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Our Market
South Africa is the world leader in platinum and PGM production, having produced around 5 million ounces of platinum and 10 million ounces of PGMs in 2006, that is close on 70% and 50% respectively of global production.
Implats is the second largest PGM producer in the world, supplying approximately 25% of global platinum output and around 20% of total global PGM output.
Supply and demand
Find out more about the performance of Platinum, Palladium and Rhodium in the last five years.
Our metals
The six platinum group metals (PGMs) – platinum, palladium, rhodium, osmium, ruthenium and iridium – occur together in nature alongside nickel and copper.
Platinum
Platinum, a silvery-white metal and the most common and widely used of the platinum group metals (PGMs), is also one of the most precious metals.
Palladium
Palladium, together with platinum, is more abundant than any of the other PGMs. Like its sister metal, platinum, palladium has a natural white lustre when polished. It is the lightest and has the lowest melting point (1,554°C) of all the PGMs.
Rhodium
Rhodium is also a silvery-white metal but has a higher melting point and lower density than platinum. It has a high reflectance and is hard and durable, and is a major component of industrial catalytic systems.
Nickel
Nickel, an important by-product of PGM mining operations, is a hard, silvery-white metal that is highly resistant to corrosion. It is used extensively in coins and is a vital ingredient in the production of stainless steel.
Metals usage
Many of the unique physical and chemical characteristics of PGMs make them indispensable to modern technology and industry, and their markets are many and varied, from the automotive industry to the medical field where platinum is used as a potential cure for Parkinson's disease.
