Cobalt

Cobalt has emerged as one of the key industrial commodities with the growing popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) powered by lithium-ion batteries. It is estimated that up to 20kg of cobalt is required for EV batteries per car. In addition to the lithium-ion battery segment, cobalt is used in the manufacturing of strong magnets, super alloys, dyes, and pigments.

Cobalt, when mixed with certain metals, forms superalloys, which are used in the manufacturing of jet engines as superalloys retain strength under high pressure and temperature. Cobalt isotopes are used in the medical industry for cancer treatment.

During the mid-twentieth century, cobalt was used in beers as it helped in maintaining a foamy head. The practice stopped due to potential health hazards posed by the combination of alcohol and cobalt.

World Resources of cobalt

The majority of cobalt deposits is found in sediment-hosted stratiform copper deposits of Congo (Kinshasa) and Zambia, nickel-bearing laterite deposits in Australia, and magmatic nickel-copper sulphide deposits hosted in mafic and ultramafic rocks in Canada, Russia, the United States and Australia.

Also, significant resources have been identified in polymetallic nodules and crusts in the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean.

Global Production

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the world leader in cobalt production. Russia, Australia, and Canada are also significant players, but DRC contributes nearly 31% of the global production (2025).

2024-2025 production and reserve data (Data Source: USGS)

The mining industry of DRC has been under scrutiny for several years as reports of unethical and human rights violations keep making the headlines in the African country. A lot of artisanal mining also occurs in the country.

China, which is the global leader in cobalt consumption, uses nearly 80% of the global cobalt supply in the manufacturing process of the rechargeable battery industry.