Reserve base

Global molybdenum reserve base 2008: 19,000,000 mt (rounded)

Source: US Geological Survey

Molybdenum occurs in nature only in chemical combination with other elements. A number of molybdenum-bearing minerals have been identified, but the only one of commercial significance is molybdenite (MoS2) - a natural molybdenum sulfide. In ore bodies, molybdenite is generally present in quantities from 0.01-0.25% and is often associated with the sulfide minerals of other metals, notably copper.