Reference specimen · Shannon Heinle, CC0
3TG conflict minerals
Top-10 #6Sample dataTantalum (Coltan) Ta
Tantalum is used for capacitors in phones, laptops and cars, and in aerospace superalloys, medical implants and sputtering targets. Its ore, coltan (columbite-tantalite), comes mainly from the African Great Lakes region: the DRC and Rwanda together supply about 60% of the world's mined tantalum, much of it artisanal. Tantalum is one of the four 'conflict minerals' (3TG), and eastern DRC conflict (M23's control of Rubaya since 2024) makes due diligence decisive.
- Availability
- Contract — verified 3TG supply only
- African sources
- DR Congo · Rwanda · Nigeria · Ethiopia · Burundi
- Traded as
- Coltan / tantalite concentrate · Columbite · Tantalum pentoxide
- HS codes
- 2615.90 · 8103.20 · 2825.90
Controlled supply
This mineral is subject to conflict minerals (3tg) due diligence, radioactive cargo handling. Offers are published only after ARAM has reviewed the supporting documents, and some details are visible to verified companies only.
Current offers
Verified companies only
Volumes, origins and terms are shown to verified companies. Availability for everyone else: Contract — verified 3TG supply only. Verify your company or submit a request.
What is traded
Coltan / tantalite concentrate
Unit: lb · HS 2615.90
priced on contained Ta2O5; Rwandan exports typically 25–30% Ta2O5, DRC concentrates range <20% to >40%
Columbite (Nb-rich) and microlite concentrates; tin-tantalum slags
Unit: lb · HS 8103.20
Tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5) and potassium fluorotantalate (K-salt)
Unit: lb · HS 2825.90
processor intermediates
Tantalum powder and wire (capacitor grade)
Unit: lb
downstream
Uses
- Tantalum capacitors (≈30–40%)
- Superalloys (jet engines)
- Sputtering targets (semiconductors)
- Medical implants
- Chemical process equipment
ARAM sourcing assessment
High demand and Africa-central, but the highest-risk category after gold. Launch only with a 3TG programme: mine-site verification, RMAP smelter buyers, independent audits. Nigeria/Ethiopia/Mozambique origin carries lower conflict risk. Listing status: Contract (verified supply chain only).
- DR Congo
- Rwanda
- Nigeria
- Ethiopia
- Burundi
Producers, mines and projects
DR Congo
North and South Kivu (Rubaya — the world's single largest coltan source), Tanganyika, Maniema; industrial: Manono (tin-tantalum)
Rwanda
Nyakabingo area, Gatumba, Musha — plus re-exports
Nigeria
Nasarawa, Kogi, Kaduna (artisanal)
Ethiopia
Kenticha (state)
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — African rows of the world production & reserves table
World Mine Production and Reserves: Production in 2024 for Congo (Kinshasa) was revised significantly based on Burundi 2 2 NA Congo (Kinshasa) 1,270 1,300 NA Ethiopia 40 40 NA Mozambique 1155 1 NA Nigeria 390 390 NA Rwanda 374 400 NA World total (rounded) 2,500 2,500 NA
Exports reported by African countries
| Year | Country | HS | Value | Net weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | DR Congo | 261590 | $26.9m | 1.1 kt |
| 2023 | DR Congo | 261590 | $26.2m | 873 t |
| 2023 | Ethiopia | 261590 | $10.9m | 1.4 kt |
| 2023 | Nigeria | 261590 | $9.9m | 24.2 kt |
| 2024 | Nigeria | 261590 | $3.0m | 3.0 kt |
| 2023 | Burundi | 261590 | $1.6m | — |
| 2023 | Ethiopia | 8103 | $1.5m | 38 t |
Imports from Africa reported by buyers
Mirror data fills gaps where exporters report late or incompletely.
| Year | Buyer | Origin | HS | Value | Net weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | China | Nigeria | 261590 | $111.5m | 6.1 kt |
| 2024 | China | Rwanda | 261590 | $107.7m | 2.3 kt |
| 2023 | China | Nigeria | 261590 | $99.7m | 5.9 kt |
| 2023 | China | Rwanda | 261590 | $81.6m | 1.6 kt |
| 2023 | China | DR Congo | 261590 | $63.0m | 1.2 kt |
| 2024 | China | DR Congo | 261590 | $54.9m | 1.1 kt |
| 2024 | China | Burundi | 261590 | $15.6m | 356 t |
| 2023 | China | Ethiopia | 261590 | $13.6m | 122 t |
| 2024 | China | Ethiopia | 261590 | $11.8m | 134 t |
| 2023 | UAE | DR Congo | 261590 | $4.2m | 210 t |
| 2023 | USA | Rwanda | 261590 | $2.4m | 34 t |
| 2024 | Japan | Rwanda | 261590 | $541k | 10 t |
Source: UN Comtrade (public data). Values in US$.
