Data Powered by Stockdio. Data delayed by 5 minutes unless otherwise indicated.
NI

Nickel

123790 USD/Mt 107654 (667.17%) (Last updated - January 24, 2025 05:00 AM UTC )
Day High
23561
Day Low
22037.5
Previous Close
22470
52 Week Range
17707.5 - 86791.5
Change YTD
641.21%

About

Performance USD/oz Change
5 Day 686.42%
1 Month 656.06%
3 Months 615.8%
6 Months 607.69%
52 Week 641.21%

January 24, 2025 05:00 AM UTC

Data Powered by Stockdio. Data delayed by 5 minutes unless otherwise indicated.

Nickel is the fifth most abundant element on the earth and is around a hundred times more concentrated beneath the earth’s crust. After iron, nickel is considered to be the second most abundant element in the earth’s inner core. Nickel is a silvery-white lustrous metal. The metal when powdered records significant chemical action but thanks to its high oxidation properties, it is soon coated with an oxide layer on the surface. Due to the high chemical reactivity of the metal, pure nickel is found in tiny quantities within the earth’s crust.

Among industry materials, nickel plays a stabilising and supportive role. It is usually alloyed with other metals to produce shinier, stronger and long-lasting products. Nickel is widely used as the protective layer for softer metals.

Applications

Due to its ability to withstand high temperatures, nickel is utilised in the manufacturing of superalloys. These superalloys exhibit impeccable strength and resistance to oxidation, heat and corrosion. According to the Nickel Institute, roughly two-thirds of the nickel supply is used to manufacture stainless steel while one-fifth is used for steel and non-iron alloys for military, industrial and aerospace uses. Furthermore, one-tenth of the global supply is utilised for plating while the remaining is used for coins, electronics and batteries.

Nickel is widely used as a catalyst for the hydrogenation of unsaturated hydrocarbons. A nickel catalyst can be used to produce soaps and margarine and to shorten hydrocarbon chains. Nickel is also used extensively in varying applications of chemical manufacturing, including as cathodes in rechargeable battery packs, pigments and metal surface treatments.

Coinage and history

The metal has been extensively used in coins due to its long-lasting and corrosion-resistant properties. Between 1857 and 1858, the United States government issued the first-ever nickel coin, Flying Eagle, which consisted of 12% nickel and 88% copper. While most of the coins used gold and silver in historic times, governments across the globe began to issue nickel coins and notes.

Here is some trivia for you –Switzerland produced the first-ever pure nickel coin in 1881.

Occurrence

Nickel is usually found within two deposit types, laterite and magmatic sulphide deposits. Lateritic rock formations are a result of the intensive weathering of surface nickel-rich rocks over the years. Nickel is also found in manganese nodules and at the surface of the sea floor, but these sources are yet to be extensively extracted for the metal. Some of the primary minerals containing nickel are limonite, garnierite and pentlandite. 

During the mid-nineteenth century, Norway developed the first large-scale nickel smelting site, extracting nickel from pyrrhotite mineral. 1n 1883, large nickel deposits were discovered in the Sudbury Basin of Canada, which produces over 30% of the global nickel even today. It is believed that nickel formations in the Sudbury Basin are a result of meteoric activity in ancient times. In the early 1900s, additional nickel deposits were discovered in South Africa and the Russian Federation, strengthening nickel’s position in the metal industry. Nickel is widely mined in Indonesia, Russia, Australia, New Caledonia, Canada, Cuba and South Africa.

Magnetism

Nickel is among the four elements (iron, cobalt, germanium, and nickel) that exhibit ferromagnetism at room temperature. Permanent magnets based on nickel alloys such as Alnico have intermediate strength between iron-based permanent magnets and rare-earth elements-based magnets. Alnico is produced from the amalgamation of aluminum, nickel, and cobalt. Another nickel alloy, known as the Mu-metal is a soft magnetic alloy that contains over 80% nickel and 20% iron with little molybdenum. The alloy can be used to shield electronic equipment against low-frequency magnetic fields.

