Beryllium Metal: The Future Frontier for Lightweight New Materials

I. Overview of the Beryllium Metal Industry
Beryllium possesses a low density (lightweight), high melting point (1287°C), and a low coefficient of thermal expansion (resistant to deformation). These exceptional properties determine its critical applications in cutting-edge fields like national defense & military, aerospace, and nuclear industries, giving it special strategic significance.

• In Defense & Military: Beryllium-aluminum alloys containing over 62% beryllium feature lightweight, high rigidity, and excellent thermal properties. They are used in military aircraft and military laser reflectors, replacing traditional titanium alloys. Additionally, metallic beryllium is used for structural components in aircraft to achieve weight reduction and increased speed, such as adapter shells between strategic intercontinental missile boosters and payloads, spacecraft heat shields, and tactical communication satellite frameworks.

• In Aerospace: Due to beryllium's exceptional dimensional stability and resistance to deformation, it is used in gyroscopes for inertial navigation systems, ensuring the high precision of beryllium-based navigation components. Beryllium has the highest specific heat capacity of all metals and a high melting point, making it an effective, lightweight heat-absorbing material for rocket engine nozzles and thrust vector control systems.

II. Beryllium Metal Market Size
According to Guotai Junan Securities research reports, the annual market size of China's domestic beryllium industry is RMB 5-6 billion. The development of nuclear fusion technology presents a new growth opportunity for the beryllium metal market, with its value share in commercial fusion reactors expected to reach 30%-40%. Simultaneously, the government highly prioritizes beryllium's applications in defense & military, aerospace, and nuclear industries, implementing a series of supportive policies.

1. Nuclear Fusion Technology Driving Market Growth: The advancement of nuclear fusion technology offers new growth prospects for the beryllium market. Addressing the energy consumption challenges posed by AI technology, nuclear fusion, with its advantages of high efficiency, safety, and zero pollution, is becoming a key future energy direction. Due to its low density, high melting point, and low thermal expansion coefficient, beryllium is widely used in tokamak devices as a neutron multiplier and first wall material. Its market value in commercial fusion reactors is projected to account for 30%-40%.

2. Policy Support: The Chinese government places high importance on the critical role of beryllium metal in national defense & military, aerospace, and nuclear industries. To resolve strategic "bottleneck" issues, it has introduced a series of supportive policies. Under "Made in China 2025" and the 14th Five-Year Plan, the nation explicitly designates the new materials industry as a key development direction, providing specific policy support for the R&D and application of rare metal materials like beryllium. Furthermore, through measures like fiscal subsidies, tax incentives, and technical support, the government encourages enterprises to increase R&D investment in beryllium extraction, purification, and deep processing technologies. These policies not only optimize resource allocation but also promote synergistic development of the industrial chain, ensuring the sustainable growth of China's domestic beryllium industry.

III. Global Beryllium Metal Industry Chain Analysis
The beryllium industry chain consists of upstream beryllium ore mining, midstream extraction and processing, and downstream application of beryllium products across various sectors.

• Upstream: Only two types of beryllium ore have commercial mining value in nature: beryl and bertrandite. Beryl is the most widely used raw material for beryllium production. Brazil possesses the world's largest beryl deposits, followed by Russia, India, China, and Africa. Bertrandite is the primary beryllium ore mined in the United States, which holds the world's largest reserves of bertrandite.

• Midstream: Through processes like crushing, smelting, and leaching, the intermediate product beryllium hydroxide is obtained. This is then used to produce end products like beryllium-copper alloys, beryllium oxide, and metallic beryllium, depending on the application.

• Downstream: Beryllium and its alloys are primarily used in the nuclear industry, aerospace, electronics & electrical appliances, machinery, and automotive manufacturing. In many of these application fields, beryllium is the only suitable or the preferred material.