Gallium Price Tools: Calculator, ROI, and Unit Converter (2026)

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What Do the Gallium Price Tools Calculate?

The three tools on GalliumPrice.com each answer a distinct question a gallium buyer or investor faces. The price calculator answers "what will gallium cost me, fully delivered?" The ROI calculator answers "what return will I keep after holding costs and tax?" The unit converter answers "how does the $/kg price translate to the unit I work in?"

The price calculator builds the full delivered cost from any starting basis - China ex-works in CNY, China ex-works in USD, Rotterdam in-warehouse, or a custom number - through seven additive layers: purity grade premium, export license cost, physical form premium, freight and inland transport, cargo insurance, import duty and tariffs, and UN2803 hazmat packaging. Each layer is independently adjustable. At Q1 2026 settings (Rotterdam $2,101.60/kg base, 4N grade, 3% US import duty, no Section 301), the delivered US cost comes to approximately $2,179/kg.

The ROI calculator takes the output of the price calculator as its starting point - the effective entry cost - and models what an investor retains after paying annual storage (1-3%/yr), insurance (0.5-2.5%/yr), dealer spread on exit (2-5%), and capital gains tax (up to 28% under US collectibles treatment). Six preset scenarios cover historical entry points from the 2020 baseline ($175/kg) through the December 2024 post-ban announcement ($950/kg), letting users compare net CAGR across different timing decisions.

The unit converter handles three conversion categories: weight (kg, g, mg, lb, troy oz, metric tonne, jin), price per weight unit ($/kg to $/g, $/lb, $/troy oz, $/metric tonne), and volume-to-weight using gallium's solid (5.91 g/cm³) and liquid (6.095 g/cm³) density. The volume tab produces both a weight output and a dollar value at current Rotterdam and China benchmarks, making it useful for ingot sizing and container fill calculations.

How Does the Price Calculator Handle the China-Rotterdam Spread?

The China-Rotterdam spread is the single largest variable in gallium procurement. Before August 2023, the spread between China ex-works and Rotterdam in-warehouse was $50-150/kg. By Q1 2026, it exceeds $1,854/kg. The price calculator makes this spread explicit by separating the export license premium (modeled as a percentage of the China base price) from the standard cost-of-delivery layers that would exist even without controls.

At current settings with China EXW at $247/kg as the base:

What Holding Costs Reduce Gallium Investment Returns?

Gallium is a physical commodity with no exchange-traded futures contract. Physical ownership requires climate-controlled storage (below 29.76°C melting point), insurance, and access to an industrial buyer network for exit. These costs are not visible in the spot price but directly reduce the net return an investor realizes.

The ROI calculator stacks five cost layers between the gross price gain and the net return:

On a 3-year hold with a 3% markup, 2.5%/yr combined holding cost, 3% exit spread, and 28% tax, these layers absorb approximately 15-25 percentage points of gross return. For a +776% gross gain (2023 pre-controls entry to Q1 2026), the net return after all layers still exceeds +540%. For a +110% gross gain (2011 peak entry to Q1 2026 over 15 years), the same cost structure produces a near-breakeven or negative net return.

How Do the Three Tools Connect to Each Other?

The three tools form a decision chain for gallium procurement and investment analysis. The price calculator establishes the true entry cost - not the assessed spot price, but the cost after adding freight, duty, grade premium, and form premium to whichever geographic basis the buyer starts from. That delivered cost then becomes the entry price input for the ROI calculator. The unit converter supports both tools by translating any $/kg result into the unit a specific buyer or analyst uses.

What Purity Grade Should a Buyer Select in the Price Calculator?

The right grade depends on the application. The price calculator auto-sets the grade premium when a purity level is selected, but buyers should match grade to specification to avoid paying for purity the application does not require. Most commercial GaN power device manufacturing uses 6N gallium. GaAs solar cell production uses 4N or 4N5. GaAs wafer growth for RF applications typically requires 6N or 7N.

What Is the Breakeven Exit Price for a Gallium Position?

The breakeven exit price is the minimum $/kg at which a gallium seller recovers the original purchase cost plus all accumulated storage, insurance, and transaction costs - with zero net profit. The ROI calculator computes this automatically for any combination of inputs.

At Q1 2026 default settings (entry $2,101.60/kg Rotterdam, 3% markup, 1.5%/yr storage, 1%/yr insurance, 3-year hold, 3% exit spread), the breakeven exit price is approximately $2,470/kg - meaning gallium must appreciate at least 17.5% over three years just to avoid a loss.

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