Silicon carbide (SiC) is a synthetic, covalently bonded compound of silicon and carbon with the chemical formula SiC. It is an extremely hard, chemically inert ceramic material that occurs naturally only in trace amounts as the rare mineral moissanite. Commercially produced since the late 19th century via the Acheson process, silicon carbide is valued for its exceptional hardness (9–9.5 on the Mohs scale), high thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion, outstanding resistance to thermal shock, and stability at elevated temperatures up to approximately 1600°C in oxidizing atmospheres and higher in inert environments. It exists in numerous polytypes, the most common being alpha-SiC (hexagonal 6H and 4H structures) and beta-SiC (cubic 3C structure). Silicon carbide finds broad industrial application as an abrasive, refractory material, structural ceramic, and increasingly as a wide-bandgap semiconductor in power electronics and high-frequency devices. It is a key material in industries ranging from steel and aluminum production to electric vehicles, aerospace, and semiconductor fabrication.
How About the Price?
Key Influence Events
Data source: UN Comtrade monthly trade statistics (https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?period=202606&cmdCode=284920&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true) | Last updated: 2026-09-24
Price Trajectory, latest 12 months (2025-07 to 2026-06)
The monthly customs export unit value for HS 284920 moved from USD 1,300/ton in 2025-07 to USD 1,322/ton in 2026-06 (+1.7% across the window). The window high was USD 1,663/ton in 2025-10 and the low USD 1,189/ton in 2026-03. Three-month averages put the latest quarter +1.3% against the previous one, which is classified here as mixed.
The same panel reported USD 126.7 million of export value on 94,234 tonnes over the twelve months, an average of 7,853 tonnes a month. These are customs returns for the stated HS heading, so they capture the traded mix of that heading rather than a single quoted grade.
Supply-side factors
- Fixed reporting panel of 8 economies: BRA, CAN, CZE, DNK, NLD, POL, IND, SWE. The panel is constant in every month of the window, so month-to-month movement is not a composition effect.
- Monthly unit value range over the window: USD 1,189 to USD 1,663/ton.
- Latest month, 2026-06: USD 1,322/ton, +2.8% against the previous month, on 7,143 tonnes.
Demand-side factors
- No specific demand-side influence events recorded in the provided data
Related market pages on this site: Silicon Metal, Petroleum Coke, Calcined Petroleum Coke market analysis.
Basis: these are customs unit values for the stated HS heading, not quoted spot, contract or assessed prices, and no paid price assessment is used or redistributed on this page. Every figure can be re-checked at the API links listed at the end of this page.
Top Countries Production Capacity
| Property / Grade | Typical Value / Range | Unit | Grade / Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purity (SiC content) | 97.0 – 99.8 | wt% | Metallurgical / Refractory / Semiconductor |
| Free Carbon | 0.1 – 1.5 | wt% | Metallurgical grade |
| Free Silicon | 0.1 – 0.5 | wt% | Refractory grade |
| Iron (Fe) content | 0.05 – 0.5 | wt% | Metallurgical grade |
| Hardness (Vickers) | 2400 – 2800 | HV | All dense grades |
| Mohs Hardness | 9.0 – 9.5 | — | All grades |
| Density (sintered) | 3.10 – 3.21 | g/cm³ | Sintered / Reaction-bonded |
| Flexural Strength | 350 – 550 | MPa | Sintered SiC (SSiC) |
| Flexural Strength | 200 – 400 | MPa | Reaction-bonded SiC (RBSiC) |
| Fracture Toughness | 3.0 – 4.5 | MPa·m½ | Sintered SiC |
| Thermal Conductivity | 80 – 200 | W/(m·K) | Dense sintered grades |
| Coefficient of Thermal Expansion | 4.0 – 4.5 | ×10⁻⁶/°C | All dense grades |
| Max. Service Temperature (oxidizing) | up to 1600 | °C | Refractory / Structural grades |
| Bandgap (4H-SiC polytype) | 3.26 | eV | Semiconductor grade (4H) |
| Bandgap (6H-SiC polytype) | 3.02 | eV | Semiconductor grade (6H) |
| Breakdown Electric Field | 2.0 – 3.0 | MV/cm | Semiconductor grade |
| Grit / Particle Size (abrasive) | F8 – F1200 (FEPA scale) | — | Abrasive grade (black or green SiC) |
| Color / Purity indicator | Black (lower purity) / Green (higher purity, ≥99%) | — | Black SiC / Green SiC |
| Nitrogen content (semiconductor wafer) | <1 × 10¹⁶ | atoms/cm³ | Semi-insulating wafer grade |
Data Sources
Price, volume and capacity figures on this page are computed from the public sources listed below; no subscription assessment data is used or redistributed.
- UN Comtrade monthly public trade statistics — HS 284920, exports, by month (2025-07 to 2026-06): 2025-07, 2025-08, 2025-09, 2025-10, 2025-11, 2025-12, 2026-01, 2026-02, 2026-03, 2026-04, 2026-05, 2026-06
- Fixed reporting panel for this series: BRA, CAN, CZE, DNK, NLD, POL, IND, SWE. The exact API calls are the per-month links above.
Who are the Top Players?
| Company | Headquarters | Key Facilities |
|---|---|---|
| Wolfspeed, Inc. | Durham, North Carolina, USA | Siler City, North Carolina, USA, Marcy, New York, USA |
| ROHM Co., Ltd. | Kyoto, Japan | Kyoto, Japan, Miyazaki, Japan, Chikugo, Japan, Kunitomi, Japan, Nuremberg, Germany |
| Coherent Corp. | Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, USA | Easton, Pennsylvania, USA, Kista, Sweden, Fuzhou, China |
| Fiven ASA | Oslo, Norway | Lillesand, Norway, Belgium, Barbacena, Minas Gerais, Brazil |
| Washington Mills | North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA | Orkanger, Norway, Hennepin, Illinois, USA |
| STMicroelectronics N.V. | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Catania, Italy, Ang Mo Kio, Singapore |
| Infineon Technologies AG | Neubiberg, Germany | Villach, Austria, Kulim, Malaysia |
| onsemi | Phoenix, Arizona, USA | Bucheon, South Korea, Czech Republic |
| Bosch | Gerlingen, Germany | Reutlingen, Germany, Roseville, California, USA |
| SICC Co., Ltd. | Jinan, Shandong, China | Jinan, Shandong, China, Jining, Shandong, China, Shanghai, China |
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