Code Company Price Chg %Chg High Low Volume Market Cap
AEE Aura Energy Ltd 0.145 0.000 0.000 0.150 0.140 1300803 141.476 M
ALY Alchemy Resources Ltd 0.007 0.000 0.000 0.007 0.007 1724857 8.247 M
AMD Arrow Minerals Ltd 0.054 0.010 22.727 0.060 0.047 4770815 28.431 M
AOA Ausmon Resources Ltd 0.002 0.000 0.000 0.002 0.002 -- 2.410 M
AQD Ausquest Ltd 0.034 0.000 0.000 0.034 0.024 89774735 27.118 M
ARL Ardea Resources Ltd 0.345 0.000 0.000 0.350 0.340 12132 71.886 M
ARV Artemis Resources Ltd 0.009 0.000 0.000 0.009 0.008 557646 19.848 M
ATM Aneka Tambang Tbk PT DRC 0.900 0.000 0.000 0.900 0.900 563 4,277.474 M
AUZ Australian Mines Ltd 0.012 0.000 0.000 0.012 0.011 240683 16.782 M
AVL Australian Vanadium Ltd 0.014 0.000 0.000 0.015 0.014 1056707 120.885 M
AXE Archer Exploration Ltd 0.430 0.000 0.000 0.450 0.430 293886 112.133 M
BHP BHP Group Limited 39.310 0.000 0.000 39.400 38.900 7116573 198,348.948 M
BOE Boss Energy Limited 3.170 0.000 0.000 3.230 3.130 3896284 1,315.099 M
BSX Blackstone Minerals Ltd 0.027 0.000 0.000 0.027 0.027 38452 16.065 M
CCZ Castillo Copper Ltd 0.017 0.001 6.250 0.017 0.017 554101 15.991 M
CHN Chalice Mining Limited 1.200 0.000 0.000 1.235 1.185 1673236 466.832 M
CLA Celsius Resources Ltd 0.010 0.000 0.000 0.010 0.009 399144 26.692 M
CNJ Conico Ltd 0.009 0.000 0.000 0.010 0.009 1645000 2.137 M
CTM Centaurus Metals Ltd 0.420 0.000 0.000 0.420 0.400 241036 201.164 M
CWX Carawine Resources Limited 0.105 0.000 0.000 0.105 0.105 -- 24.793 M
CZN Corazon Mining Ltd 0.002 0.000 0.000 0.002 0.002 -- 2.369 M
ENT Enterprise Metals Ltd 0.003 0.000 0.000 0.003 0.003 -- 3.535 M
ESR Estrella Resources Ltd 0.026 0.000 0.000 0.027 0.026 2622695 47.526 M
FML Focus Minerals Ltd 0.220 0.000 0.000 0.220 0.205 72387 60.177 M
G88 Golden Mile Resources Ltd 0.010 0.000 0.000 0.010 0.010 1577118 4.728 M
GAL Galileo Mining Ltd 0.165 0.000 0.000 0.165 0.150 301622 30.632 M
GBR Great Boulder Resources Ltd 0.049 0.000 0.000 0.049 0.046 1867459 35.678 M
GTE Great Western Exploration Ltd 0.024 0.000 0.000 0.024 0.023 542797 13.532 M
HLX Helix Resources Ltd 0.003 0.000 0.000 0.003 0.003 102522 10.093 M
IGO IGO Ltd 5.250 0.000 0.000 5.450 5.250 2997006 4,032.452 M
IPT Impact Minerals Ltd 0.011 0.000 0.000 0.012 0.011 257140 33.654 M
JRV Jervois Mining Ltd 0.011 0.000 0.000 0.011 0.011 -- 29.730 M
KAI Kairos Minerals Ltd 0.014 0.000 0.000 0.014 0.014 162399 36.833 M
KOR Korab Resources Ltd 0.008 0.000 0.000 0.008 0.008 -- 2.936 M
LEG Legend Mining Ltd 0.010 0.000 0.000 0.010 0.010 210555 29.095 M
LM8 Lunnon Metals Ltd 0.205 0.000 0.000 0.215 0.200 279810 44.126 M
MEI Meteoric Resources NL 0.084 0.000 0.000 0.085 0.083 2856213 191.137 M
MLX Metals X Ltd 0.460 0.000 0.000 0.460 0.450 530812 403.693 M
MRD Mount Ridley Mines Ltd 0.003 0.000 0.000 0.003 0.002 3035780 2.336 M
MRR Minrex Resources Ltd 0.008 0.000 0.000 0.008 0.008 -- 8.679 M
NIC Nickel Industries Limited 0.835 0.000 0.000 0.840 0.820 1652729 3,581.991 M
NIS Nickelsearch Ltd 0.013 0.001 4.167 0.013 0.012 200023 5.095 M
NME Nex Metals Explorations Ltd 0.038 0.000 0.000 0.039 0.038 39018 11.526 M
NST Northern Star Resources Ltd 17.170 0.000 0.000 17.350 17.040 2525111 19,775.232 M
ORN Orion Minerals Ltd 0.014 0.000 0.000 0.014 0.014 416781 95.736 M
PGM Platina Resources Ltd 0.021 0.000 0.000 0.021 0.019 1845200 11.840 M
PNN Power Minerals Ltd 0.090 0.000 0.000 0.092 0.090 8731 10.475 M
POS Poseidon Nickel Ltd 0.004 0.000 0.000 0.005 0.004 4890216 16.816 M
RIE Riedel Resources Ltd 0.030 0.000 0.000 0.030 0.030 -- 1.668 M
RIO Rio Tinto Ltd 118.330 0.000 0.000 118.490 117.100 709991 191,642.616 M
RNU Renascor Resources Ltd 0.057 0.000 0.000 0.057 0.056 1241270 144.896 M
RXL Rox Resources Ltd 0.230 0.000 0.000 0.235 0.220 494216 113.306 M
S32 South32 Ltd 3.540 0.000 0.000 3.550 3.500 13916942 15,891.106 M
SBR Sabre Resources Ltd 0.008 0.000 0.000 0.008 0.008 228480 3.144 M
SFM Santa Fe Minerals Ltd 0.034 0.000 0.000 0.034 0.034 -- 2.476 M
SFR Sandfire Resources NL 9.940 0.000 0.000 10.120 9.920 1046653 4,541.179 M
SFX Sheffield Resources Ltd 0.150 0.000 0.000 0.150 0.150 124027 57.247 M
SGQ St George Mining Ltd 0.026 0.000 0.000 0.027 0.026 882946 32.202 M
SMI Santana Minerals Ltd 0.485 0.000 0.000 0.495 0.460 540148 316.890 M
SRI Sipa Resources Ltd 0.014 0.000 0.000 0.014 0.014 -- 3.988 M
SRL Sunrise Energy Metals Ltd 0.295 0.000 0.000 0.305 0.295 123115 26.166 M
TLM Talisman Mining Ltd 0.205 0.000 0.000 0.215 0.205 32174 38.606 M
VMC Venus Metals Corporation Ltd 0.063 -0.002 -3.077 0.064 0.063 1010473 12.748 M
VRX VRX Silica Ltd 0.046 0.000 0.000 0.049 0.046 984219 34.212 M
WCN White Cliff Minerals Ltd 0.020 0.000 0.000 0.020 0.019 1066843 37.909 M
* Data powered by EODHD®. Data delayed 20 minutes unless otherwise indicated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nickel is an essential nutrient for the human body but may cause harm if consumed in excess. Most issues related to nickel are seen due to breathing infected air or drilling nickel-rich water causing infection. Nickel is classified as carcinogenic for humans and may cause respiratory cancer, including lung cancer, as it has been observed in epidemiological studies of sulfidic ore refinery workers.

