The Supply of Tungsten in 1989
Abstract
The current supply and consumption of tungsten is examined with its implications for the Army's current and future needs. World production of tungsten concentrate in 1987 was reported to have been in excess of 40,000 metric tons (MT) of contained tungsten and was produced by only a few countries, mainly the People's Republic of China and the USSR. This production was shown to have been skewed due to market conditions. Therefore, the evaluation was done with 1984 as the base year, since it had a more even distribution of tungsten producing countries. There is only one user of tungsten that exceeds the consumption of the United States, that is the USSR. The USSR typically has been able to supply its own needs and imports very little tungsten. The United States, on the other hand, had to import 100% of its tungsten requirements in 1988. The improvements in cutting tool technology have led to an overall decrease in the worldwide demand for tungsten which, at present, provide an effective increase in the supply of tungsten of 2,500MT. The conclusion is that there should be enough tungsten to supply the Army's needs now, and in the forseeable future.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA212740
Entities
People
- Kenneth J. Tauer
- Robert J. Dowding