Indium is a relatively scarce element, ranked the 61st most abundant element in the crust of the earth. However, a little more abundant than silver or mercury. The element is usually found as a trace element in ores of zinc, lead, copper, iron, or lead.
Quick Overview of Indium
✔️A brief overview of indium (In)
✔️History of indium
✔️Production of indium
How to trade indium
Factors that affect the price of indium
What are the applications of indium?
Conclusion
A brief overview of indium (In)
Indium has the atomic number 49, referring to the number of protons in the nucleus of each atom of indium. (The atomic number, also called the nuclear charge number, is represented by Z, which is an abbreviation of the German word ‘Zahl,’ meaning number.)
Indium is denoted by the atomic symbol ‘In’ on the periodic table of the elements. It is a post-transition metal and categorised as a group 13 (also called the boron group) chemical element, together with boron (B), which is a metalloid, and four other post-transition metals, namely gallium (Ga), aluminium (Al), thallium (Tl), and nihonium (Nh).
In total, there are eleven post-transition metals, which are commonly called other metals or poor metals. The other six on the periodic table are tin (Sn), lead (Pb), flerovium (Fl) (al three in group 14 on the periodic table), bismuth (Bi), moscovium (Mc) (both in group 15), and livermorium (Lv) (in group 16).
Common properties of post-transition metals are:
- High density.
- They are soft.
- They have melting points lower than transition metals such as gold, silver, or copper.
- Their boiling points are usually lower than those of transition metals.
The discoverers of indium named the metal after the Latin word indicum, meaning indigo. The reason for the name was the bright indigo line the mineral created on the spectrograph, also known as a spectrometer.
Facts about the colour indigo:
- The indigo colour is described by Collins Dictionary as ‘any of a group of colours that have the same blue-violet hue.’
- It is categorised as one of the eight spectral colours, commonly called the rainbow colours, which is defined by Simplicable as colours ‘that corresponds to a pure wavelength at visible light.’
- The spectral colours are categorised according to their wavelengths, measured in nano metre (nm), which is one billionth of one metre, written as 0.000000001 metre. Violet has the shortest wavelength that humans can observe and red the longest.
- The 8 spectral colours are violet, indigo, blue, cyan (a blue-green colour, commonly called turquoise), green, yellow, orange, and red. Indigo’s wavelength is 430 – 460 nano metres.
Other common features of indium are:
- Appearance: Shiny, silver-white.
- Boiling point: 2 072 degrees Celsius (3 761.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Melting point: 6 degrees Celsius (313.88 degrees Fahrenheit). Above this temperature, indium burns with an indigo flame.
- Solid at room temperature.
- Mechanically and chemically stable.
- Resists corrosion.
- Attach strongly to glass.
- Soft and malleable.
- It is transparent.
- Able to conduct electricity.
- According to Live Science, indium metal ‘gives off a high-pitched “scream,” when bent. Similar to the “tin cry,” this scream sounds more like a crackling sound.’ The ‘cry’ is caused by the disintegration and reorganisation of crystals inside the metal.
History of indium
Indium was discovered by two German chemists, namely Ferdinand Reich (1799 – 1882) and Hieronymous Theodor Richter (1824 -1898) in 1863.
The discovery took place in the city of Freiburg in Saxony, Germany, at the Freiberg School of Mines, which is known as the Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg in German.
Reich, who was also a professor of physics at the Mining Academy, was studying a sample of the mineral zinc sulfate, the so-called black sphalerite of Freiberg, which he expected might contain thallium, a chemical element that was recently discovered. Reich obtained a yellow precipitate from the sample, assuming it could be thallium sulfide.
Looking at his discovery through his spectroscope, Reich observed spectral lines that were not those of thallium. Being colourblind, he asked his assistant, Richter, to perform the spectral analysis. Richter recognised a brilliant indigo blue spectral line, which had not been identified until then.
At a later stage, Reich and Richter commented on their discovery, saying: It was ‘of such a bright glow, sharpness and consistency that we concluded it to be a so far unknown metal that we could call Indium.’
Richter isolated the metal in 1864 and claimed at the World Fair in Paris in 1867 that he was the sole discoverer of the metal.
Sadly, Richter’s claim to fame in Paris ruined the relationship between the two co-discoverers when Reich learned about Richter’s claim. (Richter became the director of the Freiberg School of Mines in Freiburg in 1875.)
Production of indium
Indium rarely occurs in its elemental form in nature, but it is mainly found in host metals such as lead, tin, copper, and zinc.
The metal is produced primarily as a by-product of zinc, and to a lesser extent as a by-product of copper and tin. About 95 percent of the refined indium produced worldwide originates from the processing of zinc ores, of which the zinc-sulfide ore mineral sphalerite is the most common source.
