China’s tungsten market moved lower during the week of July 10, 2026. Concentrates, APT, tungsten powder and tungsten carbide powder all faced downward pressure as supply concessions met cautious restocking demand.
Domestic tungsten prices faced overall downward pressure this week, with both supply-side concessions and restocking demand showing some release. According to Chinatungsten Online, inquiries increased, but actual transactions were still led by long-term contracts and small-batch, immediate-need orders.
Market overview: lower prices, divided bottoming expectations
Confidence in a bottoming-out process remains divided. Traders across the tungsten industry chain generally kept a cautious wait-and-see attitude, because more inquiries have not yet translated into broad spot-market liquidity.
In the tungsten concentrate market, long-term supply is still constrained by resource bottlenecks and policy controls. In the short term, however, weak downstream demand and relatively ample inventory pressured negotiations for both wolframite and scheelite concentrate.
APT, powder and ferrotungsten weaken with cautious buying
The ammonium paratungstate (APT) market saw more room for negotiation as upstream costs eased and downstream buyers purchased only as needed. Domestic APT fell to RMB 630,000/ton, while European APT remained far above last year’s level despite regional quote differences.
In the tungsten powder market, off-season demand and marginal inventory accumulation challenged the RMB 1 million/ton price line. Investors are watching whether the cost floor and immediate-need restocking can provide support.
Ferrotungsten continued to follow the broader tungsten trend. Easing costs and cautious steel-alloy demand kept prices in a narrow, slightly weaker fluctuation range. Scrap tungsten carbide also came under pressure from softer raw-material prices, although holders remained reluctant to sell at low levels.
Price table — July 10, 2026 (Chinatungsten Online)
The following table summarizes the latest tungsten product prices reported by Chinatungsten Online as of July 10, 2026. Week-on-week, year-on-year and year-to-date changes follow the source text.
| Product | Price | YTD Change |
|---|---|---|
| 65% wolframite concentrate | RMB 435,000/ton | −5.4% YoY |
| 65% scheelite concentrate | RMB 434,000/ton | −5.5% YoY |
| Ammonium paratungstate (APT) | RMB 630,000/ton | −6.0% YoY |
| European APT | USD 3,000–3,265/mtu (≈ RMB 1,802,000–1,961,000)/ton (equiv.) | +240.5% YoY |
| Tungsten powder | RMB 1,000/kg | −7.4% YoY |
| Tungsten carbide powder | RMB 950/kg | −8.7% YoY |
| Cobalt powder | RMB 490/kg | −5.8% YoY |
| 70% ferrotungsten | RMB 690,000/ton | +6.2% YTD |
| European ferrotungsten | USD 200–215/kg W (≈ RMB 974,000–1,045,000)/ton (equiv.) | +50.9% YTD |
| Scrap tungsten carbide rods | RMB 746/kg | +9.7% YTD |
Source: Chinatungsten Online · YTD = Year-to-date change from Jan 1, 2026 · WoW = Week-on-week
What this means for carbide tool buyers
- Lower tungsten powder and tungsten carbide powder prices may reduce near-term raw-material assumptions for solid carbide drills, end mills and custom tools.
- The market has not reached a clear consensus on bottoming, so buyers should avoid treating one week of lower prices as a stable long-term procurement baseline.
- European APT and European ferrotungsten remain much stronger than last year or the start of the year, which can still affect export-linked pricing psychology.
- Scrap tungsten carbide prices are softer week-on-week, but seller resistance at low prices may keep recycling negotiations slow.
Procurement note
Use the current softer quote window to refresh carbide tool cost assumptions, separate tungsten powder movement from cobalt powder movement, and confirm validity periods for repeat carbide drill and end mill sizes. For urgent projects, pricing should be tied to actual drawings, coating requirements, material grade and order quantity rather than only to headline raw-material prices.
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Standard carbide drills for steel, stainless steel, cast iron and general precision holemaking.
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Carbide ball end mills for mold, die, 3D contour and finishing applications.
Corner-radius carbide end mills for stronger cutting edges and stable semi-finishing or finishing.
Outlook
The tungsten market may remain under pressure unless downstream restocking becomes more sustained. Concentrate supply constraints still matter structurally, but weak demand and ample short-term inventory are setting the tone for negotiations.
Solid Carbide Direct will continue tracking tungsten concentrates, APT, tungsten powder, tungsten carbide powder, cobalt powder, ferrotungsten and scrap tungsten carbide indicators to help machining buyers plan raw-material-sensitive tooling budgets.
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