spore: profile id: ferroalloys spore_version: 0.2 family: ferroalloys name: Ferroalloys (steelmaking master alloys) abbreviation: FeMo, FeMn, FeV, FeTi role: steelmaking additive (iron master alloys) category: metals type: steels-and-stainless summary: | Ferroalloys are iron-based master alloys that carry one alloying element into molten steel. The four covered here are ferromolybdenum (about 60 to 70 percent molybdenum), ferromanganese (74 to 95 percent manganese in the USGS typical range), ferrovanadium (35 to 85 percent vanadium, with FeV80 the most common grade) and ferrotitanium (45 to 75 percent titanium). They are added to the melt, so they set the chemistry of the steel rather than forming a part on their own. Their dust is the main health concern in the sources read, and their composition depends on the grade. best_for: Adding molybdenum, manganese, vanadium or titanium to the melt of structural, high-strength low-alloy and stainless steels in a controlled, known amount weakest_at: Grade-to-grade variation in composition and melting point, dust hazards from the powders, and no corrosion or moisture data for the alloys themselves identity: formula: 'Iron master alloys: ferromolybdenum (Fe-Mo), ferromanganese (Fe-Mn), ferrovanadium (Fe-V) and ferrotitanium (Fe-Ti)' cas: 12604-53-4 (ferromanganese); 12604-58-9 (ferrovanadium) source: usgs-mn-2026 where: Salient Statistics footnote 1 (ferromanganese 74 to 95 percent manganese); CAS numbers from the ferromanganese SDS and the NIOSH ferrovanadium entry tags: environments: [] stresses: [] applications: - structures properties: - benchmark: melting_point label: Melting point, ferromolybdenum value: 1800 value_high: 1900 bound: range unit: °C scope: material conditions: grade: industrial ferromolybdenum, about 60 percent Mo basis: range as printed method: Property text on a chemical database page, printed as 1800 to 1900 degrees C; a database summary, not a manufacturer datasheet status: ground note: Second-hand database figure; no manufacturer melting value for ferromolybdenum was found. source: chemicalbook-femo where: Ferromolybdenum property text, melting temperature sentence - benchmark: density label: Density, ferromolybdenum value: 9 unit: g/cm3 scope: material conditions: grade: industrial ferromolybdenum, about 60 percent Mo basis: approximate figure as printed method: Property text on a chemical database page, printed as approximately 9.0 g/cm3 status: ground note: Second-hand database figure, stated as approximate. source: chemicalbook-femo where: Ferromolybdenum property text, density sentence - benchmark: melting_point label: Melting point, ferromanganese value: 1200 value_high: 1300 bound: range unit: °C scope: material conditions: grade: ferromanganese, carbon grade not stated basis: range as printed method: Physical and chemical properties section of the Wikipedia article, printed as between 1,200 and 1,300 degrees C status: ground source: wiki-femn where: Physical and chemical properties section, melting point sentence - benchmark: density label: Density, ferromanganese value: 7.3 unit: g/cm3 scope: material conditions: grade: ferromanganese, impurity content not stated basis: figure printed as generally around 7.3 g/cm3 method: Physical and chemical properties section of the Wikipedia article, printed as generally around 7.3 g/cm3 and varying slightly with impurities status: ground source: wiki-femn where: Physical and chemical properties section, density sentence - benchmark: melting_point label: Melting point, ferrovanadium value: 1480 unit: °C scope: material conditions: grade: ferrovanadium, composition not stated (FeV80 is the most common grade) basis: single value from the infobox method: Infobox of the Wikipedia article, printed as 1,480 °C (2,700 °F; 1,750 K); the Celsius value is recorded status: ground source: wiki-fev where: Infobox, melting point row - benchmark: melting_point label: Melting point, ferrovanadium (NIOSH) value: 2696 value_high: 2768 bound: range unit: °F scope: material conditions: grade: ferrovanadium, usually 50 to 80 percent vanadium as printed by NIOSH basis: range as printed in Fahrenheit method: NIOSH Pocket Guide, melting point row, printed as 2696 to 2768 degrees F; values kept in the printed unit status: ground source: niosh-fev where: Melting point row, physical description note - benchmark: alloy_content label: Molybdenum content, ferromolybdenum (FeMo 60/70) value: 60 value_high: 70 bound: range unit: '%' scope: material conditions: element: Mo grade: Climax FeMo 60/70 basis: percent by weight, range as printed method: Specifications