Ferro boron
An iron-boron alloy with about 17.5–24% boron, the lowest-cost way to add boron to steel. It is also a boron source for neodymium-iron-boron magnets and amorphous magnetic alloys.
Supply risk
Reviewed 3 Oct 2026 · Methodology
Elevated
China controls most ferroboron output; no export controls in force
Supply concentration (high) sets the level: when adding boron to the US critical minerals list in November 2025, USGS grouped ferroboron with steel alloys under 70 to 80 percent Chinese market control. No export controls or trade measures specific to ferroboron were found, and its borate feedstock comes mainly from Türkiye.
Since 1 Jan 2023 · Source: Federal Register (U.S. Geological Survey)
Get alerts for this materialRisk drivers
- Supply concentrationHigh
- USGS could not model ferroboron's supply risk but, in its Nov 2025 notice, likened it to silicon, titanium and chromium ferroalloys with similar 70 to 80 percent Chinese market control. Türkiye supplied 48% of global borates, the boron feedstock, in the EU's 2023 assessment.Sources: Federal Register (U.S. Geological Survey), European Commission, DG GROW
- Export controlsLow
- No export licensing, quotas or bans on ferroboron or borates by China, Türkiye or other producers were identified as of October 2026.
- Policy & tariffsLow
- No anti-dumping, safeguard or sanctions measures specific to ferroboron were identified. The EU ferroalloy safeguard of Nov 2025 covers ferromanganese, ferrosilicon, silicomanganese and ferrosilicomagnesium, not ferroboron.Source: SteelOrbis
- Operational disruptionLow
- No significant outages at ferroboron plants or borate operations were identified in the 12 months to October 2026.
- Demand shockLow
- No demand-driven shortage or allocation of ferroboron was identified as of October 2026.
A supply-availability rating, not a price forecast or investment view. Export-control information is factual and is not legal advice.
Trade flows
2024 · HS 720299
CombinedOther ferro-alloys
Recorded world imports: 414,030 t · $788M
Top exporters
- Indonesia32%131,820 t · $149M
- China27%113,855 t · $210M
- Brazil10%39,881 t · $154M
- South Africa8%32,878 t · $31.7M
- Slovenia3%10,562 t · $29.1M
- Argentina2%7,380 t · $18.5M
- India2%6,836 t · $11.7M
- Malaysia2%6,410 t · $7.18M
- Kazakhstan1%5,320 t · $2.54M
- Spain1%4,661 t · $12.1M
Top importers
- China36%148,391 t · $258M
- India17%68,686 t · $102M
- Japan5%22,336 t · $43M
- United States5%21,974 t · $51.3M
- Germany4%15,899 t · $31M
- Türkiye3%14,168 t · $28.4M
- South Korea3%13,645 t · $19.4M
- France2%10,190 t · $28M
- Italy2%9,217 t · $22.7M
- Spain2%8,746 t · $20.9M
Largest routes
- Indonesia→China131,810 t · $149M
- South Africa→India29,257 t · $28.4M
- China→India27,500 t · $44M
- Brazil→China14,188 t · $86M
- China→South Korea13,477 t · $18.7M
Source: UN Comtrade, imports reported by 109 countries for 2024. Exporters are ranked by what importing countries recorded (mirror data), so countries that do not report their own exports are still counted. Values are in US dollars including freight and insurance. Weights are product weight. Recent years can be incomplete, and unrecorded trade is not included.
Overview
Ferroboron (FeB) is a binary of iron and boron with a boron content between 17.5% and 24%. It is the lowest-cost boron additive for steel and other ferrous alloys, and on average the steel industry consumes more than half of the ferroboron produced each year.1
Boron was added to the US list in November 2025. In the notice, said it had received additional information on the boron supply chain during public comment. It could not model the supply risk for ferroboron itself, but noted that three other steel alloys with similar (70 to 80 percent) Chinese market control, silicon, titanium and chromium , had qualified for the list.2 Boron and borates are also on the EU critical raw materials list.3
How it is made
Conventional ferroboron is made by carbon reduction of a mixture of boric (B₂O₃), steel and/or iron oxide in submerged-electrode at about 1,600–1,800 °C. Boron recovery in this process is low, about 40%, because boric oxide is volatile at those temperatures. An aluminothermic route also exists, but it leaves about 4% aluminum in the alloy, which makes it unsuitable for magnetic uses.4
The boron comes from borate minerals. Turkey reported the largest output, about 1.5 million t of borates in 2025; the United States, Chile, Bolivia, China, Peru, Argentina and Russia also produce borates. Countries report output in different forms, so USGS does not calculate a world total.5
What it is used for
Steel is the main market. Boron steel made with ferroboron is stronger and lighter than average high-strength steel, which makes it useful for safe and fuel-efficient cars.1
Ferroboron is also used to make neodymium () , which go into actuators, bearings and couplings, computer drives and servomotors.1 It is the main boron source in amorphous iron-boron-silicon alloys used as magnetic material in transformers and motors.4
Grades and forms
Standard ferroboron contains 17.5–24% boron.1 A typical product examined by US Customs contained at least 18% boron, at most 3% silicon and 1% carbon, and was shipped as small lumps.6
Standard ferroboron
17.5–24% B
Binary iron-boron alloy used as a boron addition for steel and other ferrous alloys.
Ferroboron for magnetic applications
Grades with low aluminum content, used as the boron source in amorphous iron-boron-silicon alloys.
Trade and policy
US Customs has classified ferroboron as an "other" ferroalloy under subheading 7202.99.6 The current US general duty rate for other ferroalloys under 7202.99.80 is 5%.7
This section is factual background, not legal or trade-compliance advice.
Recycling and substitution
USGS describes of boron as insignificant.5
Sources
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2019 Minerals Yearbook: Boron (advance release). U.S. Geological Survey, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
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Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals (90 FR 50494). Federal Register (U.S. Geological Survey), accessed 2026-10-03. ↩
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Critical raw materials. European Commission, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩
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US Patent 4,602,950: Production of ferroboron by the silicon reduction of boric acid. Google Patents, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩ ↩2
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Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Boron. U.S. Geological Survey, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩ ↩2
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NY D87110: The tariff classification of ferroboron from China. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩ ↩2
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Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States: heading 7202 (ferroalloys). U.S. International Trade Commission, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩
Sourcing ferro boron?
ASZ Company FZCO, the operator of this site, supplies ferro boron to industrial buyers worldwide.