Platinum Foil
Platinum Foil in 99.85% to 99.999% purity, with dimensions, manufacturing and uses. See its price basis against the live platinum spot price and request a quote.
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PGM Products: Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium and Iridium Wire, Powder, Foil and Crucibles
Platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium and osmium in wire, foil, powder, sponge, gauze and crucible form, with purity grades and the applications each form serves.
Platinum group metals are sold as industrial products in refined, wrought and fabricated forms, from platinum sponge and powder to palladium wire, rhodium foil and iridium crucibles, each specified by purity grade. This directory covers 44 product pages across all 6 metals, and the refinery sponge that feeds most of them is sold at a minimum 99.95% purity. The sections below set out each metal's identity, the purity ladder from 3N to 7N, and the forms buyers specify.
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Wrought Forms: Wire, Foil, Sheet, Mesh, Gauze, Tube and Rod
Platinum Mesh
Platinum mesh in 99.9% to 99.999% purity, with dimensions, manufacturing and uses. See its price basis against the live platinum spot price and request a supplier quote.
Platinum Rod
Platinum rod in 99.95% to 99.99% purity, with dimensions, manufacturing and applications. See its price basis against the live platinum spot price.
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Iridium Powder
Iridium Powder in 99.80% to 99.90% purity, with dimensions, manufacturing and uses. See its price basis against live iridium spot and request a quote.
What Products Are Made From Platinum Group Metals?#
Platinum group metal products include sponge, powder, black, wire, foil, sheet, gauze, mesh, crucibles, sputtering targets, electrodes, tubing, rod, nanoparticles and anodes, supplied across all six metals where industrial demand exists. These forms follow the refining chain in the four stages listed below.
- Refined forms: sponge, powder and black, the direct output of a precious metal refinery
- Wrought forms: wire, foil, sheet, mesh, gauze, tube and rod, drawn or rolled from refined metal
- Fabricated components: crucibles, electrodes, sputtering targets and anodes
- Nanoparticles: metal reduced to nanometer scale for catalysis and research
Metal moves between these forms without losing intrinsic value: the same ounce can be sponge today and ingot tomorrow, although conversion costs and form premiums are real. Every form draws on one mined and recycled supply, so availability tracks the platinum group metals market, and the platinum group metals market overview covers supply, demand and stocks.
The Six Platinum Group Metals and Their Product Forms#
Each platinum group metal carries its own symbol, atomic number and CAS Registry Number: platinum (Pt, 78, CAS 7440-06-4), palladium (Pd, 46, CAS 7440-05-3), rhodium (Rh, 45, CAS 7440-16-6), iridium (Ir, 77, CAS 7439-88-5), ruthenium (Ru, 44, CAS 7440-18-8) and osmium (Os, 76, CAS 7440-04-2). The table below pairs that identity with the number of product pages this directory holds for each metal.
| Metal | Symbol | Atomic number | CAS Registry Number | Product pages here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platinum | Pt | 78 | 7440-06-4 | 15 |
| Palladium | Pd | 46 | 7440-05-3 | 9 |
| Rhodium | Rh | 45 | 7440-16-6 | 4 |
| Iridium | Ir | 77 | 7439-88-5 | 10 |
| Ruthenium | Ru | 44 | 7440-18-8 | 4 |
| Osmium | Os | 76 | 7440-04-2 | 2 |
Platinum (Pt), element 78, has the widest range of forms, 15 pages against osmium's 2. The metal's full physical profile sits on the platinum (Pt), element 78 page.
Purity Grades: How PGM Products Are Specified#
PGM product purity is specified as millesimal fineness or an "N-number," from 3N (99.9%) to 7N (99.99999%), with 3N5 (99.95%) the wholesale trading standard for platinum and palladium sponge, plate and ingot. Millesimal fineness counts parts per thousand, so 999.5 fineness equals 99.95%. The N-number counts the nines, and each added nine cuts permitted impurities tenfold.
| Grade | Purity | Total impurities | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3N | 99.9% | 1,000 ppm | Industrial alloys, some plating salts, base-grade fabricated parts |
| 3N5 | 99.95% | 500 ppm | LPPM Good Delivery minimum for Pt and Pd; NYMEX deliverable minimum; standard refinery sponge; ASTM B561 Grade 99.95 platinum |
| 4N | 99.99% | 100 ppm | ASTM B561 Grade 99.99 platinum; catalyst precursors; laboratory ware |
| 4N5 | 99.995% | 50 ppm | Ru and Ir sputtering targets; specialist electronic and optical uses |
| 5N | 99.999% | 10 ppm | Thin-film deposition; semiconductor-adjacent uses; reference materials |
| 6N | 99.9999% | 1 ppm | Research and metrology; rarely a production grade for PGMs other than platinum |
| 7N | 99.99999% | 0.1 ppm | Top of the notation scale; no routine PGM production grade documented |
Purity is never a bare number: it belongs to a form and a standard. ASTM International's B561 covers refined platinum as sponge, cast bar and wrought forms in Grade 99.95 (UNS P04995) and Grade 99.99, and its impurity list is headed by rhodium, palladium, ruthenium and iridium, the metals chemically nearest to platinum and hardest to separate.