table of the Climax product datasheet, Molybdenum (Mo) row printed as 60.00 to 70.00 percent by weight status: ground source: climax-femo where: Specifications table, Molybdenum (Mo) row - benchmark: alloy_content label: Carbon limit, ferromolybdenum (FeMo 60/70) value: 0.1 bound: upper unit: '%' scope: material conditions: element: C grade: Climax FeMo 60/70 basis: maximum as printed method: Specifications table of the Climax product datasheet, Carbon (C) row printed as 0.10 max status: ground source: climax-femo where: Specifications table, Carbon (C) row - benchmark: alloy_content label: Sulfur limit, ferromolybdenum (FeMo 60/70) value: 0.15 bound: upper unit: '%' scope: material conditions: element: S grade: Climax FeMo 60/70 basis: maximum as printed method: Specifications table of the Climax product datasheet, Sulfur (S) row printed as 0.15 max status: ground source: climax-femo where: Specifications table, Sulfur (S) row - benchmark: alloy_content label: Phosphorus limit, ferromolybdenum (FeMo 60/70) value: 0.05 bound: upper unit: '%' scope: material conditions: element: P grade: Climax FeMo 60/70 basis: maximum as printed method: Specifications table of the Climax product datasheet, Phosphorus (P) row printed as 0.05 max status: ground source: climax-femo where: Specifications table, Phosphorus (P) row - benchmark: alloy_content label: Silicon limit, ferromolybdenum (FeMo 60/70) value: 1 bound: upper unit: '%' scope: material conditions: element: Si (soluble) grade: Climax FeMo 60/70 basis: maximum as printed method: Specifications table of the Climax product datasheet, Silicon (Si) (Soluble) row printed as 1.00 max status: ground source: climax-femo where: Specifications table, Silicon (Si) (Soluble) row - benchmark: alloy_content label: Copper limit, ferromolybdenum (FeMo 60/70) value: 0.5 bound: upper unit: '%' scope: material conditions: element: Cu grade: Climax FeMo 60/70 basis: maximum as printed method: Specifications table of the Climax product datasheet, Copper (Cu) row printed as 0.50 max status: ground source: climax-femo where: Specifications table, Copper (Cu) row - benchmark: alloy_content label: Manganese content, ferromanganese value: 74 value_high: 95 bound: range unit: '%' scope: material conditions: element: Mn grade: ferromanganese, typical range basis: manganese content range as printed method: Footnote 1 of the USGS Salient Statistics table, printed as manganese content typically ranging from 74 to 95 percent for ferromanganese status: ground source: usgs-mn-2026 where: Salient Statistics table, footnote 1 - benchmark: alloy_content label: Carbon content, high-carbon ferromanganese value: 6 bound: upper unit: '%' scope: material conditions: element: C grade: high-carbon ferromanganese basis: upper limit as printed method: Production section of the Wikipedia article, printed as high-carbon ferromanganese can have a carbon content of up to 6 percent status: ground source: wiki-femn where: Production section, high-carbon paragraph - benchmark: alloy_content label: Vanadium content, ferrovanadium value: 35 value_high: 85 bound: range unit: '%' scope: material conditions: element: V grade: ferrovanadium, all grades basis: range as printed; FeV80 is the most common grade method: Composition section of the Wikipedia article, printed as vanadium content in ferrovanadium ranges from 35 percent to 85 percent status: ground source: wiki-fev where: Composition section, first paragraph - benchmark: alloy_content label: Vanadium content, US ferrovanadium price grade value: 78 value_high: 82 bound: range unit: '%' scope: material conditions: element: V grade: US ferrovanadium quoted by USGS for its 2025 price basis: range as printed method: Events, Trends and Issues section of the USGS vanadium chapter, printed as the estimated United States ferrovanadium price (78 percent to 82 percent vanadium content) status: ground source: usgs-v-2026 where: Events, Trends and Issues, paragraph on ferrovanadium price - benchmark: alloy_content label: Titanium content, ferrotitanium value: 45 value_high: 75 bound: range unit: '%' scope: material conditions: element: Ti grade: ferrotitanium, all grades basis: range as printed method: Lead section of the Wikipedia article, printed as 45 to 75 percent titanium status: ground source: wiki-fetti where: Lead section, first paragraph - benchmark: alloy_content label: Iron content, ferrotitanium value: 10 value_high: 20 bound: range unit: '%' scope: material conditions: element: Fe grade: ferrotitanium, all grades basis: range as printed method: Lead section of the Wikipedia article, printed