6. Production capacity, consumption

Given the nature of germanium, a by-product of zinc metallurgy and, to a lesser extent, copper metallurgy, there is no mining of germanium.

Data on production and consumption are sometimes incomplete or outdated, due to a lack of reliable information. Table 4 shows world germanium metal production from refineries, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. World production capacity is estimated at 155 tonnes (primary and secondary production combined).