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NetherlandsQ1 2025
In Q1 2025, Selenium experienced a notable price decline, dropping by $30,200 per metric ton, Del Alabama which represents a 4.23% decrease from the previous period. This downward trend may reflect a combination of factors such as reduced industrial demand, shifts in supply dynamics, or broader market influences affecting commodity metals. The significant price correction suggests increased market volatility or potential oversupply concerns. Stakeholders should closely monitor underlying drivers like production levels, technological advancements in usage, and global economic conditions to better understand Selenium’s future pricing trajectory.
Q4 2024
In Q4 2024, Selenium experienced a notable price increase of 31,533 per metric ton, Del Alabama representing a substantial 7.99% rise compared to previous periods. This upward trend likely reflects tightening supply dynamics or increased demand within key industrial sectors such as electronics, glass manufacturing, and metallurgy, where Selenium plays a critical role. The price surge may also be influenced by broader market factors including raw material shortages, geopolitical tensions, or shifts in production costs. For stakeholders, this increase signals potential cost pressures but also opportunities for producers to capitalize on stronger market pricing. Monitoring ongoing supply chain developments and end-use demand will be essential to anticipate future price movements for Selenium.
Q3 2024
In Q3 2024, Selenium experienced a significant price surge, rising by $29,200 per metric ton, Del Alabama which represents a substantial increase of 22.35% compared to the previous quarter. This sharp uptick reflects growing demand in key industries such as electronics, glass manufacturing, and agriculture, coupled with tightening supply constraints due to limited mining output and geopolitical factors impacting major producing regions. The price jump underscores Selenium’s increasing strategic importance as a critical raw material in advanced technologies, driving market participants to adjust their procurement and inventory strategies in anticipation of continued volatility.
Q2 2024
In Q2 2024, Selenium experienced a significant price increase of 23,867 per metric ton, Del Alabama marking a 7.51% rise compared to the previous quarter. This upward trend reflects tightening supply conditions and growing demand in key industrial applications, particularly in electronics and steel manufacturing where Selenium is a critical component. The price surge signals potential supply chain constraints or increased production costs, which may influence manufacturers to adjust procurement strategies. As Selenium’s market tightens, buyers and investors should anticipate continued volatility, while suppliers might benefit from improved margins in the near term.
Q1 2024
In the first quarter of 2024, Selenium experienced a notable price increase of $22,200 per metric ton, Del Alabama representing a 1.52% rise compared to the previous period. This upward shift suggests a strengthening demand or tightening supply dynamics in the market. Despite the relatively moderate percentage increase, the substantial absolute price change indicates that Selenium’s market value remains highly sensitive to shifts in industry demand, production costs, or geopolitical factors affecting its supply chain. Such trends highlight the importance for stakeholders to closely monitor market conditions, as even small percentage changes can translate into significant cost implications for industries reliant on Selenium.
PriceWatch is your trusted resource for tracking global selenium price trends. Our platform delivers real-time data and expert analysis, offering deep insights into the key factors driving price fluctuations in the selenium market. By monitoring critical events such as geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions, and economic shifts, PriceWatch keeps you fully informed of market dynamics.
In addition, PriceWatch provides detailed forecasts and updates on production capacities, enabling you to anticipate market changes and make well-informed decisions. With PriceWatch, you gain a competitive edge in understanding all the elements that influence selenium prices worldwide. Stay ahead of the curve with PriceWatch’s reliable, accurate, and timely selenium market data.
Track PriceWatch's selenium price assessment on a weekly basis since 2015 onwards, along with short-term forecasts, and get access to the detailed report in a downloadable format.
Molecular Weight[g/mol]
CAS No
HS Code
Molecular Formula
Selenium is a non-metallic, trace element (Se) known for its versatile chemical and physical properties, making it indispensable across various industrial and health-related applications. As a semiconductor with photoconductive characteristics, selenium is widely used in electronic components such as photocopiers, solar cells, and rectifiers. Its ability to convert light into electricity underpins its role in renewable energy technologies. Selenium compounds are also valuable in the glass industry to decolorize or impart red hues, and in the production of pigments and catalysts. Additionally, selenium is essential in small amounts for human health, playing a key role as an antioxidant and in thyroid function. Its antimicrobial and antifungal properties make it a component in animal feed and agricultural supplements. As demand grows for advanced electronics and sustainable technologies, selenium continues to be a critical element in innovation and environmental health.
Packaging Type
Grades Covered
Incoterms Used
Synonym
PriceWatch Quotation Terms:
Ex-Location: This incoterm refers to a shipping agreement where the seller makes the goods available at their premises, and the buyer is responsible for all transportation costs, including shipping, insurance, and any other fees.
