Molybdenum Metal DNA™
· Atomic #42 · ₹8,062.97/kg today
The metal that gives steel its heat resistance and strength under pressure — and, in most cases, gets mined without anyone actually digging for it.
Molybdenum 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.
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.
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
- Mo
- Atomic Number
- 42
- 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.
Steel's Strength-and-Heat Upgrade
Adding molybdenum to steel meaningfully improves its strength and resistance to heat and corrosion, which is why it's a standard alloying ingredient in oil and gas pipelines, high-strength structural steel and aerospace components — applications where ordinary steel alone isn't good enough.
Often Someone Else's Byproduct
A significant share of the world's molybdenum is recovered as a byproduct of copper mining rather than from dedicated molybdenum mines, which means its supply can respond as much to copper-mining economics as to molybdenum's own price.
Where the Corrosion Resistance Actually Matters
Molybdenum's real value shows up in environments ordinary steel simply can't survive — offshore oil platforms, sour (high-sulfur) gas wells and deep pipelines, where its resistance to corrosion under extreme pressure and chemical exposure is what actually justifies the added cost, rather than any single flagship consumer product the way, say, tin has solder or neodymium has magnets.
Supply Snapshot
Real, USGS-sourced production shares — the same data behind this metal's Geographic Concentration score above. Full breakdown: Metal Reserves →
Did You Know?
Molybdenum has no major futures exchange of its own — like lithium and cobalt, it's priced through Fastmarkets' surveyed benchmark assessments rather than a listed contract.
Frequently Asked Questions
Molybdenum 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.
Molybdenum'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.
China accounts for 37.3% of global molybdenum production, per USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries — see the full production breakdown.
The Molybdenum price in India today is ₹8,062.97 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.
