Silico manganese
An alloy of manganese, silicon and iron that adds both elements to steel in one step. It is the largest manganese ferroalloy by volume, and China makes nearly four-fifths of the world's supply.
Supply risk
Reviewed 3 Oct 2026 · Methodology
Elevated
China makes nearly four-fifths of silicomanganese; US and EU trade measures apply
Supply concentration (high) sets the level: China made about 79% of world silicomanganese in 2023. Policy (elevated) adds to it, with long-standing US antidumping orders on five countries and EU safeguard quotas since November 2025, and the level matches the parent manganese rating.
Since 1 Jan 2023 · Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, EUR-Lex
Get alerts for this materialRisk drivers
- Supply concentrationHigh
- World silicomanganese output, excluding the US, was about 14.3 million t in 2023, of which China made 11.3 million t (about 79%). Russia, Malaysia, India, Norway and Georgia each made under 4%.Source: U.S. Geological Survey
- Export controlsModerate
- No export restriction on silicomanganese itself was identified. Upstream, Gabon, the second-largest manganese ore producer, plans to ban unrefined manganese exports from 1 Jan 2029 and in Feb 2026 called the date non-negotiable.Sources: Reuters via Kitco, Engineering News
- Policy & tariffsElevated
- US antidumping orders on silicomanganese from China (1994), Ukraine (2001) and India, Kazakhstan and Venezuela (2002) were continued after sunset reviews in Nov and Dec 2024. An EU safeguard with tariff-rate quotas, covering Norway and Iceland, applies from 18 Nov 2025 to 17 Nov 2028.Sources: Federal Register, Federal Register, EUR-Lex
- Operational disruptionModerate
- GFG's Liberty Bell Bay smelter in Tasmania (290,000 t/yr of ferromanganese and silicomanganese) was placed on care and maintenance in May 2025, citing ore supply disruptions; no restart had been identified. Ukraine's output fell 44% in 2023 after war damage at Nikopol.Sources: Argus Media, U.S. Geological Survey
- Demand shockLow
- Silicomanganese is used mainly in steelmaking, and worldsteel estimated global finished steel consumption was unchanged in 2025. US consumption was an estimated 250,000 t in 2025.Source: U.S. Geological Survey
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 720230
Ferro-silico-manganese (silico manganese)
Recorded world imports: 2.9 Mt · $3.23B
Top exporters
- India31%893,823 t · $929M
- Malaysia12%344,983 t · $361M
- Norway11%315,515 t · $384M
- Georgia10%288,039 t · $336M
- Ukraine6%165,848 t · $195M
- Zambia3%94,254 t · $96M
- South Africa3%86,487 t · $90.1M
- Vietnam3%83,858 t · $93.3M
- Australia2%69,822 t · $82.6M
- Netherlands2%54,020 t · $68.4M
Top importers
- United States12%358,128 t · $417M
- Türkiye9%254,642 t · $292M
- Japan8%243,927 t · $260M
- Italy7%212,046 t · $226M
- Germany6%169,859 t · $182M
- South Korea6%160,890 t · $177M
- Indonesia4%131,095 t · $146M
- Egypt4%129,705 t · $139M
- Taiwan (Other Asia, nes)3%79,250 t · $89.9M
- Netherlands3%74,502 t · $82.5M
Largest routes
- Georgia→Türkiye129,196 t · $147M
- Malaysia→South Korea118,390 t · $132M
- India→Japan117,399 t · $120M
- India→Egypt106,316 t · $114M
- India→Italy104,329 t · $102M
Source: UN Comtrade, imports reported by 102 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
Silicomanganese (SiMn), sometimes called ferrosilicon manganese, is a composed mainly of manganese, silicon and iron. US trade rules define it as generally containing more than 30% manganese, more than 8% silicon, at least 4% iron and no more than 3% phosphorus. It is used mainly in steelmaking as a source of both silicon and manganese.1
It is the largest manganese ferroalloy by volume: of an estimated 22.8 million t of manganese ferroalloys consumed worldwide in 2023, 17.5 million t was silicomanganese.2 Its parent element, manganese, has no satisfactory in its major applications.3
How it is made
Silicomanganese is produced only in submerged , the same as or very similar to those used for ferromanganese; many furnaces alternate campaigns of the two . The feed is manganese or sinter plus quartz, and manganese-rich from ferromanganese can replace part of the ore. Depending on the feed mix, the alloy can contain 15% to 35% silicon. Reaching the higher temperature needed to reduce silicon requires deeper electrode penetration into the burden.4
World silicomanganese production, excluding the United States, was 14.3 million t in 2023. China produced 11.3 million t, up 13% on 2022.2 Ukraine's output fell 44% in 2023, and the Nikopol ferroalloy plant temporarily suspended operations that November after artillery damage.2
