Top Industries purchasing Iridium (Ir)
Major Individual Company Purchasers
Caution: This content was sourced and arranged by AI and thus may be subject to errors, biases, omissions, or antiquation.
This information can provide a general sense of industry dynamics, but may be unreliable in its specifics, or as an isolated basis for investment decisions.
| Rank | Industry | Metric Tons (Est.) | Percent Usage | Primary Applications |
| 1 | Hydrogen Energy | 2.50 | 31.0% | Catalyst for Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzers. |
| 2 | Chemical Manufacturing | 1.85 | 23.0% | Catalysts for acetic acid and fertilizer production. |
| 3 | Electronics (Crucibles) | 1.45 | 18.0% | Growing high-purity single crystals (SAW/LED/Laser). |
| 4 | Automotive | 0.81 | 10.0% | Ultra-high-performance iridium-tipped spark plugs. |
| 5 | Electronics (Hard Disks) | 0.40 | 5.0% | Hard disk drive (HDD) read/write heads (perpendicular recording). |
| 6 | Ammunition & Munitions | 0.24 | 3.0% | Specialized high-heat primers and armor-piercing components. |
| 7 | Aerospace | 0.20 | 2.5% | Spark plugs for piston engines and specialized engine nozzles. |
| 8 | Medical Technology | 0.16 | 2.0% | Radiotherapy (Ir-192 sources) and pacemaker leads. |
| 9 | Specialty Metallurgy | 0.08 | 1.0% | Alloying agent to harden platinum for lab equipment. |
| 10 | Glass Manufacturing | 0.08 | 1.0% | Corrosion-resistant bushings for fiberglass production. |
| 11 | Semiconductors | 0.06 | 0.8% | Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) precursors for chips. |
| 12 | Defense & Radar | 0.05 | 0.6% | High-frequency signal processing and satellite comms. |
| 13 | Renewable Energy (Solar) | 0.03 | 0.4% | Research into iridium-based photo-catalysts. |
| 14 | Maritime Industry | 0.02 | 0.3% | Deep-sea sensors and anti-corrosive electronic housings. |
| 15 | Crystallography | 0.02 | 0.3% | Research-grade crystals for high-energy physics. |
| 16 | Telecommunications | 0.02 | 0.3% | Specialized fiber-optic signal repeaters. |
| 17 | Jewelry (Niche) | 0.02 | 0.2% | Hardener for high-purity platinum wedding bands. |
| 18 | Petroleum Refining | 0.01 | 0.1% | Specialized hydrocracking catalysts. |
| 19 | Space Exploration | 0.01 | 0.1% | Rocket engine ignition systems for deep-space probes. |
| 20 | National Reserves | <0.01 | <0.1% | Strategic stockpiling by major G7 nations. |
Major Individual Company Purchasers
- Thyssenkrupp Nucera: A leading global purchaser for the Hydrogen sector; they utilize iridium in their massive PEM electrolyzer stacks to produce green hydrogen.
- ITM Power: A UK-based energy pioneer that is a primary driver of the iridium "catalyst" demand for sustainable fuel projects.
- Heraeus Precious Metals: A German giant that is both a refiner and a major purchaser, supplying the chemical and medical industries with iridium salts and compounds.
- Johnson Matthey: One of the most influential "market makers" in Iridium; they procure massive volumes to manufacture catalysts for the chemical and automotive sectors.
- Denso Corporation: A Japanese automotive giant that is a primary purchaser for the production of high-end Iridium Spark Plugs (Rank 4).
- Seagate Technology / Western Digital: These data storage leaders purchase iridium for the thin-film heads of their enterprise-grade hard drives.
- NGK Spark Plug Co. (Niterra): A massive consumer of iridium wire for the global automotive and aerospace aftermarket.
- BASF SE: Purchases iridium-based catalysts for large-scale chemical synthesis, particularly in the production of fertilizers and herbicides.
- Medtronic: A key purchaser for the Medical sector, utilizing iridium-platinum alloys for electrodes in implantable devices.
Caution: This content was sourced and arranged by AI and thus may be subject to errors, biases, omissions, or antiquation.
This information can provide a general sense of industry dynamics, but may be unreliable in its specifics, or as an isolated basis for investment decisions.