Refining & separation · China
Chalco
601600 CHALMMF US Work there, own it, buy from it ↓
Gallium from alumina refining — holds How this is computedCount of bottlenecks on which this organisation is recorded as a producer, a holder of the capacity, or a supplier of a critical part.Method →Code → of the How this is computedCount of rows in the bottleneck corpus: every material plus every non-material chokepoint.Method →Code → bottlenecks tracked here.
Why graded so · Gallium is an alumina by-product, so supply cannot answer price — and it is export-controlled.
Role cited from mining.com ↗. The grade is this project’s judgement. Report an error
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01Chokepoints it holds
- Gallium, refinedEstimate by Substrata, 2026-09-15: concentration 3 + substitution 1 + lead time 2 + inelasticity 2 = 8 of 12. China refines nearly all primary gallium and licenses its export. Substitution is possible for some uses, not for GaN.Estimate, not a measurementconcentration 3 + substitution 1 + lead time 2 + inelasticity 2 = 8 of 12. China refines nearly all primary gallium and licenses its export. Substitution is possible for some uses, not for GaN.By Substrata · 2026-09-15Supporting source →/123+1+2+2
Refine · Binding now
Other makers: East Hope Group CN, Zhuhai Fangyuan CN, Rio Tinto CA, Nyrstar AU, 5N Plus CA DE
Score = concentration + substitution + lead time + inelasticity, each 0–3, an analyst judgement dated 2026-09-15; open a score for its rationale and assessment. Makers are those the corpus records, not the whole market. No market-share figure is sourced, so none is shown.
02What has happened
About what it holds, not naming Chalco
- 2025-11-07Gallium, refined
China suspends the export-control package it issued a month earlier, including its gallium measures, until November 2026. gvw.com ↗
03Unread leads
SpaceTech needs gallium & germanium: China’s export ban shocks market goldinvest.de ↗
The Two Tiers of Gallium and Germanium geopoliticalfutures.com ↗
METLEN: New gallium agreement with major Japanese chemical company eqs-news.com ↗
DERA - Homepage - Homepage - Gallium in Europa deutsche-rohstoffagentur.de ↗
China Eases U.S. Export Controls on Gallium, Germanium, Ultra-Hard Materials, Graphite, and Other Dual-Use Items - Regulatory News cirs-group.com ↗
China’s Gallium Exports Plunge in August as Germanium Hits Annual High rawmaterials.net ↗
Pages the sweep found on these chokepoints. Nobody here has read them yet; they are not events and not evidence.
04What could loosen its grip
Silicon or indium phosphide in the device, instead of gallium compounds
qualified for some uses · Qualification — proving it for this use takes years
Substitute · for Gallium, refined · pubs.usgs.gov ↗
Primary production outside China
demonstrated, not qualified · Capacity — not enough of it exists
Substitute · for Gallium, refined · pubs.usgs.gov ↗
05Others at the same step of the chain
- Wacker ChemieElectronic-grade polysiliconChokepoint
- Hemlock SemiconductorElectronic-grade polysiliconChokepoint
- TokuyamaElectronic-grade polysiliconChokepoint
- OCIPolysiliconConcentrated
- China Northern Rare EarthRare-earth separationChokepoint
- Shenghe ResourcesRare-earth separation and tradingChokepoint
- HeraeusPrecious-metal refiningConcentrated
- Johnson MattheyPGM refiningConcentrated
- UmicorePGM refining and recyclingConcentrated
- LindeIndustrial and electronic gasesConcentrated
- Air LiquideIndustrial and electronic gasesConcentrated
- Air ProductsIndustrial gases and heliumConcentrated
- IceblickNeon and rare gasesConcentrated
- 5N PlusHigh-purity specialty metalsConcentrated
06Ways to take part
Not investment advice. This says how the public can reach a company — a job, its shares, its products — not whether anyone should. It takes no account of anyone’s circumstances, and a company holding a chokepoint is not a reason to own it. What this is not
- Work there
- It publishes its roles on its own careers page.Official careers page ↗
- Own part of it
- Its shares trade publicly as 601600 CH and ALMMF US, bought and sold through a broker that reaches that exchange.601600 CH listing record ↗ALMMF US listing record ↗
- Buy from it
- What it does in the chain: Gallium from alumina refining. At this depth of the chain most sales are to other businesses, under contract. Its own page describes what it offers.Its own page ↗
07Hiring
Its roles are published on its own site, which Substrata links rather than reads. Official careers page ↗
08What this holds up
- Materials qualificationone turn: Years
makes Gallium, refined, which gates it.
Worst judgement on this loop: How this is computedThe highest severity score among the bottlenecks recorded as gates on the loop.Method →Code →, judged 2026-09-15 · this join is sourced
- Circuit boardsone turn: One to two weeks
makes Gallium, refined, which gates it.
Worst judgement on this loop: How this is computedThe highest severity score among the bottlenecks recorded as gates on the loop.Method →Code →, judged 2026-09-15 · this join is sourced
A loop is one design, build and measure turn. Severity is a dated judgement on a 0–12 scale, not a measurement, and the judgements are not added together — the figure shown is the worst single one.
09Sources
- mining.com ↗ — its role in the chain: Gallium from alumina refining; Gallium, refined: refine
Discussion
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