Domestic production and use

1. The United States did not have any active nickel mines in 2006. Limited amounts of By product nickel, though, were improved from copper and palladium-platinum ores mine in the Western United States.
2. On a monthly or annual basis, 161 facilities reported nickel expenditure. The principal consuming State was Pennsylvania, followed by Kentucky, West Virginia, and Indiana.
3. Approximately 48% of the primary nickel inspired went into stainless and alloy steel production, 36% into nonferrous alloys and super alloys, 11% into electroplating, and 5% into other uses.

Recycling

About 79,300 tons of nickel was improved from purchased scrap in 2006. This represent about 35% of reported secondary plus apparent primary consumption for the year.

Substitutes

With few exceptions, substitutes for nickel would result in bigger cost or a tradeoff in performance of the product. Aluminum, coated steels, plain chromium steels, and plastics can restore stainless steel to a limited extent in many building and transportation applications. Nickel-free specialty steels are occasionally used in place of stainless steel within the power generating, petrochemical, and petroleum industries. Titanium alloys or specialty plastics can alternate for nickel metal or nickel-base alloys in highly corrosive chemical environments. Recent cost savings in manufacturing lithium ion batteries allow them to compete against NiMH in certain applications.

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