as between 10 and 20 percent iron status: ground source: wiki-fetti where: Lead section, first paragraph corrosion: - environment: Steel made with ferrovanadium headline: Wikipedia says ferrovanadium improves corrosion resistance in steel, but gives no rate. effect: The Wikipedia article calls ferrovanadium a universal hardener, strengthener and anti-corrosive additive for steels, and says it improves corrosion resistance to alkaline reagents as well as sulfuric and hydrochloric acids. No corrosion rate or test is given for any ferrovanadium grade, and the statement describes the steel, not the alloy powder. rating: unknown conditions: basis: qualitative statement for steel containing the alloy; no test conditions given source: wiki-fev where: Lead section, uses paragraph; Corrosion paragraph - environment: Stored lump or powder in a warehouse headline: The ferromanganese SDS asks for sealed containers in a cool, dry store, but gives no corrosion rate. effect: The supplier SDS for ferromanganese says to keep the container tightly sealed and store it in a cool, dry place in tightly closed containers. It gives no corrosion rate, moisture-uptake figure or reaction test. rating: unknown conditions: basis: storage advice only; no exposure duration or humidity stated source: femn-sds where: Section 7, Handling and storage risks: hazards: - text: 'Stanford Advanced Materials SDS for ferromanganese (CAS 12604-53-4): signal word Warning, H319 causes serious eye irritation and H335 may cause respiratory irritation. Hazards not otherwise classified: no information known.' ghs: - H319 - H335 source: femn-sds where: Section 2, Hazards identification - text: Wikipedia gives GHS hazard statements H320, H335 and H373 for ferrovanadium, with signal word Warning. The dust is a mild eye irritant and caused chronic bronchitis and pneumonitis in animals at high concentration. ghs: - H320 - H335 - H373 source: wiki-fev where: Infobox, Toxicology and Occupational exposure sections - text: NIOSH gives ferrovanadium dust a recommended exposure limit of 1 mg/m3 as a time-weighted average and 3 mg/m3 short-term, an IDLH of 500 mg/m3, and an OSHA PEL of 1 mg/m3 as a TWA. The metal is listed as noncombustible, but its dust may be an explosion hazard. ghs: [] source: niosh-fev where: Exposure limits, IDLH and Physical description rows failure_risks: - mode: Dust explosion in a powder store or grinding area trigger: Airborne dust at or above the minimum explosive concentration consequence: NIOSH gives a minimum explosive concentration of 1.3 g/m3 for ferrovanadium dust and says the dust may be an explosion hazard, although the metal is noncombustible. severity: moderate source: niosh-fev where: Minimum explosive concentration row; Physical description note - mode: Respiratory and eye irritation from powder handling trigger: Dust or fume above the 1 mg/m3 TWA, without a dust control consequence: Eye and respiratory irritation, with chronic bronchitis and pneumonitis in animals at high concentration (Wikipedia; NIOSH target organs and symptoms). severity: moderate source: niosh-fev where: Symptoms and Target organs rows - mode: Fire fought with water trigger: A fire involving ferromanganese powder or lump consequence: The SDS lists water as an unsuitable extinguishing agent, names special powder for metal fires, and says metal oxide fume is released in a fire. severity: moderate source: femn-sds where: Section 5, Firefighting measures side_effects: [] handling: - text: Keep the container tightly sealed and store it in a cool, dry place in tightly closed containers, with good ventilation at the workplace (ferromanganese SDS, section 7). source: femn-sds where: Section 7, Handling and storage - text: 'NIOSH respirator guidance for ferrovanadium dust: up to 10 mg/m3, any particulate respirator with an N95, R95 or P95 filter; up to 500 mg/m3, a supplied-air respirator with a full facepiece run in a positive-pressure mode.' source: niosh-fev where: Respirator recommendations - text: Use special powder for metal fires and do not use water on a ferromanganese fire (SDS, section 5). source: femn-sds where: Section 5, Suitable and unsuitable extinguishing agents mitigations: - text: Avoid breathing dust, fume, gas, mist, vapours or spray (ferromanganese SDS precaution P261), and wear protective gloves and eye protection (P280). source: femn-sds where: Section 2, Precautionary statements - text: Keep the material away from strong oxidizers, which NIOSH lists as incompatible with ferrovanadium. source: niosh-fev where: Incompatibilities and reactivities row uses: - application: structures device: High-strength low-alloy structural steel example: The Wikipedia article says ferromolybdenum is the main source of molybdenum alloying for HSLA steel, and it is added to the melt before casting. source: wiki-femo where: Lead section, first paragraph; Production section - application: structures device: Cast iron, steel and superalloys example: USGS says molybdenum is used principally as an alloying agent in cast iron, steel and superalloys, and its 2025 US production rose by 18 percent to 40,000 tons of molybdenum content. source: usgs-mo-2026 where: Domestic Production and Use paragraph - application: structures device: Alloy steels as a hardener and strengthener example: The Wikipedia article calls ferrovanadium a universal hardener and strengthener for steels, and USGS says metallurgical use, mainly as an alloying agent for iron and steel, was more than 90 percent of 2025 reported US vanadium consumption. source: wiki-fev where: Lead section, uses paragraph; USGS vanadium Domestic Production and Use paragraph - application: structures device: Steel melts treated as a deoxidizer and desulfurizer example: The Wikipedia article says ferrotitanium is used as a cleansing agent for iron and steel, as a deoxidizer, and sometimes for desulfurization and denitrogenation, and that titanium gives a finer grain structure. source: wiki-fetti where: Lead section, uses paragraph - application: structures device: Carbon, low-alloy and stainless steels example: The Wikipedia article says the main use of ferromanganese is as a processed manganese source for adding manganese to steels, including stainless steel, and that low-carbon grades are preferred because they control carbon accurately. source: wiki-femn where: Lead section; Production section supply: - subject: Molybdenum (world mine production, 2025e) abundance: World mine production in 2025e was 260,000 metric tons of molybdenum content (USGS, rounded total). China 97,000; Chile 42,000; United States 40,000; Peru 39,000. producers: - country: China year: 2025 - country: Chile year: 2025 - country: United States year: 2025 - country: Peru year: 2025 critical_lists: - list: USGS 2025 List of Critical Minerals listed: false recycling: 'USGS: molybdenum is recycled as a component of catalysts, ferrous scrap and superalloy scrap, and the amount recycled may be as much as 30 percent of apparent supply.' substitutes: - 'USGS: there is little substitution for molybdenum in steels and cast irons; boron, chromium, niobium, vanadium and tungsten are named as potential substitutes in alloy steels.' source: usgs-mo-2026 where: World Mine Production and Reserves table, 2025e column; Recycling; Substitutes; Critical list entry (not listed) - subject: Ferromolybdenum imports (United States, 2021 to 2024) abundance: Ferromolybdenum import sources were Chile 74 percent, Republic of Korea 21 percent, United Kingdom 4 percent and other 1 percent. producers: - country: Chile year: 2024 - country: Republic of Korea year: 2024 critical_lists: [] recycling: '' substitutes: [] source: usgs-mo-2026 where: Import Sources (2021 to 2024) paragraph - subject: Manganese (world mine production, 2025e) abundance: Manganese ore mine production in 2025e was 20,000 thousand metric tons of manganese content (USGS, rounded total). South Africa 7,600; Gabon 5,000; Ghana 2,000; Australia 1,600; China 700. South Africa holds an estimated 70 percent of world manganese resources. producers: - country: South Africa year: 2025 - country: Gabon year: 2025 - country: Ghana year: 2025 - country: Australia year: 2025 - country: China year: 2025 critical_lists: - list: USGS 2025 List of Critical Minerals listed: true recycling: 'USGS: manganese is recovered along with iron from steel slag, and scrap recovery specifically for manganese was negligible.' substitutes: - 'USGS: manganese has no satisfactory substitute in its major applications.' source: usgs-mn-2026 where: World Mine Production and Reserves table, 2025e column; World Resources paragraph; Substitutes; Recycling - subject: Manganese (United States import reliance) abundance: No manganese ore containing 20 percent or more manganese has been produced domestically since 1970. Net import reliance was 100 percent of apparent consumption in 2025e. In 2025 US ferromanganese imports were an estimated 350 thousand metric tons (from the Salient Statistics table). producers: [] critical_lists: [] recycling: '' substitutes: [] source: usgs-mn-2026 where: Domestic Production and Use paragraph; Salient Statistics table, Net import reliance and Ferromanganese imports rows - subject: Ferromanganese import sources (2021 to 2024) abundance: Ferromanganese imports came from Malaysia 26 percent, Australia 16 percent, Norway 16 percent, South Africa 14 percent and other sources 28 percent. producers: - country: Malaysia year: 2024 - country: Australia year: 2024 - country: Norway year: 2024 - country: South Africa year: 2024 critical_lists: [] recycling: '' substitutes: [] source: usgs-mn-2026 where: Import Sources (2021 to 2024) paragraph - subject: Vanadium (world mine production, 2025e) abundance: World vanadium mine production in 2025e was 110,000 metric tons of vanadium content (USGS, rounded total). China 82,000; Russia 21,000; Brazil 5,300; South Africa 5,000. Most of China's output is a coproduct of titanomagnetite processed in steelmaking. Secondary production from ash, residues and spent catalysts was 7,500 metric tons in 2025e. producers: - country: China year: 2025 - country: Russia year: 2025 - country: Brazil year: 2025 - country: South Africa year: 2025 critical_lists: - list: USGS 2025 List of Critical Minerals listed: true recycling: 'USGS: recycling is mainly associated with reprocessing vanadium catalysts into new catalysts.' substitutes: - 'USGS: steels with other alloying elements can replace vanadium steels; manganese, molybdenum, niobium, titanium and tungsten are interchangeable with vanadium to some degree.' source: usgs-v-2026 where: World Mine Production and Reserves table, 2025e column; Recycling; Substitutes; Events, Trends and Issues - subject: Ferrovanadium imports (United States) abundance: US ferrovanadium imports were 2,200 metric tons in 2025e. Import sources for 2021 to 2024 were Canada 50 percent, Austria 35 percent, Russia 6 percent and Latvia 4 percent. producers: - country: Canada year: 2024 - country: Austria year: 2024 critical_lists: [] recycling: '' substitutes: [] source: usgs-v-2026 where: Salient Statistics table, Ferrovanadium imports row; Import Sources (2021 to 2024) paragraph - subject: Titanium (world sponge production, 2025) abundance: World titanium sponge production was 370,000 metric tons in 2025 (USGS, rounded total). China 260,000; Japan 53,000; Russia 25,000; Kazakhstan 16,000; Saudi Arabia 12,000. The United States produced no sponge in 2025 and imported about 44,000 tons. Ferrotitanium is a separate product from the sponge figures. producers: - country: China year: 2025 - country: Japan year: 2025 - country: Russia year: 2025 - country: Kazakhstan year: 2025 - country: Saudi Arabia year: 2025 critical_lists: - list: USGS 2025 List of Critical Minerals listed: true recycling: 'USGS: a Virginia company began commercial titanium powder production from titanium scrap in late 2024 and aimed to reach 1,400 tons per year in 2027.' substitutes: - 'USGS: aluminum, nickel, specialty steels and zirconium alloys may replace titanium where corrosion resistance is required (sponge metal context, not ferrotitanium).' source: usgs-ti-2026 where: Domestic Production and Use; World Sponge Metal Production table, 2025 column; Events, Trends and Issues; Substitutes media: [] documents: - title: 'Climax Molybdenum product data sheet: Ferromolybdenum 60/70 (PDS FEMO US REV24-01)' type: datasheet url: https://www.climaxmolybdenum.com/sites/climaxmoly/files/documents/pdfs/technical-library/metallurgical-product-datasheets/PDS_FEMO_US_65.pdf year: 2024 - title: 'Stanford Advanced Materials safety data sheet: Ferro Manganese (CAS 12604-53-4)' type: sds url: https://samaterials.com/tds/1697119575-1673-ferro-manganese-femn-alloy-sds.pdf year: 2023 - title: 'NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards: Ferrovanadium dust (CAS 12604-58-9)' type: database url: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0287.html year: 2019 - title: 'USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Molybdenum' type: report url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-molybdenum.pdf year: 2026 - title: 'USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Manganese' type: report url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-manganese.pdf year: 2026 - title: 'USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Vanadium' type: report url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-vanadium.pdf year: 2026 - title: 'USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Titanium and Titanium Dioxide' type: report url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-titanium.pdf year: 2026 - title: 'USGS: About the 2025 List of Critical Minerals' type: report url: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/mineral-resources-program/science/about-2025-list-critical-minerals