How it is priced
- Tantalite concentrate US$/lb Ta2O5 contained (Fastmarkets; e.g. basis 30% Ta2O5 CIF China); negotiated with processors (e.g. Ningxia Orient, KEMET/Global Advanced Metals, Taniobis, AMG)
- Payable depends on grade, Nb and radioactivity
Commercial terms
Minerals trade on formula prices: a published benchmark × metal content × payable percentage, less treatment charges and impurity penalties, settled on independent assay. Payment is typically by documentary letter of credit, with 90–95% provisional payment against shipping documents and the balance on final assay.
Request terms for Tantalum (Coltan)Assay & quality control
- Ta2O5, Nb2O5, SnO2, WO3, U3O8+ThO2 by XRF/ICP; radioactivity is critical — many coltans exceed transport exemption levels
Logistics
- Radioactive coltan: Class 7 (UN2912 LSA-I) packaging, IAEA transport regulations; drums/bags, air or sea via Kigali–Dar es Salaam/Mombasa
- Each bag tagged under ITSCI or other traceability schemes
Export rules by country
DR Congo
Permit / licence
export requires CEEC certification and ICGLR regional certificate; mining-site validation (green/yellow/red sites)
Authority: CEECPrimary source
Rwanda
Permit / licence
RMB export licensing; ICGLR certificate
Authority: ICGLRPrimary source
Nigeria
Permit / licence
MCO licensing; artisanal cooperatives
Primary source
Compliance & due diligence
- 3TG: OECD DDG Annex II (conflict financing, forced labour, public security forces); EU Conflict Minerals Regulation 2017/821 (importer obligations above thresholds); US Dodd-Frank §1502 reporting by downstream companies; RMI RMAP-conformant smelters only
- Traceability: ITSCI, Better Mining/BSP, RCS Global — but UN and Global Witness document >120 t/month of M23-area Rubaya coltan laundered via Rwanda under ITSCI tags (2024–25). Tag-based assurance alone is insufficient
- Sanctions: US/EU sanctions on M23-linked entities and on some Rwandan officials — screen every counterparty
Red flags
- Conflict financing (M23, armed groups, FARDC units)
- Smuggling and mislabelled origin
- Radioactivity rejections
- Child labour
Latest findings, with sources
Coltan concentrate grades: Rwandan exports typically 25–30% Ta2O5 with tighter grade control; DRC concentrates scatter <20% to >40% Ta2O5. Priced on contained Ta2O5 (US$/lb).
Source 1 · sciencedirect.comSource 2 · hub.truesourcemetals.com
Due-diligence red flag: UN Group of Experts / Global Witness report >120 t/month of coltan smuggled from M23-controlled Rubaya (North Kivu) into Rwanda since April 2024, mixed with Rwandan output and exported under ITSCI tags; ITSCI reported ~70 tag-misuse/plausibility incidents in 2025. Sourcing from the Great Lakes requires mine-site-level verification beyond bag tags.
Source 1 · globalwitness.orgSource 2 · oaklandinstitute.orgSource 3 · en.wikipedia.orgSource 4 · en.wikipedia.org
Research compiled September 2026 from USGS, UN Comtrade, producer and regulator publications. Facts marked “reported” come from secondary sources and should be confirmed before contracting.
Reference specimens
Shannon Heinle, CC0
Ji-Elle, CC BY-SA 3.0
Kaethe17, CC BY-SA 4.0
Robert M. Lavinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0
Robert M. Lavinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0
Reference specimens of the ore minerals and products, from public collections. They illustrate the material, not a specific ARAM lot or source.
Related minerals
3TG conflict minerals
Tin Sn
Tin's main use is solder for electronics, followed by tinplate, chemicals and battery research. Cassiterite (SnO2) from the African Great Lakes is a 3TG conflict mineral. The standout industrial source is Bisie (Alphamin) in North Kivu, DRC, one of the world's highest-grade tin mines. Its operations were shut for about five weeks in March 2025 as M23 advanced on Walikale.
- Supply
- Contract — verified 3TG supply only
- Assay
- Independent — required
- Origin
- Verified per offer
3TG conflict minerals
Tungsten W
Tungsten has the highest melting point of any metal. It is used in hard metals (tungsten carbide cutting tools, drilling), armour-piercing munitions, high-temperature alloys and electronics. China produces about 80% and has placed tungsten under export controls (February 2025). Rwanda is Africa's leading producer, and its Nyakabingo mine (Trinity Metals) now ships ferberite concentrate to the US defence-linked supply chain. Tungsten is a 3TG conflict mineral.
- Supply
- Contract — verified 3TG supply only
- Assay
- Independent — required
- Origin
- Verified per offer