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Palladium: Properties, Uses and Investment | BullionVault Tell others what you think Please take a moment to review us on Trustpilot. Not now Review us We use cookies (including third-party cookies) to remember your site preferences, to help us understand how visitors use our sites and to make any adverts we show on 3rd party sites more relevant. To learn more, please see our privacy policy and our cookie policy . To agree to our use of cookies, click 'Accept' or choose 'Options' to set your preferences by cookie type. Options Accept About us About BullionVault In the press Reviews English English English (UK) Deutsch Español Français Italiano Polski 日本語 简体中文 繁體中文 Daily audit Help Contact Deposit Log in Open account Buy/sell bullion Live order board Daily Price Investment guide Guide to gold How to buy gold How to invest in gold Investment insurance Compare asset performance Guide to silver How to buy silver Why invest in silver Guide to platinum How to buy platinum Platinum investment Gold news Gold news front page Gold price news Opinion & analysis Market fundamentals Gold/Silver Investor Index Infographics Charts Gold price Silver price Platinum price Palladium price Price alerts English English English (UK) Deutsch Español Français Italiano Polski 日本語 简体中文 繁體中文 Daily audit Help Contact Deposit Logout Account Balance Deposit funds Withdraw funds Withdraw 100g gold bars Reserve bars Validation Documents Settings History Orders Statement Deposits & withdrawals Profit & loss 100g gold bar withdrawals Referrals Annual sales report Buy/sell bullion Vaulted gold & silver Live order board Daily Price Investment guide Guide to gold How to buy gold How to invest in gold Investment insurance Compare asset performance Guide to silver How to buy silver Guide to platinum How to buy platinum Gold news Gold news front page Gold price news Opinion & analysis Market fundamentals Gold/Silver Investor Index Infographics Charts Gold price Silver price Platinum price Palladium price Price alerts Charts Account Menu Guide to platinum Guide to Gold Guide to Silver Guide to Platinum Why choose BullionVault for gold & silver ownership? Open a BullionVault account and buy gold today British Museum curator Jamie Fraser interview Selected guide articles Gold Silver Buy gold bullion Gold inflation hedge Gold coin costs Silver investment Buy silver Buy gold bars How to buy gold video Invest in gold Gold bullion Buy platinum online Palladium Gold ETF Gold IRA Gold bullion trading apps Kids gold investment Queen's Award Cost calculator Free gold bar images for commercial use (link attribution required) Palladium Everything you need to know about this precious metal Palladium is a rare metal that belongs to the platinum group of elements. The silvery-white metal has a high melting point, is resistant to corrosion, is a good conductor of electricity, and maintains the ability to absorb large amounts of hydrogen. Industrial uses of palladium include applications in dentistry and electronics, but most of the world's palladiu
m supply is allocated to the manufacture of catalytic converters. Palladium supply As a rare metal, palladium is also increasingly seen as an investment proposition. With limited supply, most of which comes from mines in Russia and South Africa, the price of palladium is volatile, depending on both geopolitics and - given its industrial value - the global macroeconomic environment. Palladium overtook gold as the most expensive precious metal per ounce in January 2019, with its price trebling between 2018 and 2021, before falling back. But what is palladium and what are the best ways to invest in it? Discovering palladium Palladium was discovered in London in 1803, by English chemist William H. Wollaston, who also discovered rhodium in the same year. Wollaston examined the residues left from crude South African platinum ore after dissolving it in aqua regia, a concentrated aqueous solution of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid. He succeeded in isolating palladium in a series of chemical reactions, finally heating palladium cyanide to extract palladium metal. Wollaston then left a quantity of the metal for sale with a mineral dealer in Gerrard Street, London, and anonymously posted handbills throughout the city, describing the new metal’s properties. Fellow chemists were suspicious of the discovery, suspecting palladium to be an alloy of mercury and platinum. In response, Wollaston anonymously offered a reward of twenty guineas to anyone who could artificially produce palladium. The reward went unclaimed. In 1805, Wollaston broke cover and explained his discovery before the Royal Society of London, speaking about palladium's properties and its isolation from platinum. He claimed that he had remained anonymous so that he would have the time to understand and explain all of the metal’s properties before putting his name to a full account. The element is named after the then-recently discovered asteroid, Pallas, which is itself named after the Greek goddess of wisdom. Palladium's properties Palladium - 46 in the periodic table with the symbol Pd - has the lowest melting point and is the least dense of the platinum group metals. It resembles platinum in its appearance, and heated palladium is soft and ductile, while the free metal increases its strength and hardness when cold-worked. Like gold, palladium can be beaten into a thin leaf. Palladium does not react with oxygen in normal temperatures and so does not corrode or tarnish in air, while temperatures of 800 °C will produce a layer of palladium oxide. A range of palladium compounds can be formed through reactions with chlorine (palladium dichloride), acetic acid (palladium(II) acetate) and other chemicals. Some palladium compounds can also be used as catalysts in coupling reactions. Palladium can also absorb up to 900 times its own volume in hydrogen, a property that can be used in hydrogen purification or the activation of the element for further chemical reactions. Where is palladium found? 210,000 kilograms of palladium were mined in 2022, with both Russia and South Africa accounting for approximately 40% of world production. Palladium can be found alloyed with gold and other platinum group m
