Tellurium Price Today: Spot Rates, Grades & Forecast

• Tellurium price sits at $104.77 per kilogram on the SMM China-domestic benchmark
• Rotterdam 99.99% tellurium trades at $113.50 per kilogram, a premium over China
• High-purity 5N and 7N grades ease slightly from last cycle
• Solar demand and Chinese export licensing remain the core price drivers
• Tellurium is recovered almost entirely as a copper refining byproduct
• Weight and currency conversion tables included for procurement teams

Last Updated: 4 September 2026

Tellurium traded at 703.32 CNY per kilogram (approximately $104.77 USD/kg) as of 4 September 2026, according to SMM (China 99.99% Te min, SMM-TE-TI-001). The tellurium price eased modestly from August’s $106.20/kg, a decline of roughly 1.35%, a far smaller move than last cycle’s sharp 11.9% pullback, even as photovoltaic demand and Chinese export licensing continue to shape the broader market.

Current Tellurium Price

The global benchmark for 99.99% pure commercial tellurium sits at approximately $104.77/kg on SMM. The Rotterdam-China spread has widened slightly this cycle, driven mainly by the domestic benchmark’s own decline rather than any Rotterdam-side move — a reminder that the export-licensing premium on material leaving China remains firmly in place.

The spread between China-domestic and Rotterdam pricing reflects the logistics and licensing cost of moving tellurium out of China, where the bulk of refined supply originates as a byproduct of copper anode slime processing. This cycle, the Rotterdam 99.99% figure ($113.50/kg) sits above the China domestic 99.99% benchmark ($104.77/kg) by roughly 8.3%, slightly narrower than last cycle’s 10.6% spread but still substantial.

Tellurium Price Per Gram, Per Ounce and Per Pound

The table below converts the current tellurium price from the standard per-kilogram benchmark into the units most commonly used by smaller buyers and industrial procurement teams.

Prices are indicative and updated monthly. For contract pricing, consult SMM or Trading Economics directly.

Tellurium Price History

Tellurium rose sharply through the year to June 2026, gaining over 20% year-on-year as solar manufacturers scaled cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film production and Chinese export controls constrained spot availability in Europe and North America. That run-up gave back significant ground in August, when the SMM benchmark fell 11.9% from $120.47/kg to $106.20/kg. This cycle’s move has been far more modest — a further 1.35% decline to $104.77/kg — suggesting the sharp August correction may be settling into a more gradual drift rather than continuing to accelerate, though it’s worth watching another cycle before treating that as confirmed.

Tellurium Price in USD, EUR, GBP and Other Currencies

Critical minerals prices are benchmarked in USD on international exchanges and the Shanghai Metals Market, but sourced, processed, and traded across multiple currency zones.

Exchange rates: XE.com, September 2026. CNY figures reflect the USD/CNY mid-market rate and do not represent the SMM domestic Chinese price, which incorporates VAT and may differ materially.

What Drives the Tellurium Price

Three structural factors dominate tellurium pricing. First, solar demand: tellurium is the essential semiconductor in CdTe thin-film photovoltaic panels, and capacity expansion in this segment has pulled hard on a thin global supply base. Second, Chinese export licensing: Beijing’s end-user verification requirements on tellurium shipments continue to constrain prompt physical delivery into Western markets — this cycle’s persistent Rotterdam-China spread suggests that friction remains firmly in place. Third, supply inelasticity: tellurium is recovered almost entirely as a byproduct of copper anode slime refining, so output cannot scale independently of copper mining throughput — a dynamic that mirrors the byproduct constraints seen in silicon and other technology metals tied to base-metal processing. China’s export control regime has already reshaped sourcing strategy across multiple minor metals, and tellurium buyers face the same licensing friction now affecting antimony and other technology-metal supply chains.

On the supply side, major refiners including Aurubis in Germany and Vital Materials in China account for a large share of tonnage-scale output, while specialist merchants such as Lipmann Walton handle vacuum-grade trade volumes into Europe. Reference benchmark data is tracked by SMM and Trading Economics.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the current tellurium price?

The tellurium price stands at approximately $104.77 USD/kg on the SMM China domestic benchmark, down slightly month-on-month as of September 2026.

Why has the tellurium price risen so much over the past year?

Rising demand from cadmium telluride solar panel manufacturing and tighter Chinese export licensing on tellurium shipments pushed prices sharply higher through 2025 and into mid-2026, though recent monthly readings have pulled back from those highs.

Where does tellurium come from?

Tellurium is almost entirely recovered as a byproduct of copper anode slime refining, with China, Japan, Russia, the United States and Peru among the leading producing countries.

How is tellurium price converted per gram or per pound?

At approximately $104.77 per kilogram, tellurium works out to roughly $0.10 per gram, $3.37 per troy ounce, and $47.52 per pound.