Manganese alloys include ferromanganese and silicon-manganese alloys. Ferromanganese is one of the most important ferroalloys used in the steel industry. Due to its properties ferromanganese alloy holds a special place in the steel and cast iron industries. There are three variants of ferromanganese: low-carbon ferromanganese, medium-carbon ferromanganese, and high-carbon ferromanganese. Among them, high carbon ferromanganese (HCFeMn) is the most widely used ferroalloy with a manganese content of 70-80% and a carbon content of 6-7 %. Ferromanganese alloys are produced by the carbothermic reduction of ores containing iron and manganese oxides in a smelting reduction furnace, which forms in the form of coal when manganese oxides and carbon are exposed to high temperatures.
Current Ferro Manganese Price
The price of Low Carbon Ferromanganese (femn80c0.7): Guizhou: 10700-10900 yuan/ton, Henan: 10600-10700 yuan/ton, Shanxi: 10900-11100 yuan/ton.
The price of Medium Carbon Ferromanganese (femn75c2.0): is 9400-9600 yuan/ton.
The mainstream transaction price of High Carbon Ferromanganese: femn65c7.0: 7000-7300 yuan/ton, femn75c7.0: 7800-7900 yuan/ton.
At present, the ferromanganese market continues to run strongly. The National Day holiday is approaching, and there is a certain stocking demand for terminals and traders, which promotes the high-carbon ferromanganese market to rise. The mainstream quotation of 65# in the factory is around 6800 yuan/ton, and it is difficult for steel mills to purchase at low prices. The recent pricing of Baosteel and Nangang’s high-carbon ferromanganese deserves attention. Some traders of medium-carbon ferromanganese still maintain a wait-and-see attitude. At present, the mainstream quotation for 75C2.0 is 9,000 yuan/ton.
Typical Applications of Ferro manganese
Ferro manganese is used in the manufacture of steel and to a lesser extent other metal alloys. Among them, Ferromanganese powder is mostly used in the welding industry, while ferromanganese lump is mostly used in the iron and steel industry.
About 30% of the manganese currently used in steelmaking is still used as a deoxidizer and a vulcanizing agent. It combines with sulfur at the end to avoid the formation of iron sulfide, which has a low melting point and becomes liquid at the hot rolling temperature, thus causing surface cracking. Another 70% of manganese is used purely as an alloying element. Steel typically contains 0.2% to 2% manganese, depending on the grade of the steel, as manganese is the cheapest alloying element and it improves some key mechanical properties such as strength and toughness. In the special case of stainless steel, it can replace expensive nickel.
- In the foundry industry: ferromanganese can be used as an inoculant for cast iron and a nodularizing agent for ductile iron. It prevents the formation of carbides and promotes the precipitation of graphite, which helps to shorten the spheroidization time and reduce impurities in the molten iron. In addition, it can reduce the clogging of furnace nozzles and effectively prolong the service life of the furnace.
- In the steel industry: ferromanganese is an extremely important deoxidizer and desulfurizer in the steel industry. It can replace the expensive professional deoxidizer and reduce the cost. At the same time, it can also play the role of desulfurization and reduce the content of harmful elements in the steel, thereby improving the quality of the steel.
- In other industries: High carbon ferromanganese can also be used as a reducing agent to produce low-carbon ferroalloys. High manganese ferromanganese can be used to prepare semiconductor pure manganese in the electrical industry and can be used to manufacture manganese ketone in the chemical industry. Ferromanganese powder can also be used as a suspended phase in the beneficiation industry and as electrode coating in the electrode manufacturing industry.
Ferro manganese is mainly used in the steel industry, therefore the price of ferromanganese is closely related to the steel industry. The price of ferromanganese is going up, as resurgent global demand butts up against limited supply.