Oral consumption of nickel is mostly removed by kidneys and passed off as urine or the gastrointestinal tract without absorption. Overall, nickel is not toxic for humans but a larger dose of it or chronic inhalation may have repercussions, including cancer.

The majority of nickel is inaccessible since it is contained within the earth’s iron nickel molten core. Nickel is also present amongst dissolved minerals in the sea. Nickel present in soil is estimated to be present between 0.2 ppm and 450 ppm. Nickel is present in plants and vegetables. Among food items, nickel is present in beans and tea.

Nickel is also released into the environment by power plants, which later on settles to the ground upon contact with raindrops. Nickel’s presence at high concentrations in sandy soil could damage plants, and in water, could harm algae growth. Usually, nickel does not accumulate in plants or animals.

Indonesia is the largest nickel-producing country in the world and it banned nickel ore export in January 2021. The Indonesian government had banned nickel ore exports in an effort to boost the domestic nickel downstream sector and increase mining investments in the country. Some government officials have confirmed that the initiative had actually shown a positive impact on the domestic nickel industry and had boosted exports of nickel-derived products along with bringing in major investments.

Nickel is obtained via extractive metallurgy by conventional roasting and the reduction process to obtain the final product with more than 75% Ni grade. A majority of sulfide ores are processed using froth flotation and pyrometallurgical processes to produce nickel matte. Nickel matte can be processed further by the leaching and electrowinning (SX-EW) beneficiation processes. Alternatively, nickel matte can also be processed using the Sherritt-Gordon process, which produces a concentrate of cobalt and nickel, which can be later refined using the solvent extraction method to obtain 99% purity nickel.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.