China produces about 75% of the world's refined tellurium. What tellurium is, why solar panels need it, and where supply stands.
Last updated: October 2026
Tellurium is a rare, brittle metalloid recovered as a byproduct of copper refining, from copper anode slimes. Its supply is directly tied to copper output. There are no tellurium mines. China produces about 75% of world refined output, and control of tellurium is geopolitical leverage over thin-film solar manufacturing.
| # | Country | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | About 75% - refined output |
| 2 | Russia | Smaller producer |
| 3 | Japan | Smaller producer |
| 4 | Canada | Smaller producer |
| 5 | Sweden | Smaller producer |
| 6 | United States | Smaller producer |
Refined tellurium output, 2024 (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025), excluding production in several countries for which available information was inadequate to make reliable estimates.
Tellurium is a rare, brittle metalloid recovered as a byproduct of copper refining, from copper anode slimes. Its supply is directly tied to copper output: tellurium production cannot scale without scaling copper refining. There are no tellurium mines.
Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film solar panels: the leading US solar manufacturer expanded to 14 GW/yr of US production capacity by end-2026. Plus thermoelectric devices, metallurgy (steel and copper alloys), rubber and catalysts.
China, the leading producer of refined tellurium, with about 75% of estimated global output in 2024 (USGS). Chinese production has grown sharply over the past decade, alongside a roughly 60% increase in electrolytically refined copper capacity.
China accounts for about 75% of estimated global refined tellurium output (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025). Beijing imposed export controls on tellurium in February 2025.
High. China imposed export controls on tellurium in February 2025. Tellurium supply depends entirely on copper refining volumes, so it cannot scale independently of copper. The US price averaged about $75/kg in 2024, and European buyers faced higher costs sourcing tellurium outside China.
Tellurium is a copper byproduct with no dedicated mines. China produces about 75% of world refined output. It is essential to cadmium telluride solar panels, and China's export controls since February 2025 have made it a chokepoint for thin-film solar.
Tellurium is a rare, brittle metalloid recovered as a byproduct of copper refining, from copper anode slimes. Its supply is directly tied to copper output: tellurium production cannot scale without scaling copper refining. There are no tellurium mines.
Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film solar panels: the leading US solar manufacturer expanded to 14 GW/yr of US production capacity by end-2026. Plus thermoelectric devices, metallurgy (steel and copper alloys), rubber and catalysts.
China, the leading producer of refined tellurium, with about 75% of estimated global output in 2024 (USGS). Chinese production has grown sharply over the past decade, alongside a roughly 60% increase in electrolytically refined copper capacity.
