum, molybdenum oxide per pound of contained molybdenum. The change column compares each quotation with the one published on the previous working day.

Date	Ferromolybdenum 65-70% Mo (USD/kg)	Change	Molybdenum oxide 57% Mo (USD/lb Mo)	Change
25-Sep-2023	55.30-55.40	-0.20	22.90-23.10	-0.30
22-Sep-2023	55.50-55.60	-0.10	23.30-23.40	-0.15
21-Sep-2023	55.50-55.70	-0.40	23.50-23.55	-0.05
20-Sep-2023	55.90-56.10	-0.40	23.50-23.60	-0.25
19-Sep-2023	56.10-56.50	-0.20	23.70-23.85	-0.15
18-Sep-2023	56.30-56.50	-0.50	23.75-24.00	unchanged
15-Sep-2023	56.75-57.00	unchanged	23.75-24.00	-0.20
14-Sep-2023	56.75-57.00	-0.10	24.10-24.20	-0.20
13-Sep-2023	56.75-57.10	-0.15	24.25-24.40	-0.05
12-Sep-2023	56.90-57.10	unchanged	24.30-24.45	-0.15
11-Sep-2023	56.90-57.10	unchanged	24.45-24.60	-0.10
08-Sep-2023	56.90-57.10	unchanged	24.40-24.70	unchanged
07-Sep-2023	56.90-57.10	+0.10	24.40-24.70	unchanged
06-Sep-2023	56.60-57.00	+0.30	24.40-24.70	+0.10
05-Sep-2023	56.30-57.00	+0.25	24.40-24.60	-0.10
04-Sep-2023	55.75-56.75	-0.25	24.10-24.70	+0.20
01-Sep-2023	56.00-57.00	+0.30	24.00-24.50	-0.20

Read as a series, the table shows a mild downward drift during the second half of September after a firmer opening and a small mid-month rebound. The ferromolybdenum range narrowed from about 57.00 USD/kg at the start of the month to 55.30-55.40 USD/kg by 25 September, a fall of roughly 1.60 USD/kg, while oxide lost about 1.10-1.40 USD/lb over the same period. That pattern is typical of a market where conversion capacity is adequate but end-user buying is cautious.

What Drives Molybdenum Quotations

Quotations of this type move with a small number of well-understood variables, and the September 2023 series behaved in the usual way:

Oxide feedstock balance. Roasted molybdenum oxide is the base raw material for ferromolybdenum, so oxide availability sets the floor under ferromolybdenum offers, and a widening or narrowing conversion margin signals whether roasting and smelting capacity is tight or comfortable.

Alloy steel and stainless buying. Ferromolybdenum is consumed mainly as an alloying addition in alloy steels, tool steels, stainless steels and nickel-based high-temperature alloys, so order books at those mills feed directly into molybdenum demand.

Restocking rhythm. Traders and mills tend to buy in the first half of a month and hold back once nearby requirements are covered, which is why flat and slightly lower assessments cluster toward the end of a quotation window.

By-product supply. A large share of the world's molybdenum is recovered as a by-product of copper mining, so copper mine operating rates and concentrate grades influence long-run molybdenum supply regardless of molybdenum demand.

Currency and logistics costs. For export quotations in USD, exchange rates, freight and container availability change the landed cost of the same ex-works tonne.

Molybdenum Metal Products and Their Applications

Beside ferromolybdenum for steelmaking, molybdenum is supplied as metal mill products, where its combination of a very high melting point, low thermal expansion and high thermal conductivity is used directly:

Ribbon and wire for the lighting industry - filament supports, lead-in wires and seals in lamps, where molybdenum matches the thermal expansion of hard glass.

Base plates and heat sinks for power electronics - molybdenum and molybdenum-copper base plates spread heat away from power semiconductor chips.

Glass melting electrodes - molybdenum electrodes carry current through molten glass in electric melting furnaces.

Hot zones for high-temperature furnaces - heating elements, radiation shields, hearth plates, trays and fixtures for vacuum and hydrogen furnaces.

Sputtering targets - flat and rotary targets for back-contact layers in solar cells and for thin-film transistor layers in flat panel displays.

Alloy additions - ferromolybdenum for alloy steel, stainless steel, tool steel and corrosion-resistant and high-temperature alloys.

Specifications and Supply Forms

Ferromolybdenum is normally ordered against a recognised specification such as ASTM A132 or GB/T 3649, with the 65-70% Mo range being the most widely traded grade; shipment is usually in lump form in steel drums or big bags, with size fraction agreed between producer and buyer. Unalloyed molybdenum mill products are specified by product form: ASTM B386 covers molybdenum plate, sheet, strip and foil, while ASTM B387 covers molybdenum bar, rod and wire. Typical designations are Mo1 for general engineering use and Mo2 for higher-purity requirements, together with low-carbon and lanthanum-doped variants where better high-temperature creep behaviour is needed.

Property	Typical value for unalloyed molybdenum
Melting point	2,623 °C
Density	10.2 g/cm³ at 20 °C
Coefficient of thermal expansion	4.8 x 10⁻⁶ /K at 20-500 °C
Thermal conductivity	138 W/(m·K) at 20 °C
Elastic modulus	about 329 GPa
Electrical resistivity	about 0.053 µΩ·cm at 20 °C

Because molybdenum oxidises rapidly above roughly 600 °C in air, high-temperature parts are used in vacuum, hydrogen, nitrogen or inert gas atmospheres, and any air-exposed service is normally protected by a coating or by a disilicide diffusion layer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between ferromolybdenum and molybdenum oxide?
Molybdenum oxide is the roasted concentrate, traded per pound of contained molybdenum and used both as a feedstock for ferromolybdenum and as a direct addition in some steelmaking routes. Ferromolybdenum is the smelted master alloy, traded per kilogram of contained molybdenum, and is the form most often charged to a ladle or converter.

Q: How is a ferromolybdenum quotation linked to the oxide quotation?
The link is the conversion cost. Oxide price per pound is converted to a per-kilogram basis, a recovery loss and a smelting charge are added, and the result is the ferromolybdenum offer. When the implied margin is thin, smelters either reduce output or push offers higher.

Q: Which molybdenum mill products are available?
Plate, sheet, strip and foil to ASTM B386, and bar, rod and wire to ASTM B387, plus fabricated parts such as electrodes, shields, hearth plates and sputtering targets made from the same input material.

Q: Why is molybdenum used in high-temperature furnaces?
Its melting point of 2,623 °C, low vapour pressure and high thermal conductivity allow it to work as heating elements and shields in vacuum or hydrogen furnaces well above the service range of most metals, while its low thermal expansion keeps dimensions stable through thermal cycling.

Q: What thicknesses of molybdenum foil and sheet are supplied?
Foil from about 0.02 mm to 0.10 mm, sheet from 0.10 mm to several millimetres, and plate above that, with thickness tolerance, flatness and surface finish agreed to the relevant ASTM B386 condition. Thin foil is supplied in coil or in flat cut lengths with interleaved protection.

Q: What should be checked when comparing molybdenum quotations?
Confirm the grade and the contained-metal basis, whether the price is per kilogram of molybdenum or per kilogram of alloy, the delivery basis, and the quotation date. Ferromolybdenum 65-70% Mo and molybdenum oxide 57% Mo are quoted on different bases and are not directly comparable without conversion.