commodity

Cobalt

A by-product of copper and nickel mining used in battery cathodes, superalloys and tools. Most is mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and refined in China.

Figures checked 1 November 2026Next check Feb 2027, after USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2027

Key figures

Each figure shows where it comes from and which year it describes.

~310,000 t

of cobalt was mined in 2025.

USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · 2025 estimate

73%

of mined cobalt came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · 2025 estimate

14%

came from Indonesia, as a by-product of nickel laterite processing.

USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, our calculation · 2025 estimate

96,600 t

a year is the DRC's cobalt export quota for 2026 and 2027.

USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · 2026–27

Supply chain explainer

Interactive · 6 stages

Mined at 0.5%. Shipped at 35%. Built in at 0.3%.

Six stages from copper-cobalt ore in the DRC to battery cells and engines, with cobalt content and the record that moves at each handover.

Open the explainer Download the share image (1080 × 1350 PNG)

Mine0.1–1%
Processing plant≈30–40%
Refinery≈21%
Cathode plant≈6–20%
Cell maker≈0.5–4%
End customers≈0.2–0.6%

Update log

What changed on this page, and when.

Feb 2027
Scheduled
Check production figures against USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2027.
1 Nov 2026
Published
Page published with the supply chain explainer and key figures from USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026.

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Sources

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