Hello everyone

**anthony5** · 01-09-2015, 08:48 PM

Hello all,
Anthony here, a network engineer out of baltimore Md. Happy new year. A brief introduction; I graduated from University of Maryland back in 1997 with a Chemical Engineering degree, wanted to go into the Oil and gas (petroleum refining) industry but got sidetracked into IT. So I've been fixing computer networks for a living since then; however I continue to want to go into business for myself. Which brings me to metals, and a question or two (if you all would be so kind to indulge, thankyou)

Where would one find U.S based buyers for medium grade to high grade noribium powder, if one had access to this metal hypothetically. My second question is, if China has metals producers (for noribium for example) local to China, why do they still buy from the U.S?

Thankyou.

**logansryche** · 01-09-2015, 08:54 PM

Welcome to the forum from Central NY. Not sure about the Noribium, but China put a stop order on creating/exporting steel for some reason so they import it. Maybe they want to see importing from our angle, I dunno.

-Matt

**travistemple202020** · 01-10-2015, 11:56 AM

this sounds weird but welcome from iowa

**junkfreak** · 01-10-2015, 12:56 PM

Welcome from elkton Maryland

**ScrapperTrecycling** · 01-10-2015, 06:59 PM

Welcome from Montana.

**magnet** · 01-10-2015, 07:01 PM

Welcome from Texas

**Ten9T6** · 01-10-2015, 09:53 PM

Welcome from a fellow network geek, in Texas.

**sawmilleng** · 01-10-2015, 10:15 PM

I think you are talking about Niobium, not Nirobium? It used to be called columbium and may still have that name in parts of the US.

Wikipedia says 90% of it is used in steel production to improve the properties of steel, and the making of superalloys (of steel) so you know some of the end users. It is also used in superconducting devices and in electronics, but not much as you can see.

China imports it because they don't have any deposits of their own.

If you have some to sell, I would talk to some of the purchasing managers at the large steel manufacturers and at least see if they can tell you where they purchase their niobium from. Lacking that, look at the mines that produce the stuff and talk to them. There must be people who broker the stuff... its a pretty small market dominated by the big mines, but someone will know about it.

Hope this helps,
Jon.