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Counterpoint: Tungsten is about $1100/ton, so if demand averages 10k tons/year the annual US spend is about $10-12 million. That's peanuts in economic terms. If
by anigbrowl 9mo ago
Counterpoint: Tungsten is about $1100/ton, so if demand averages 10k tons/year the annual US spend is about $10-12 million. That's peanuts in economic terms. If relations with China deteriorate the US could just set up a front company in some third country, buy tungsten, and re-export it.
- noleary 9mo agoFYI, Tungsten prices are quoted in metric ton units (MTUs) [1], which surprisingly aren't metric tons. They're actually 1% of a metric ton -- or 10kg. [2] So the price of Tungsten is actually 100x that. [1] https://www.fastmarkets.com/metals-and-mining/minor-metals/tungsten-prices/ https://www.fastmarkets.com/metals-and-mining/minor-metals/t... [2] https://quoteddata.com/glossary/mtu/ https://quoteddata.com/glossary/mtu/
- anigbrowl 9mo agoMy bad! Although I think at even $1 billion/year the US is probably not too worried about it for the time being. Thanks for schooling me on this!
- mullingitover 9mo agoChina learned from watching the US use export controls against them, and they've adapted them to their rare earths exports[1]. They're not going to be as easily bamboozled as the US has been with nVidia cards. [1] https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/charting-china/2025/02/chinas-use-of-export-controls/ https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/charting-china/2025/02/...