86% of processed tungsten comes from China.

Omissions

• The 86% figure refers to China's share of GLOBAL tungsten processing, not to the share of processed tungsten consumed or imported in the EU; the claim's geographic framing (EU) is imprecise.
• China's share of tungsten MINING is lower, around 79%, so the higher 86% applies specifically to the processing/refining stage.
• No primary statistical source (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, IEA, European Commission/JRC raw-materials factsheet, Eurostat) was found publishing exactly 86%; the figure appears in industry/CRM analyses and is widely repeated, so corroboration is from secondary sources drawing on the same type of industry data.
• Eurostat data on EU critical raw material imports show China as top partner for ferro-tungsten with 68% of import value (with Viet Nam at 21%), a different metric from the global processing share.

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat Statistics Explained — International trade in critical raw materialsThe EU depended heavily on China for imports of ferro-tungsten. China was the top partner with 68% of the value of imports, followed by Viet Nam (21%).
• SecondaryC4MR (Critical Raw Materials) — 'Tungsten Supply and China's Export Controls'China, which accounts for 79% of mining and around 86% of processing.
• SecondaryNederlands Materialen Observatorium — Tungsten material fileDistribution of tungsten processing: China (~86%), US (~4%), Russia (~3%), Vietnam (~3%) and Austria (~2%).
• SecondaryRare Earth Exchanges — 'CME Tungsten Futures 2027 China Supply Gap Explained'China controls approximately 79% of mined tungsten and 86% of processing, giving it dominant leverage over global supply chains.
• SecondaryEU Perspectives — 'Tungsten market speaks of war. Europe is not ready'For the European Union, the implications are acute. The bloc imports approximately 80 per cent of its processed tungsten and around 21 per cent of its ore.