CME plans tungsten futures launch in early 2027

CME Group said on October 19 that it plans to introduce tungsten futures in early 2027, subject to relevant regulatory approvals, according to Economic Times Markets. The exchange operator announced the product as trading across its metals business reached a record during the first nine months of 2026.

CME said tungsten already has an active spot market but no futures market. Annual global production stands at 85,000–95,000 metric tonnes, with the market valued at more than $20 billion at current spot prices. India, the United States, the European Union and Japan are among the economies that have designated tungsten a critical mineral.

The proposed contract will be financially settled against Fastmarkets’ price assessment for tungsten ammonium paratungstate, CME said. The assessment uses a duty-unpaid, cost, insurance and freight basis in Rotterdam and Baltimore.

Across precious and industrial metals, CME reported average daily trading of 1.2 million contracts in January–September 2026, an increase of 41% from the same period a year earlier. Those figures cover its existing metals business, not the planned tungsten contract.