NTS Insights
NTS analysis on semiconductor and materials supply chains
- powder-quality
- lot-verification
- quality-control
Powder Sample Evaluation: What Three Lots Can and Cannot Prove
No standard we could find requires three lots — the nearest thing to a written origin is a footnote in a 1987 FDA guideline. Design what the lots must show, then put it in the contract.
Read more- zirconia
- zircon-sand
- supply-chain
Zirconia's Raw Material Chain: Zircon Sand, the 1 Bq/g Line, and What '99.9%' Means
Zirconia's radiological status is set by the refining route, not the compound — and zircon supply answers to the titanium pigment market, not to yours.
Read more- sputtering-target
- import-guide
- korea
Importing Sputtering Targets into Korea: Classification, Export Control, and the Return Leg
A sputtering target has no HS heading of its own, and bonding changes it. Korea's tax tribunal has ruled on that split; China's control list names targets.
Read moreGet analyses like this in your inbox
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
- gallium
- germanium
- export-control
Gallium and Germanium Export Controls, Three Years On: A Scorecard
Chinese gallium exports recovered in 2024; unwrought exports then collapsed 94% in 2025. Three years of controls, scored against what was predicted.
Read more- silicon-carbide
- sic-wafer
- sic-8-inch
SiC Wafer 8-Inch Transition: A Substrate Market Split in Two
Six-inch SiC substrates sell near cost; eight-inch has no standard price yet. Amid restructurings and a liquidation, supplier financials now matter as much as specs. A procurement view.
Read more- ysz
- thermal-barrier-coating
- zirconia
YSZ Powder for Thermal Barrier Coatings: Why '8YSZ' Names Two Different Materials
In TBC practice 8YSZ means 8 wt% yttria (~4.5 mol%); in SOFC practice it means 8 mol%, roughly 1.7x the yttria. Specify wt% Y₂O₃ on the order and check it against the COA.
Read more- procurement-strategy
- china-supply
- sourcing
China Supplier Due Diligence: What Each Document Actually Proves
Registered capital, business scope and ISO certificates prove less than buyers assume. A supplier audit checklist for China that separates regulation from custom.
Read more- export-control
- critical-materials
- supply-chain
December 31, 2026 Is a Real Chinese Export Deadline — Just Not for Dysprosium
China runs two separate export licence systems with different clocks. One expires on December 31 every year; the one dysprosium, scandium and yttrium ship on does not. Which date governs your shipment, and how to read it off your own paperwork.
Read more- sofc
- scandium
- scsz
Fuel Cells for AI Data Centres: Why Scandium Demand Figures Disagree
AI data centres started buying solid oxide fuel cells at scale in 2026. The scandium tonnage figures now circulating differ by an order of magnitude, none of them shows its arithmetic, and here is what that arithmetic would actually need.
Read more- silicon-carbide
- sic-powder
- powder-quality
SiC Powder: 7 Things to Settle Before You Request a Quote
Grade, particle size, distribution, Fe units, Ti gating, multi-modal packing, and contract terms — the seven specifications that decide whether an SiC powder quote is comparable at all.
Read more- ysz
- scsz
- sofc
YSZ vs ScSZ: A SOFC Electrolyte Comparison and Selection Guide
An engineering comparison of YSZ and ScSZ solid oxide fuel cell electrolytes — conductivity versus temperature, aging, mechanical limits, and supply risk as a design input.
Read more- yttrium
- export-control
- ysz
Dysprosium Flows Recovered, Yttrium's Did Not — China's Rare Earth Controls
Sixteen months on from MOFCOM's seven-element rare earth licensing: which controls actually bit, what the November 10, 2026 expiry changes, and why requalification time is the binding constraint.
Read more- ysz
- yttrium
- export-control
Importing YSZ into Korea: An Export-Control and Sourcing Playbook
A practical guide to importing YSZ into Korea under China's yttrium controls — 1C908 scope, HS-code mismatch, K-REACH checks, and dual sourcing.
Read more- ysz
- zirconia
- market-analysis
Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Market 2026: Size, Demand, Yttrium Risk
A 2026 read on the yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) market — size by source, demand by application, 3Y-TZP vs 8YSZ grades, and a dual raw-material bottleneck in zircon mining and ZOC refining.
Read more- scandium
- export-control
- sofc
How China's Scandium Export Controls Reshaped the SOFC Supply Chain
China's April 2025 MOFCOM Announcement No. 18 put scandium under export licensing, tripling scandium oxide prices and disrupting solid-oxide fuel-cell electrolyte sourcing.
Read more- silicon-carbide
- sic-powder
- spray-drying
Two Faces of Round SiC Powder: Spray-Dried Granules vs Plasma Spheroidized
Round SiC powder is not one thing: grade crushed angular, spray-dried granule, and plasma-spheroidized powders, and what to verify before you buy.
Read more- silicon-carbide
- market-analysis
- sic-price
2026 Global SiC Market Outlook: Demand, Prices, and China Supply
The 2026 global silicon carbide (SiC) market: ~$5.29 billion at a 10.7% CAGR through 2031. Demand by application, the price ladder, and China supply.
Read more- procurement-strategy
- export-controls
- supply-chain
Procurement Strategy Under Export Controls: Licensing, Not Embargo
China's materials export controls are licensing regimes, not embargoes. Five procurement strategies: licensing, dual-sourcing, contracts, and Incoterms.
Read more- china-export-controls
- critical-materials
- supply-chain
China Export Controls Timeline (2023–2026): Critical Materials
China's critical-materials export controls, from gallium to scandium: a chronological reference with per-item status and sourcing implications.
Read more- scandium
- critical-materials
- scarcity
Scandium Production: Just 40 Tonnes a Year, and Why It Stays There
Almost no standalone mines, and only ~40 t of scandium a year despite a crustal abundance the USGS puts above lead, tin and silver — the shortage, SOFC and aerospace demand, and the price spike.
Read more- powder-quality
- sem-eds
- silicon-carbide
Sold as 'Granules' but Not: SEM/EDS Powder Quality Verification
Some 'SiC granules' are really crushed angular powder. A lot-verification protocol with SEM/EDS, PSA, and XRD checking morphology, composition, and phase.
Read more- scsz
- sofc
- electrolyte
The Global ScSZ (SOFC Electrolyte) Supplier Landscape
ScSZ (10Sc1CeSZ) specs and the SOFC electrolyte supplier landscape across China, Japan, the US, and Korea, with a selection-criteria matrix.
Read more- inventory-management
- cash-conversion-cycle
- working-capital
Inventory Buffering and Cash Conversion Cycle in Materials Trading
Inventory buffering is a lead-time service and transfer of risk. A framework on carrying cost, the cash conversion cycle (CCC), and four levers to cut it.
Read more- silicon-carbide
- import-guide
- korea
SiC Powder Import Guide for Korea: HS Code, Tariffs, K-REACH
A practical guide to importing silicon carbide (SiC) powder into Korea: HS classification, tariff rates, FTA origin, K-REACH, and packaging.
Read more