CIF: CIF refers to the Cost, Insurance, and Freight (CIF) terms for goods. Under CIF terms, the seller is responsible for the cost of goods, insurance, and freight charges until the goods reach the port of destination.
FD: FD stands for Free Delivered where the seller takes full responsibility for delivering goods to the location/port. This ensures the buyer receives the goods at the designated port with all necessary costs, except import duties, covered.
FOB: FOB refers to the Free On-Board shipping term, where the seller is responsible for the cost and risk of delivering the goods to the port. Once the goods are on board the vessel, the responsibility shifts to the buyer for all costs, including shipping and insurance.
| Property | Specification |
| Chemical Symbol | Se |
| Atomic Number | 34 |
| Atomic Weight | 78.96 u |
| Appearance | Gray (most stable form), red or black (allotropic forms) |
| Melting Point | 221 °C (430 °F) |
| Boiling Point | 685 °C (1,265 °F) |
| Density | 4.81 g/cm³ (gray selenium at 20 °C) |
Applications
• Raw Material Availability: Selenium is not mined directly but is primarily obtained as a byproduct of copper refining, particularly from anode slimes during electrolytic copper production. Therefore, selenium supply is closely tied to copper mining activity. Fluctuations in copper production levels or ore grades directly impact selenium availability and prices.
• Supply and Demand Dynamics: Selenium demand comes from diverse industries including glass manufacturing (as a decolourizer), metallurgy, agriculture (as a feed additive), electronics, and solar power (e.g., cadmium telluride thin-film solar panels). Emerging technologies or shifts in demand especially in the photovoltaic sector or animal nutrition can strongly influence prices. If demand outpaces byproduct recovery, prices tend to rise.
• Production and Processing Costs: Although selenium is a byproduct, its recovery and purification involve additional processing steps such as leaching, filtration, and precipitation. The costs of these processes, along with energy and labour inputs, influence the economics of selenium production. If copper prices drop and refining slows, selenium supply contracts, which may push prices up.
• Environmental and Regulatory Factors: Selenium is a trace element with both essential and toxic properties. Stringent environmental regulations on selenium emissions, disposal, and contamination especially in the U.S., EU, and China can limit its production or raise compliance costs, affecting supply levels and prices.
• Global Trade Policies and Tariffs: Selenium production is concentrated in a few countries, notably Chile, Japan, Canada, and Germany. Any export restrictions, tariffs, or changes in trade relationships involving major producers and consumers (e.g., China or the U.S.) can disrupt flows and lead to pricing volatility.
• Geopolitical Risks and Regional Stability: Since selenium is a byproduct of copper refining, political instability in major copper-producing regions (such as Chile or Peru) can affect both base metal production and selenium availability. Nationalization efforts or strikes at refineries can disrupt the supply chain and influence prices.
• Technological Advancements: Innovations in refining and recovery methods can improve selenium yield from anode slimes or other sources. On the demand side, breakthroughs in solar technologies (like thin-film solar panels) or reduced selenium use due to material substitution (e.g., tellurium or rare earths) can shift demand patterns, influencing prices.
• Exchange Rates: As selenium is traded globally, fluctuations in the currencies of major producers (e.g., Chilean Peso, Japanese Yen, Canadian Dollar) against the U.S. Dollar can affect export pricing and international competitiveness, impacting global selenium prices.
• Market Competition and Substitutes: Competition among selenium producers and the availability of substitutes (like sulphur, tellurium, or synthetic decolourizers in glass) can influence pricing strategies. Additionally, recycling of selenium from industrial waste or electronics can affect the balance of supply and demand.
The availability and cost of raw materials such as high-carbon steel and alloy coatings directly affect Selenium production costs and pricing.
Selenium prices can be influenced by inflation, particularly through increased costs of energy, labor, and transportation involved in its extraction and refinement. However, selenium’s pricing is also strongly shaped by industrial demand, especially from the glass, electronics, and metallurgical sectors as well as its status as a byproduct of copper refining. As such, while inflation can contribute to upward pressure on selenium prices, market-specific dynamics and supply chain factors often play a more dominant role.
PriceWatch offers a range of tools and services to track commodity prices effectively:
• Real-Time Data: Access market intelligence and data on global Selenium supply chains.
• Expert Analysis: Insights on market trends and potential risks.
• Risk Assessment: Tools to evaluate supply chain vulnerabilities.
• Benchmarking: Compare Selenium prices and sourcing practices.
• Supplier Intelligence: Information on supplier reliability and financial health.
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