Macro context: Interactive calculators for gallium procurement, investment, and unit conversion - translating raw market data into actionable delivered costs, net investment returns, and weight-price equivalents.
| Tool | Function | Default Input | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price Calculator | Builds delivered cost layer by layer | Rotterdam $2,101.60/kg | $/kg landed |
| ROI Calculator | Models net return after all costs and tax | Any entry price + hold period | Net %, CAGR, breakeven |
| Unit Converter | Converts weight, price per unit, volume | kg or $/kg | All weight/price units |
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.
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 (freight, insurance, duty) that would exist even without controls.
At current settings with China EXW at $247/kg as the base:
| Layer | $/kg Added | % of Final Delivered |
|---|---|---|
| China EXW base | $247 | ~12% |
| Export license premium (estimated) | $800-1,400 | ~40-65% |
| Grade premium (4N to 4N baseline) | $0 | 0% |
| Ocean freight Shanghai-Rotterdam | $3-5 | ~0.15% |
| Cargo insurance | $1-3 | ~0.1% |
| EU import duty (0%) | $0 | 0% |
| Hazmat packaging (UN2803) | $1.50 | ~0.07% |
| Total delivered Rotterdam | ~$2,101 | 100% |
The export license premium is not a published fee - it is the market-implied residual between the China EXW price and the Western delivered price after subtracting all standard logistics costs. Setting the export license slider to 0% in the price calculator models what the delivered price would be in a world with no export controls, given current freight and duty rates.
Gallium is a physical commodity with no exchange-traded futures contract. Physical ownership requires climate-controlled storage (below 29.76 degrees 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:
| Cost Layer | Typical Rate | When Applied | Reduces Net Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dealer markup on purchase | 3-5% | Entry | Fixed at purchase |
| Annual vault storage | 1-3%/yr | Annual | Compounds over hold |
| Annual insurance | 0.5-2.5%/yr | Annual | Compounds over hold |
| Bid-ask spread on exit | 2-5% | Sale | Fixed at sale |
| Capital gains tax | 0-28% (US) | Sale | Applied to net gain |
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.
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, which models whether holding that position for a given period and then selling at a forecast exit price produces a positive return after all costs and tax. The unit converter supports both tools by translating any $/kg result into the unit a specific buyer or analyst uses - whether that is $/troy ounce for comparison with precious metals, $/lb for US industrial procurement, or $/gram for laboratory budgeting.
| Tool Input | Source | Where Used Next |
|---|---|---|
| Base spot price | Price Today or Price History | Price calculator base field |
| Delivered cost from price calculator | Price calculator output | ROI calculator entry price |
| $/kg from either calculator | Any tool | Unit converter price tab |
| Volume of gallium ingot | Known geometry | Unit converter volume tab |
| Forecast exit price | Price Forecast | ROI calculator exit field |
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.
| Grade | Purity | Auto-Premium | Application |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3N5 | 99.95% | -15% | Feedstock for further refining |
| 4N | 99.99% | 0% (baseline) | GaAs substrates, LEDs, general compound semiconductor |
| 4N5 | 99.995% | +8% | High-brightness LEDs |
| 5N | 99.999% | +18% | Compound semiconductors, GaN epitaxy |
| 6N | 99.9999% | +40% | GaN power devices, RF chips |
| 7N | 99.99999% | +75% | Semi-insulating IC substrates |
| 7N5+ / 8N | 99.9999999% | +200% | MBE (molecular beam epitaxy), research |
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. Shanghai Metals Market January 2026 data shows 6N gallium grains at $364.49/kg and 7N at $427.89/kg on the Chinese domestic market, confirming the 30-50% and 50-100% premiums over the 4N domestic price of roughly $247/kg.
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. This breakeven figure matters in the context of the three-scenario price forecast: the base-case forecast of $1,500-1,800/kg by 2030 would produce a loss for a Q1 2026 buyer at current Rotterdam prices, while the bull-case forecast of $2,500-3,500/kg by 2030 clears the breakeven with room to spare.
| Entry Point | Entry Price | Breakeven (3-yr, 2.5%/yr hold, 6% round-trip spread) | Base Forecast 2030 | Bull Forecast 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 (Rotterdam) | $2,101.60/kg | ~$2,470/kg | $1,500-1,800 (miss) | $2,500-3,500 (hit) |
| Jun 2023 (pre-controls) | $240/kg | ~$282/kg | $1,500-1,800 (hit) | $2,500-3,500 (hit) |
| Dec 2024 | $950/kg | ~$1,117/kg | $1,500-1,800 (hit) | $2,500-3,500 (hit) |
| 2011 peak | $1,000/kg | ~$2,125/kg (15-yr) | $1,500-1,800 (miss) | $2,500-3,500 (hit) |
| Tool | URL | Key Inputs | Key Outputs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price Calculator | /tools/price-calculator/ | Base price, grade, freight mode, destination, license premium | Delivered $/kg, waterfall, cost bar |
| ROI Calculator | /tools/roi-calculator/ | Entry price, exit price, hold years, storage %, insurance %, tax rate | Net return %, CAGR, breakeven price, year-by-year table |
| Unit Converter | /tools/unit-converter/ | Weight or price input, unit selection, solid/liquid state | All equivalents, volume-to-weight at current market value |
Base prices used in all three tools default to the benchmarks published on Gallium Price Today. For the data behind grade premiums, see Gallium Properties. For the supply context that drives the export license premium input, see US Critical Minerals and the Gallium Price Index methodology.