Gallium Metal DNA™
· Atomic #31 · ₹23,249.86/kg today
A metal most people have never heard of, recovered as an afterthought of other mining, that still managed to become a genuine geopolitical flashpoint.
Gallium DNA Profile
Each dimension below is either computed live from data this site already tracks, or a manually researched figure with its own source — see how these are calculated.
How is this calculated?
Computed from the 30-day price change already stored in this site's own price history: score = 50 + (30-day % change × 2), clamped to 0–100. A metal flat over 30 days scores 50; every 1% of 30-day move shifts the score 2 points either way.
How is this calculated?
The standard deviation of daily % price changes over the last 10 trading days, scaled ×20 and clamped to 0–100. A purely descriptive measure of recent swing size, not a positive or negative signal on its own.
How is this calculated?
The single largest producing country's share of reported global production (excluding the "Other countries" residual bucket), taken directly from the USGS-sourced figures already powering /metal-reserves. Higher = more concentrated in one country.
No reliable dataset for this metal yet — shown honestly as not scored rather than a guessed number.
How is this calculated?
Summed reported reserves ÷ summed reported annual production, across only the countries USGS reports both figures for (same commodity, same units — never summed across commodities). Scaled: 40+ years of reserve life scores 100, scaled down linearly below that.
No reliable dataset for this metal yet — shown honestly as not scored rather than a guessed number.
How is this calculated?
Manually researched from each metal's primary industry association (see each metal's Sources section) — not computed. Scored as 100 minus the largest single demand sector's share of total demand, so a metal with no single dominant buyer group scores higher than one dependent on one sector.
No reliable dataset for this metal yet — shown honestly as not scored rather than a guessed number.
Scientific Identity
- Symbol
- Ga
- Atomic Number
- 31
- Category
- Critical Minerals & Energy
Source: IUPAC Periodic Table of the Elements. Further physical/chemical properties (density, melting point, electron configuration) are planned for a future update — not shown until individually verified per metal.
A Byproduct With Outsized Importance
Gallium is almost never mined on its own — it's recovered in small quantities from aluminium and zinc ore processing — yet it's essential to gallium arsenide and gallium nitride chips used in 5G equipment, power electronics and LEDs, giving a tiny-tonnage metal real strategic weight.
2023: When a 'Minor Metal' Made Global Headlines
China's 2023 export licensing controls on gallium turned an obscure commodity most people had never priced or even heard of into global news within days — a direct reminder of how much of the world's minor-metal refining capacity sits concentrated inside one country.
The Chip That's Replacing Silicon Chargers
Gallium's newest growth market isn't LEDs or 5G radios but gallium nitride (GaN) power electronics — GaN has a far wider energy bandgap than silicon, letting devices switch faster, run hotter and shrink in size without breaking down, which is exactly why GaN chargers and laptop adapters have become the fast-charging standard in just a few years.
Did You Know?
China's dominance in gallium isn't primarily about mining it — it's about being where most of the world's byproduct-recovery and refining capacity happens to be located.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gallium Metal DNA™ is MetalsCost's intelligence profile combining scientific identity with market, supply and demand indicators — each indicator is either computed from this site's own stored price and reserves data, or a manually researched, cited figure. See the methodology page for exactly how.
Gallium's overall score of 25/100 is a simple average of the individual dimensions currently scored for it below — click any dimension's "Why?" for its exact formula and source.
The Gallium price in India today is ₹23,249.86 per kilogram as of August 28, 2026. See the live price and chart.
MetalsCost Metal DNA™ is an informational and analytical indicator. It is not investment advice, a price target, or a recommendation to buy or sell any commodity or financial instrument. See the methodology page for data sources and calculation details.
