Dear Industry Partners,
In recent years, the global geopolitical landscape has been marked by frequent turbulence, and instability in mineral supply chains continues to rise. As the world's core tantalum ore supply region, Africa accounts for over 70% of global output. Policy adjustments, mining-area security concerns, and logistics disruptions within the region occur frequently, driving heightened volatility in African tantalum ore FOB prices and attracting increasing market attention. Meanwhile, the rapid rise of the artificial intelligence industry—particularly demand from AI servers and high-end electronic components—continues to expand downstream consumption of tantalum raw materials. The resonance of supply and demand has further intensified the market's need for reliable tantalum ore price benchmarks. In response, SMM plans to launch a new "Tantalum Ore (Ta 25-40%) FOB Africa" price assessment to provide the industry with broader and more comprehensive price references.
Following in-depth preliminary research, SMM has identified that information collection on the African tantalum ore market—particularly regarding supply structure, trade flows, and regional price differentials—requires further refinement, and that sample coverage and price representativeness still need to be strengthened. To ensure the fairness, accuracy, and continuity of the published price, and to safeguard the interests of all market participants, SMM has decided, after careful evaluation, to postpone the launch of the "Tantalum Ore (Ta 25-40%) FOB Africa" price and to issue this market consultation letter instead.
To gather broader market intelligence and enhance the representativeness and accuracy of the SMM Tantalum Ore (Ta 25-40%) FOB Africa price, we hereby solicit comments and suggestions from across the industry.
We sincerely invite you to provide candid feedback on the following:
- Current FOB price levels and transaction ranges for African tantalum ore (Ta 25-40%)
- Major loading ports, trade flows, and pricing conventions
- Key factors driving price volatility (supply, grade, freight, policy, etc.)
- Any other market information that would help SMM improve its pricing methodology
Please submit your responses via email to:
- jiaojiani@smm.cn
- enockmutengo@smm.cn
Kindly indicate whether your response may be published. Comments marked as confidential will be used for reference only and will not be attributed.
This consultation commences on September 9, 2026 and closes on September 30, 2026. SMM will publish all non-confidential responses by September 30, along with a summary of research findings and related decisions. Should these decisions result in material changes to the existing methodology, SMM may issue a follow-up announcement.
Price Specification Details:
- Product Name: Tantalum Ore (Ta 25-40%) FOB Africa
- Quality Standard: Ta₂O₅ 25%–40%, Nb₂O₅ ≤ 15%, Th 70–80 ppm, U 700–900 ppm, ThO₂ + U₃O₈ ≤ 0.50%, 形态为小颗粒 / 卵石状 (small pebbles/granular form)
- Definition: FOB price at African ports (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Durban, South Africa; or Lagos, Nigeria)
- Pricing Region: Major producing regions: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi, Nigeria; trade hubs: Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria
- Unit: USD per metric tonne-unit (mtu)
- Mainstream Origins: Rwandan, DRC, Burundian, and Nigerian ore
- Minimum Transaction Size: 20 tonnes
- Data Collection Time: Every working day, Monday to Thursday (Lusaka Time)
- Publication Time: Every working Friday before 11:00 AM (Lusaka Time)
- Payment Terms: Payment before delivery
SMM is committed to providing the market with a scientific and reasonable African tantalum ore price benchmark through precise market insight and technical analysis. Based on current market conditions and future trends, we hereby launch this consultation on the new "Tantalum Ore (Ta 25-40%) FOB Africa" price point, and sincerely invite all industry partners to provide valuable feedback, including but not limited to the topics outlined above.
Should you have any questions, please contact:
- Jiao Jiani, China Tantalum & Niobium Market Analyst — +86 21-20707954, jiaojiani@smm.cn
- Enock Mutengo, Africa Tantalum & Niobium Market Analyst — enockmutengo@smm.cn
We will incorporate your feedback, along with cost-transmission mechanisms and market acceptance, to finalize the details of the "Tantalum Ore (Ta 25-40%) FOB Africa" price point. We look forward to your comments and suggestions!
SMM Minor Metals Research Team
September 9, 2026