The operations and procedures to produce zinc are complex and the type of process depends on what the particular producer considers the most efficient and cost-effective method. One zinc recovery process is the Waelz process, which is a method of recovering zinc and other relatively low boiling point metals, such as indium and gallium, from metallurgical waste using a rotary kiln.
In 2025, China produced almost 58 percent of the global production of indium, having produced 530 metric tonnes (MT), according to Statista. China was followed by South Korea (200 MT), Canada (60 MT), Japan (60 MT), France (35 MT), Belgium 20 MT), Peru (10 MT), and Russia (5 MT). The total global production of indium was 920 metric tonnes.
Besides producing indium as a by-product from zinc, referred to as primary production, indium is also produced from secondary production. The industrial re-processing of indium tin oxide (ITO) waste is an efficient and fast method to return a significant amount of indium to the global market.
Although, more needs to be done to economically recover indium from end-of-life (EOL) products.
How to trade indium
Indium is a strategic metal, also referred to as a critical metal, meaning it is essential for technical and industrial processes, which have no alternatives.
As a strategic metal, it is not well known. Hence, before starting to invest in indium, an investor has to familiarise him/herself with the metal. Research and knowledge are required to avoid mistakes and potential losses. Compare factual knowledge with rumours.
Indium is also subjected to price fluctuations, which make it necessary to be aware of economic trends, supply, and demand, or any factor that might influence the price of indium.
Make sure you never invest more money than you can afford to lose.
Make sure you know what indium is worth at the stage you intend to invest in the metal. Do not buy any metal, including indium, at a price that exceeds its value.
If you decide to invest in companies that are involved in indium mining and or processing, research the company before you start to invest. Teck Resources Limited and Adex Mining Inc. are two Canadian-based mining companies that could provide investing opportunities.
Indium futures are available to trade on the Shanghai Metals Market (SMM).
Make use of a reputable, regulated commodity broker, like AvaTrade to trade a commodity.
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Factors that affect the price of indium
Precious metals, such as indium, are affected by factors such as supply and demand, profit-taking, global economic activities, and unforeseen events, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, to name a few.
In the case of indium, events in China, the major global supplier of metal, play a significant role in the supply of indium. The Chinese government’s strict regulations regarding the level of air pollution are one example. In order to comply with government regulations, smelters of metals have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, negatively affecting the amount of indium produced.
Another factor that can disrupt the global supply of indium, is the disruptions in the zinc mining industry in China.
Conversely, demand for the metal can increase because of the significant rise in the consumption of the metal as technology applications multiply.
Indium is considered one of Europe’s critical elements because of its high supply risk and its huge economic importance.
Concerning indium’s price, based on a 99.99 percent-minimum-purity at the warehouse located in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Statista reported that ‘the free market price of indium amounted to some 210 U.S. dollars per kilogram, up from 158 U.S. dollars per kilogram … in the previous year.’
According to Daily Metal Price, the current (as of 6 April 2025) indium price is $255.42 per kilogram. The price of the metal fluctuated between $228.27 and $255.42 between March 10 and April 6.
What are the applications for indium?
Commercially, indium’s most important use is in the form of indium tin oxide (ITO) to make flat-panel devices (FPDs) such as touch screens, computer monitors, and flat-screen TVs. ITO has the ability to make glass conductive while it remains transparent.
Other applications include thermal interface materials, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), thin-film solar panels, and laser diodes.
ITO is also utilised to manufacture thin coatings for glass and mirrors, allowing windshields of vehicles and aircraft to de-ice or de-mist.
Indium is typically used to produce alloys, in which a low level of indium can make a significant difference in an alloy.
The metal’s stickiness makes it extremely useful as a solder.
In conclusion
Although a scarce element in the crust of the earth, indium is present in numerous ways in our daily life. We come across indium in some form every single day. Imagine a life without touch screen cell phones. Without indium, flat-screen TVs would not be in our homes.
Not to mention the availability of solar panels or indium as a vital component in the manufacturing of microchips.
Let us not become complacent about the availability of indium which is a critical and scarce metal.
More needs to be done to increase the production of indium, for instance:
- Institutions and producers have to strive to increase the efficiency of extracting indium from the earth’s crust. Only 20 percent of indium is currently recovered. In addition, they are under obligation to increase the efficiency of the indium tin oxide (ITO) that is used in consumer electronics applications such as laptops, smartphones, and smart TVs, to name a few.
- Individuals can extend the life of their LCD (liquid crystal displays) screens (smartphones, computers, and TVs) by upgrading less often.
Old devices can be donated or recycled, rather than keeping them.
Note: This article does not constitute investment, financial, or trading advice. Please obtain the advice of a professional and regulated commodity broker before making trading and investment decisions.
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