Refined Forms: Sponge, Powder and Black#
Sponge is the porous metal produced by hydrogen reduction of a precipitated PGM salt, the default primary refinery output for platinum, palladium and rhodium at a minimum 99.95% and for iridium and ruthenium also at 99.95%, according to Umicore's precious metals product page (accessed 6 August 2026). Powder is a finer, denser variant, and it is the standard form for rhodium, iridium, ruthenium and osmium. ASTM International specifications cover two of those metals as sponge and powder: B616 grades rhodium at 99.80, 99.90 and 99.95, and B671 grades iridium at 99.80 (UNS P06100) and 99.90. Black is finely divided metal, not a compound, so platinum black carries platinum's own CAS 7440-06-4, and palladium on carbon carries palladium's CAS 7440-05-3.
Why does sponge matter to price? Sponge is the reference form for the Johnson Matthey base price, at 99.95% for platinum and palladium and 99.9% for rhodium, iridium and ruthenium. LPPM Good Delivery, by contrast, is a 1 kg to 6 kg plate or ingot at 99.95%. The LPPM also runs separate sponge accreditation lists; as retrieved on 6 August 2026, 31 refiners held platinum sponge accreditation and 31 held palladium sponge accreditation, and rhodium has its own list, the only formal international accreditation reaching a minor PGM.
| Form | Pages by metal | Minimum purity | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sponge | Platinum sponge, palladium sponge, rhodium sponge, iridium sponge, ruthenium sponge | 99.95% for Pt, Pd, Rh, Ir and Ru (Umicore); ASTM B561 Pt 99.95 or 99.99 | Primary refinery output; feedstock for catalysts, chemicals and alloying |
| Powder | Platinum powder, palladium powder, rhodium powder, iridium powder, ruthenium powder, osmium powder | ASTM B616 Rh 99.80/99.90/99.95; ASTM B671 Ir 99.80/99.90; ASTM B717 covers refined Ru | Catalyst manufacture, powder metallurgy, thick-film pastes |
| Black | Platinum black, palladium black, iridium black, ruthenium black | Carries the base metal's CAS (Pt 7440-06-4, Pd 7440-05-3, Ir 7439-88-5, Ru 7440-18-8) | Finely divided metal, not a discrete compound |
Osmium has the shortest product list for a physical reason. Osmium powder reacts with atmospheric oxygen to form volatile, toxic osmium tetroxide, and world osmium production is about 500 kg to 550 kg per year (2024 to 2025), according to the International Platinum Group Metals Association (IPA) PGM Fact Sheet: Osmium (May 2026, data by SFA Oxford).
Wrought Forms: Wire, Foil, Sheet, Mesh, Gauze, Tube and Rod#
Wrought forms are drawn, rolled or woven from refined metal: platinum wire is drawn from 99.95% or 99.99% metal for thermocouples, resistance thermometers and gauze weaving; platinum foil is offered from 99.85% to 99.999% purity in thicknesses from 0.0005 mm to 2 mm, per the Goodfellow platinum foil catalog (accessed 6 August 2026). Gauze is platinum wire woven into catalyst mesh. Ammonia oxidation gauze for nitric acid is 90Pt/10Rh at about 1,024 mesh per cm² with 0.060 mm or 0.076 mm wire; medium-pressure plants (3.5 bar to 7 bar) use 95Pt/5Rh at 76 µm and about 600 g/m², according to patent literature EP0259966A1 and US5232891A. Thermocouple wire follows IEC 60584: Type S pairs Pt-10%Rh with pure platinum, Type R pairs Pt-13%Rh with platinum, and Type B pairs Pt-30%Rh with Pt-6%Rh.