etals in alluvial deposits in Russia, Australia and South America. However, the most important commercial deposits of the metal are in the Merensky Reef layer of igneous rock in South Africa and the Norilsk-Talnakh deposits in Siberia. Most palladium on world markets comes from these sources. The control of such valuable rare earth materials by Russia has been one of the factors behind the volatility in palladium supply and pricing since the invasion of Crimea in 2014 and the war in Ukraine in 2022. What is palladium used for? Catalytic converters Catalytic converters in cars and trucks use less than one-fifth of an ounce of palladium, but this still accounts for the highest industrial use of the metal. Helping to reduce emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrous oxide, catalytic convertors rely on palladium's capability of producing organic transformations leading to less harmful chemicals - carbon dioxide and water vapour- reaching the air from car engines. Dentistry Palladium is used worldwide in the development of alloys used in crown and bridge restorations by dental technicians. Palladium's lack of tarnish or corrosion, its white colour and low density make the material an ideal substance for dental alloys. Electronics Palladium's resistance to corrosion leads to it being used in the manufacture of multilayer ceramic capacitors, components of mobile telephones, personal computers, and many other electronic items. Chemical and pharmaceutical industry The properties of palladium as a catalyst - speeding up chemical reactions - have led to its widespread use in the pharmaceutical industry, changing how exploratory drug candidates are synthesized and how some chemicals and pharmaceuticals are manufactured. Jewellery Palladium is becoming increasingly common in jewellery, particularly in the form of "white gold", where the metal is alloyed with gold, producing a decolourised compound. Palladium is also used in jewellery and watchmaking in its own right, often as a less dense alternative to platinum that can be beaten thin and moulded without losing durability. Palladium as an investment With limited supply and considerable demand, palladium has increasingly been seen as an investment opportunity, particularly among investors looking to diversify their portfolio to include precious metals, and also among those who wish to further diversify their metal investments. Palladium prices tend to rise in times of economic calm, when manufacturing is doing well, but the rarity of the element can boost prices when markets are struggling or there are practical concerns about supply. The price of palladium has been volatile. A spike in prices at the time of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine led to record highs on the back of supply fears centring on the world's top producer, and although palladium is trading at around half that price one year on, it is still holding triple the value per ounce compared to a decade ago. Ways of investing As with gold and silver, investors can buy physical palladium, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), futures or derivatives. The London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) administered by the London Metals Exchange sets
auction prices for professional dealers on the palladium market. Palladium can be bought through BullionVault in the form of London Good Delivery bars, which are stored and insured in specialist vaults in London in the UK. The fact that physical palladium is stored in acredited vaults means that the investment is not subject to VAT, meaning that low commission, storage and insurance charges are the only fixed costs of investment. Palladium bars can ofcourse be delivered to the investor but would incur VAT and additional security and delivery charges. Please Note: This analysis is published to inform your thinking, not lead it. Previous price trends are no guarantee of future performance. Before investing in any asset, you should seek financial advice if unsure about its suitability to your personal circumstances. Open an account Try out buying and selling with a free sample. Transfer funds Make a bank transfer to your BullionVault account. Buy gold, silver or platinum In your choice of vault through the live order board. Validate your account Upload photo ID and bank statement. Open an account today Luxury and power Persia to Greece An exhibition proudly supported by BullionVault Site links FAQ Rates & charges Cost calculator t oz/kg converter Corporate services Affiliates Gold SIPP Gold IRA Privacy notice Tax strategy Terms & conditions Cookies Find BullionVault on X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook YouTube Instagram Threads BullionVault mobile app Contact us support@bullionvault.com +44 (0)20 8600 0130 (UK and International) 1-888-908-2858 (US and Canada toll-free) Click to call Opening hours: 9am to 8:30pm (UK), Monday to Friday Galmarley Ltd T/A BullionVault 3 Shortlands (7th Floor) Hammersmith London W6 8DA United Kingdom PLEASE NOTE: The value of precious metals may fall as well as rise. Historical trends do not guarantee future price moves. Nothing on BullionVault's websites nor in any of its communications constitutes investment advice. You should consider seeking professional advice to determine if owning bullion is right for you. Galmarley Ltd, trading as BullionVault, registered in England and Wales 4943684 BullionVault Ltd © 2026 Save your cookie preferences We use cookies to remember your site preferences, record your referrer, improve the performance of our site and to make any adverts we show on 3rd party sites more relevant. For more information, see our cookie policy . Please select an option below and 'Save' your preferences. No cookies . Without any cookies our websites can't remember your site preferences (cookies, currency, weight units, markets, referrer, etc.) for your next visit. Any cookies already placed will be deleted at the end of your browsing session. As we won't be able to record your cookie preference, the cookie banner will display again on your next visit. BullionVault cookies only (recommended) . We use these cookies to record your site usage and preferences (cookies, currency, weight units, markets, referrer, etc.) for your next visit using this browser. BullionVault cookies and third-party cookies . Also, allow our use of cookies from well-known third parties such as Google , Facebook, Bing and You
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