year: 2025 - title: 'Wikipedia: Ferromolybdenum' type: database url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferromolybdenum - title: 'Wikipedia: Ferrovanadium' type: database url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrovanadium - title: 'Wikipedia: Ferrotitanium' type: database url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrotitanium - title: 'Wikipedia: Ferromanganese' type: database url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferromanganese - title: 'ChemicalBook: Ferromolybdenum property page (CAS 12382-30-8)' type: database url: https://www.chemicalbook.com/CASEN_12382-30-8.htm gaps: - Ferrotitanium melting point and density were not found in any page read. The Stanford Advanced Materials FeTi40-A table prints two different Ti ranges under the same label, so it is not used for values. - Ferrovanadium density was not recorded. The NIOSH entry prints specific gravity as a question mark, and Wikipedia gives no figure. - Ferromolybdenum melting point and density come only from a chemical database page (ChemicalBook); no manufacturer or standards figure was found, so treat them as approximate. - Ferromanganese density and melting range come from Wikipedia, not from a manufacturer datasheet. Its carbon grade is not stated, so the figures are for ferromanganese in general. - No corrosion rate, moisture uptake, water reaction or salt-spray result was found for any of the four alloys. The DLA high-carbon ferromanganese SDS, which a search suggested treats contact with water as a flammable-gas hazard, could not be downloaded, so water reactivity is not stated here. - 'Ferromolybdenum has no SDS value read in this run: Climax says its SDS is available on request. Ferrotitanium has no hazard, dust or exposure data read in this run.' - No manganese exposure limit (NIOSH or OSHA) was read for ferromanganese dust or fume; the only limits recorded are for ferrovanadium dust. - Ferrotitanium composition is taken from Wikipedia's 45 to 75 percent titanium range only. ASTM A324 grade limits were not read, so no grade-by-grade composition is given. - 'Ferrovanadium composition: the 78 to 82 percent vanadium figure is the grade quoted by USGS for its US price, not a manufacturer spec. No FeV80 datasheet was read.' - Iron supply (world iron ore and steel scrap) was not characterised for this family. The EU critical raw materials list was not checked; only the USGS 2025 list is recorded. - The alloy_content benchmark is a custom snake_case name, not in property-canon, because the file has no canonical composition property. Exposure limits are recorded in risks, not as properties. sources: usgs-mn-2026: title: 'USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Manganese' url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-manganese.pdf kind: report year: 2026 license: public domain usgs-mo-2026: title: 'USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Molybdenum' url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-molybdenum.pdf kind: report year: 2026 license: public domain usgs-v-2026: title: 'USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Vanadium' url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-vanadium.pdf kind: report year: 2026 license: public domain usgs-ti-2026: title: 'USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Titanium and Titanium Dioxide' url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-titanium.pdf kind: report year: 2026 license: public domain usgs-crit-2025: title: 'USGS: About the 2025 List of Critical Minerals' url: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/mineral-resources-program/science/about-2025-list-critical-minerals kind: web year: 2025 license: public domain climax-femo: title: 'Climax Molybdenum product data sheet: Ferromolybdenum 60/70 (PDS FEMO US REV24-01)' url: https://www.climaxmolybdenum.com/sites/climaxmoly/files/documents/pdfs/technical-library/metallurgical-product-datasheets/PDS_FEMO_US_65.pdf kind: datasheet license: cited, not reproduced femn-sds: title: 'Stanford Advanced Materials safety data sheet: Ferro Manganese (CAS 12604-53-4)' url: https://samaterials.com/tds/1697119575-1673-ferro-manganese-femn-alloy-sds.pdf kind: datasheet year: 2023 license: cited, not reproduced niosh-fev: title: 'NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards: Ferrovanadium dust' url: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0287.html kind: database year: 2019 license: public domain (CDC) wiki-femo: title: 'Wikipedia: Ferromolybdenum' url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferromolybdenum kind: web license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (cited, not reproduced) wiki-fev: title: 'Wikipedia: Ferrovanadium' url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrovanadium kind: web license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (cited, not reproduced) wiki-fetti: title: 'Wikipedia: Ferrotitanium' url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrotitanium kind: web license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (cited, not reproduced) wiki-femn: title: 'Wikipedia: Ferromanganese' url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferromanganese kind: web license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (cited, not reproduced) chemicalbook-femo: title: 'ChemicalBook: Ferromolybdenum property page (CAS 12382-30-8)' url: https://www.chemicalbook.com/CASEN_12382-30-8.htm kind: database license: cited, not reproduced license: CC-BY-4.0 updated: '2026-10-26' review: status: draft method: assistant checked_values: 18 unreachable: 1 caveats: 11 note: Written by an AI assistant on 2026-10-26 from pages and PDFs read in that run. Melting points and densities come from Wikipedia and one chemical database page, not a manufacturer; molybdenum and vanadium composition limits come from a Climax datasheet and USGS text; hazards come from NIOSH, Wikipedia and a supplier SDS. The ferroalloys USGS chapter URL returned a not-found page, so USGS ferroalloy data are taken from the element chapters. story: recipe: line: Each ferroalloy is iron carrying one added element at a large dose. Ferromolybdenum is 60 to 70 percent molybdenum, ferromanganese is 74 to 95 percent manganese, ferrovanadium is 35 to 85 percent vanadium (FeV80 is the most common) and ferrotitanium is 45 to 75 percent titanium. Ferromolybdenum is made by heating molybdenum oxide with aluminium and iron, ferrovanadium by aluminothermic reduction of V2O5 in an electric arc furnace, ferromanganese by reduction in a submerged arc furnace, and ferrotitanium by melting titanium sponge and scrap with iron in an induction furnace (Wikipedia). parts: - name: Iron symbol: Fe share_note: balance (the rest) in every grade role: The carrier metal. It dissolves the alloying element into the steel melt. source: climax-femo where: Specifications table, Balance row - name: Molybdenum symbol: Mo share_percent: 60 share_high: 70 role: The alloying element for high-strength low-alloy steel (ferromolybdenum). source: climax-femo where: Specifications table, Molybdenum row - name: Manganese symbol: Mn share_percent: 74 share_high: 95 role: The alloying element added to carbon, low-alloy and stainless steels (ferromanganese). source: usgs-mn-2026 where: Salient Statistics table, footnote 1 - name: Vanadium symbol: V share_percent: 35 share_high: 85 role: Hardens and strengthens steel (ferrovanadium). source: wiki-fev where: Composition section, first paragraph - name: Titanium symbol: Ti share_percent: 45 share_high: 75 role: Cleanses and deoxidizes the melt, and refines grain (ferrotitanium). source: wiki-fetti where: Lead section, first paragraph - name: Carbon symbol: C share_note: 0.10 max in ferromolybdenum; up to 6 in high-carbon ferromanganese role: An impurity in most ferroalloys. The limit is set per grade. source: climax-femo where: Specifications table, Carbon row - name: Silicon symbol: Si share_note: 1.00 max (soluble) in ferromolybdenum role: An impurity in most ferroalloys. Held to a maximum in each grade. source: climax-femo where: Specifications table, Silicon row why: 'Ferroalloys are iron master alloys that carry one element into a steel melt. Each one in this profile carries a different element: molybdenum for alloying HSLA steel, manganese for steels including stainless, vanadium as a hardener and strengthener, and titanium as a cleansing agent and deoxidizer. The four alloys differ in composition and melting point, so every figure here is kept with the grade it belongs to.' uses: - where: Structural and high-strength low-alloy steel line: Ferromolybdenum is the main source of molybdenum for alloying high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steel, and it is added to the melt before casting (Wikipedia). USGS says molybdenum is used principally as an alloying agent in cast iron, steel and superalloys. - where: Hardened and strengthened alloy steels line: Ferrovanadium is a universal hardener and strengthener for steels, and USGS says more than 90 percent of 2025 US reported vanadium consumption was metallurgical, mainly as an alloying agent for iron and steel. - where: Deoxidizing and cleansing steel line: Ferrotitanium is used as a cleansing agent and deoxidizer for iron and steel, and sometimes for desulfurization and denitrogenation (Wikipedia). - where: Carbon, low-alloy and stainless steels line: Ferromanganese is the processed manganese source for adding manganese to steels, including stainless steel. USGS says the metal has no satisfactory substitute in its major applications. can_do: - label: Molybdenum dose benchmark: alloy_content line: Ferromolybdenum (FeMo 60/70) is 60 to 70 percent molybdenum by weight, with carbon at most 0.10 percent and phosphorus at most 0.05 percent (Climax datasheet). - label: Manganese dose benchmark: alloy_content line: Ferromanganese is typically 74 to 95 percent manganese (USGS). The high-carbon grade can carry up to 6 percent carbon, while the low-carbon grade has less than 2 percent (Wikipedia). - label: Vanadium dose benchmark: alloy_content line: Ferrovanadium ranges from 35 to 85 percent vanadium, and FeV80 is the most common grade (Wikipedia). USGS prices the US ferrovanadium at 78 to 82 percent vanadium. - label: Titanium dose benchmark: alloy_content line: Ferrotitanium ranges from 45 to 75 percent titanium, with 10 to 20 percent iron (Wikipedia). - label: Melting point benchmark: melting_point line: Ferromanganese melts at 1200 to 1300 °C (Wikipedia). Ferrovanadium melts at about 1480 °C, which NIOSH gives as 2696 to 2768 °F. A chemical database gives ferromolybdenum 1800 to 1900 °C. compare: 'The four alloys melt at different temperatures and carry different doses. Ferromanganese, at 1200 to 1300 °C, melts lowest. Ferrovanadium, at about 1480 °C, sits in the middle. Ferromolybdenum is given as 1800 to 1900 °C by a chemical database, which is above the other two. Ferrotitanium has no melting figure in the sources read. Dose ranges also differ: manganese 74 to 95 percent, molybdenum 60 to 70 percent, vanadium 35 to 85 percent and titanium 45 to 75 percent.' compare_rows: - label: Melting point benchmark: melting_point - label: Density benchmark: density - label: Element content in the alloy benchmark: alloy_content handling: - Keep the containers tightly sealed in a cool, dry place with good ventilation (ferromanganese SDS, section 7). - Dust may be an explosion hazard; NIOSH gives a minimum explosive concentration of 1.3 g/m3 for ferrovanadium dust. - Use an N95, R95 or P95 particulate respirator up to 10 mg/m3 of ferrovanadium dust, and a supplied-air respirator above that (NIOSH). - Do not use water on a ferromanganese fire; use special powder for metal fires (SDS, section 5). good_for: - Adding a precise dose of molybdenum, manganese, vanadium or titanium to a steel melt. - Deoxidizing and cleansing steel with ferrotitanium. watch_out: - Dust from the powders can irritate the eyes and lungs, and ferrovanadium dust caused bronchitis and pneumonitis in animals at high concentration (Wikipedia; NIOSH). - Grade-to-grade composition varies a lot. Quote the grade with every number, since the dose ranges overlap between sources. - No corrosion or moisture-reaction data were found for the alloys themselves, so storage advice rests on the supplier SDS alone. verdict: Ferroalloys are the usual way to put molybdenum, manganese, vanadium or titanium into steel. Dose depends on grade, and the powders need dust control and dry storage. The file has no corrosion data and no melting point for ferrotitanium. risk_groups: - title: For people level: 1 verdict: Dust is the main hazard lead: The SDS and NIOSH entries point to dust and fume, not to acute toxicity of the lump. points: - label: Ferromanganese line: The supplier SDS classes it as Warning, with H319 for serious eye irritation and H335 for respiratory irritation. - label: Ferrovanadium line: Wikipedia lists H320, H335 and H373; NIOSH gives a 1 mg/m3 TWA and a 500 mg/m3 IDLH for the dust. - label: Dust line: Avoid breathing dust, fume, gas, mist or spray (SDS precaution P261). - title: In a fire or in storage level: 2 verdict: Water is the wrong agent lead: The SDS says water is an unsuitable extinguishing agent and that metal oxide fume is released. points: - label: Fire line: Use special powder for metal fires; do not use water on a ferromanganese fire. - label: Storage line: Keep the container tightly sealed in a cool, dry place. - title: Dust explosion level: 1 verdict: Dust may explode lead: The metal is noncombustible, but its dust may be an explosion hazard, according to NIOSH. points: - label: Minimum concentration line: NIOSH gives a minimum explosive concentration of 1.3 g/m3 for ferrovanadium dust.