| Form | Pages by metal | Specification range | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wire | Platinum wire, palladium wire, rhodium wire, iridium wire | Pt drawn from 99.95% or 99.99% metal or Pt alloys | Thermocouples, resistance thermometers, gauze weaving, electrodes; iridium tips in spark plugs |
| Foil | Platinum foil, palladium foil, rhodium foil, iridium foil | Pt 99.85% to 99.999%; 0.0005 mm to 2 mm (Goodfellow) | Electrodes, laboratory ware, electronics; Pd and Pd-Ag alloys underpin hydrogen purification membranes |
| Sheet and plate | Platinum sheet and plate | Rolled mill product; Goodfellow's platinum foil range runs to 2 mm thick | Fabrication feedstock |
| Mesh | Platinum mesh | Woven screen, specified by openings and wire diameter | Catalyst gauze packs |
| Gauze | Platinum gauze, iridium gauze | Pt gauze: 90Pt/10Rh, about 1,024 mesh/cm², 0.060 mm or 0.076 mm wire; Ir gauze specified per order | Pt-Rh gauze: nitric acid (ammonia oxidation) and hydrogen cyanide catalysis |
| Tube | Platinum tubing, iridium tubing | Specified by outside diameter, wall and alloy; no public standard | Pt and Pt-Rh tube for glass handling (bushings, stirrers, orifice plates) and laboratory use |
| Rod | Platinum rod, palladium rod, iridium rod, osmium rod | ASTM B684/B684M covers Pt-Ir alloys as rod, wire, strip and sheet | Pt-Ir electrical contacts; osmium metal is essentially unworkable |
Fabricated Components: Crucibles, Electrodes, Sputtering Targets and Anodes#
Fabricated components are shaped into a finished part rather than sold as raw stock: crucibles for crystal growth, electrodes for electrochemistry, sputtering targets for thin-film deposition and anodes for electrolysis, with ruthenium sputtering targets specified at 99.95% commercial or 99.995%-plus high-purity grade. High-purity ruthenium targets hold alkali, alkaline-earth and transition metals each below 1 ppm, with average grain size of 5 µm to 50 µm in alloy targets, per patents US 10,319,571 and US 9,732,413. Iridium crucibles grow oxide single crystals such as YAG by the Czochralski method, because iridium melts at 2,446 °C (2,719 K) against platinum's 1,768 °C (2,041.55 K).
| Form | Pages by metal | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Crucibles | Platinum crucibles, iridium crucibles | Pt and Pt-Rh for fire assay and glass work; Ir for Czochralski oxide crystal growth |
| Electrodes | Platinum electrodes, palladium electrodes, iridium electrodes | Pt-10Ir implantable medical electrodes; Pd in multilayer ceramic capacitor electrodes; IrO2 PEM electrolyzer anodes |
| Sputtering targets | Platinum sputtering targets, palladium sputtering targets | Pt targets for semiconductor and MEMS thin films; Pt also sits in the CoCrPt recording layer of hard-disk media |
| Anodes | Platinum anodes | Electrolysis; iridium oxide and mixed-metal-oxide coatings for electrochemistry |
Nanoparticles#
Nanoparticles are PGM metal reduced to particles measured in nanometers, used as catalyst precursors and in research rather than as bulk stock, currently listed for platinum, palladium and ruthenium. Two salts show the route: Sigma-Aldrich lists sodium tetrachloropalladate as a feedstock for palladium nanocrystals, and PubChem records palladium nitrate as a Pd(II) precursor for nanoparticle synthesis.
| Form | Pages by metal | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Nanoparticles | Platinum nanoparticles, palladium nanoparticles, ruthenium nanoparticles | Catalyst precursors and research; supported forms carry the base metal's CAS |
Choosing a PGM Product Form#
The right purity grade depends on the application, not on cost alone: 3N5 (99.95%) is the refinery and trading standard, 4N (99.99%) serves catalyst precursors, laboratory ware and jewelry casting alloys, and 5N (99.999%) and above are reserved for thin-film and semiconductor-adjacent work. Each application controls a different set of impurities, listed below.
- Autocatalysts and chemical catalysts: lead, arsenic, bismuth, sulfur and phosphorus, the classic catalyst poisons
- Glass bushings and stirrers: iron, silicon and base metals, which cause grain growth and creep failure at 1,200 °C to 1,600 °C
- Thermocouples: any impurity, because it shifts the EMF curve; certified thermocouple-grade wire is a distinct product
- Sputtering targets: alkali and alkaline-earth metals and dissolved gases, which cause arcing and particle defects
The PGM applications that consume each form, from nitric acid gauze to PEM electrolyzers, are mapped in PGM applications.
Source and Compare PGM Products#
Buyers compare PGM products by metal, form, purity grade and dimension, then request a quote against a written specification. A complete request states the five items below.
- Name the metal and alloy.
- Name the form, from sponge to sputtering target.
- State the purity grade and the standard it follows.
- Give dimensions and tolerances.
- Give the quantity in grams, troy ounces or kilograms.
A quote covers the contained metal plus the conversion cost and form premium for the product, and the contained metal moves with the market. Platinum group metal prices today, for all six metals, are tracked on the platinum group metal prices today page.
PGM Products FAQ#
What is the difference between platinum sponge and platinum powder?#
Platinum sponge and platinum powder differ in particle structure, not in typical purity: sponge is the porous, as-reduced primary output, while powder is a finer, denser variant more common for rhodium, iridium, ruthenium and osmium. ASTM B561 lists platinum sponge at Grade 99.95 or 99.99.
What purity is industrial platinum wire?#
Industrial platinum wire is drawn from 99.95% or 99.99% purity metal, with certified thermocouple-grade wire held to tighter, application-specific tolerances than generic 99.99% wire.
Which platinum group metals are sold as sputtering targets?#
Ruthenium is the platinum group metal most associated with sputtering targets for hard-disk magnetic layers; platinum and iridium are also supplied as sputtering targets for thin-film and electronic applications. Specifications for the platinum form are on platinum sputtering targets.