18 November 2025

Rhenium: the scarce by-product that keeps jet engines operating at extreme heat

Key insights from this briefing

Why is rhenium important in jet engine superalloys?

Rhenium is added to high-temperature nickel-based superalloys to improve creep strength, helping turbine components resist deformation at temperatures above 1,000°C. The briefing notes that aerospace accounts for more than 70% of global rhenium demand.

Why is the rhenium supply chain unusually fragile?

There are no primary rhenium mines. Rhenium is recovered as a by-product of molybdenum production, which is itself often linked to porphyry copper mining, so supply responds to the economics and operating rates of host metals rather than directly to rhenium demand. Recovery optimisation and recycling are therefore important supply-security tools.

Excerpt from this briefing's Industry Insight

Rhenium is one of the clearest examples of a high-value material trapped inside another commodity's supply chain. More than 70% of demand comes from nickel-based superalloys used in jet-engine turbine components, where rhenium improves creep resistance at extreme temperatures. There are no primary rhenium mines: supply is recovered as a by-product of molybdenum and often ultimately copper production. Because output cannot respond directly to rhenium prices, recycling and improved recovery from existing metallurgical streams are central to long-term supply security.

This is an excerpt from the Industry Insight in the full Market Briefing. Log in to access the complete briefing.