- China11,300,000 t · 79%
- Russia527,000 t · 4%
- Malaysia373,000 t · 3%
- India322,890 t · 2%
- Norway295,000 t · 2%
- Georgia274,000 t · 2%
- Ukraine200,000 t · 1%
- Other countries1,041,145 t · 7%
Gross weight. World total shown is the sum of USGS country figures; USGS rounds it to 14.3 million t. US production is withheld and not included. Ukraine's figure is a USGS estimate. Source: 2023 Minerals Yearbook: Manganese (advance release)
Manganese ore comes mainly from South Africa, Gabon, Ghana and Australia, the leading producers in 2025 on a manganese-content basis.3
What it is used for
In steel, manganese prevents excessive oxidation during , deoxidizes the steel, and ties up sulfur to prevent cracking; silicomanganese is one of the alloys used to add it.5 Silicomanganese is also a raw material for making medium- and low-carbon ferromanganese.4 It can substitute for ferrosilicon in some applications.6
US reported consumption of silicomanganese was an estimated 250,000 t in 2025.3
Grades and forms
Grades are distinguished mainly by maximum carbon content.4 For US trade purposes, slag, fines and briquettes are all treated as silicomanganese.1
Standard silicomanganese (SiMn)
Max. 2.0% C
The main grade, used in steelmaking as a combined source of manganese and silicon, and as the reductant for making refined ferromanganese.
Low-carbon silicomanganese (LC SiMn)
Max. 0.10% C
Low-carbon variant listed separately from standard silicomanganese in EU industry classifications.
Trade and policy
Two US companies produce silicomanganese and ferromanganese, but the country also imports large volumes: an estimated 310,000 t of silicomanganese in 2025. In 2021–24, imports came mainly from Georgia (24%), South Africa (23%), Australia (18%) and Malaysia (13%). The normal-trade-relations was 3.9% ad valorem at the end of 2025.3
US duty orders on silicomanganese have been in place for decades:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1994 | Antidumping duty order on silicomanganese from China.1 |
| 21 Aug 2001 | Suspension agreement with Ukraine terminated and replaced by an antidumping duty order.1 |
| 23 May 2002 | Antidumping duty orders on India, Kazakhstan and Venezuela.7 |
| 1 Nov 2024 | Orders on China and Ukraine continued after a fifth sunset review.1 |
| 10 Dec 2024 | Orders on India, Kazakhstan and Venezuela continued after a fourth sunset review.7 |
In the EU, silicomanganese (CN 7202 30) is covered by the definitive ferroalloy that took effect on 18 November 2025 and runs until 17 November 2028. It sets country-specific quarterly tariff-rate , with a variable duty on out-of-quota imports priced below a set threshold, and it applies to Norway and Iceland. Imports from Ukraine are excluded.8
This section is factual background, not legal or trade-compliance advice.
Recycling and substitution
Manganese is not recovered from as such; it is incidentally in ferrous and nonferrous scrap, and some is recovered with iron from steel slag.3 The various manganese ferroalloys are largely interchangeable with each other.2
Sources
-
Silicomanganese From the People's Republic of China and Ukraine: Continuation of Antidumping Duty Orders. Federal Register (89 FR 88728), accessed 2026-10-03. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5
-
2023 Minerals Yearbook: Manganese (advance release). U.S. Geological Survey, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
-
Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Manganese. U.S. Geological Survey, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5
-
Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for the Non-Ferrous Metals Industries. European Commission, Joint Research Centre, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
-
Manganese in steel. International Manganese Institute, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩
-
Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Silicon. U.S. Geological Survey, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩
-
Silicomanganese From India, Kazakhstan, and Venezuela: Continuation of Antidumping Duty Orders. Federal Register (89 FR 102105), accessed 2026-10-03. ↩ ↩2
-
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2351 imposing a definitive safeguard measure on imports of certain ferro-alloying elements. EUR-Lex, accessed 2026-10-03. ↩
Sourcing silico manganese?
ASZ Company FZCO, the operator of this site, supplies silico manganese to industrial buyers worldwide.