In the world of premium shotshells, Tungsten Super Shot (TSS) has become the gold standard for turkey, waterfowl, and predator hunting. With a density around 18 g/cc—significantly denser than lead or steel—TSS delivers tighter patterns, more pellets on target, and lethal performance at longer ranges. But there’s a price: TSS has always been one of the most expensive shot materials on the market, routinely selling for dozens of dollars per pound and driving shell prices well above traditional loads.
⚠️ Why Tungsten Powder Costs Are Skyrocketing
The core driver behind the recent surge in TSS costs isn’t marketing—it’s raw material economics. Tungsten powder is the primary ingredient used to make the pellets inside TSS. Across 2025, tungsten prices have climbed to record highs due to a combination of global supply constraints, tariff wars, and rapidly growing demand:
Supply side tightening: The world’s tungsten production is heavily concentrated, with China historically accounting for more than 80 % of global output. In 2025, mining quotas were reduced, environmental regulations tightened, and many producers scaled back production, squeezing the raw material supply.
Rising demand: More industries now vie for tungsten including defense, aerospace, electronics, solar, and electric vehicles. These emerging demands have put additional pressure on an already tight market.
Costs pushed up throughout the supply chain: From declining ore grades to rising energy and environmental compliance costs, producing tungsten powder has simply gotten more expensive—and those costs are passed straight through to buyers.
As a result, tungsten and tungsten powder prices have more than doubled in some markets this year, trading at levels not seen in over a decade.
🌍 Export Controls Aren’t Total Bans—But They Bite
You might have heard about export restrictions on tungsten and wondered if that means no more tungsten shipments. The answer is nuanced:
In 2025, China implemented tightened export controls on many critical metals—including tungsten products—to manage strategic resources. These controls require special licensing and quotas for exports, making it harder and more expensive for foreign buyers to secure tungsten products.
However, this is not a blanket export ban. Tungsten powder and related intermediates can still be exported, it just requires regulatory compliance and often comes with higher paperwork costs and supply controls that reduce the total volume shipped abroad.
The practical effect for buyers in the U.S. has been reduced availability and increased reliance on limited non-Chinese sources—most of which can’t scale production quickly. This partial export limitation acts like a bottleneck without shutting the tap entirely.
🎯 What This Means for the TSS Market
Because tungsten shot accounts for a huge portion of the cost of a TSS shotshell—estimates suggest raw tungsten shot can be up to 90 % of the price of the finished product—anything that drives up tungsten costs directly inflates the price of ammo.
Here’s how shooters are feeling the impact:
Higher retail costs: Whether buying factory TSS loads or reloading components, prices for tungsten shot have climbed noticeably in 2025. Some vendors listing TSS-18 shot are now pricing over $100–$120 per pound—well above historical norms. In January of 2025 prices were just around $40/lb. At time of this article (December 2025), the price is just over $140/lb.
Limited availability: Out-of-stock notices and shortages on popular pellet sizes are becoming more common as suppliers struggle with constrained inventories.
Reloaders feel the squeeze. Component suppliers and reloaders who depend on ready-to-press tungsten shot are facing lead times and price spikes that weren’t expected going into the 2025 hunting seasons.
For hunters who already appreciate what TSS can do, these market changes translate into a simple reality: premium performance now costs even more, and in some cases shells you’ve waited on may not be restocked quickly.
🦃 Stock Up Now—Because the Future Is Uncertain
The current environment suggests that the TSS price spike won’t suddenly reverse. Supply constraints, global demand competition, and export compliance issues create a situation where tungsten raw materials may stay costly for years—not months.
This isn’t just speculation. Industry observers and everyday shooters alike are warning that once current inventories are gone, it could be a long time before they return to previous levels or prices. Ordering what you need now—whether that’s TSS shells for the upcoming season or component shot for reloading—might end up being the smarter move rather than waiting for a future restock. Waiting for the price to drop will likely result in missing entire seasons of hunting.
🧠 Bottom Line
Tungsten costs are up dramatically, largely due to supply limitations and global demand pressures.
Export controls aren’t banning shipments, but they do limit and complicate access to the metal outside China.
TSS shotshells and components are getting pricier and harder to find, directly tying ammunition costs to raw material trends.
If you hunt or reload with TSS, stocking up now could save you money and frustration later.