The Last Four Degrees
Helium is the only coolant that stays liquid down near absolute zero, which is why every conventional MRI magnet depends on it. The world gets it as a by-product of natural gas, and three-quarters of it comes from two countries.
How cold is cold enough
From room temperature to the edge of absolute zero, on a log scale. Every other common coolant gives out before the zone where MRI magnets work.
Log scale, 300 K → 1 K. Dashed box = below ~17 K, where USGS says no substitute exists for helium in cryogenics.
Two countries, three-quarters of the world
World helium production in 2025 was an estimated 190 million cubic meters. The United States and Qatar supplied about 76% of it.
Million cubic meters, 2025 estimates. South Africa: under 0.5. World total (rounded): 190. Source: USGS MCS 2026.
Base price nearly doubled in two years
USGS's estimated Grade-A helium price held near $200 per thousand cubic feet for most of the 2010s, then jumped to $390 by 2023.
Estimated base price for Grade-A helium, US$ per thousand cubic feet, nominal; excludes producer surcharges. Years without a USGS estimate are skipped. *2009 = midpoint of a $125–145 range.
Where America's helium goes
Party balloons and airships take as large a share as fiber optics and chip-making. MRI takes 15%.
Share of U.S. helium use by application, 2025. Source: USGS MCS 2026.
What one scanner holds
A conventional MRI magnet sits in a bath of liquid helium that has to be topped up. Newer sealed designs need far less.
helium-cooled MRI scanners in use worldwide.
Philips, 2022 · manufacturer estimateof U.S. helium use goes to MRI.
USGS MCS 2026The government stockpile is gone
The U.S. began storing helium in 1925. Congress ordered the stockpile sold in 2013, and the sale closed in 2024.
paid by Messer for the Federal Helium System, closed June 2024: Amarillo caverns, Cliffside Field and a 423-mile pipeline.
BLM, 2024U.S. government helium stockpile listed for 2025. The U.S. still exports more than it imports.
USGS MCS 2026helium in dry air: far too dilute to harvest. Once vented, it is effectively lost.
U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1976A one-way resource
- It isn't renewable on human timescales. Helium builds up underground from radioactive decay over millions of years, and we only capture it where natural gas is drilled.
- Released helium escapes. It is light enough to rise through the atmosphere and leak away to space, so a popped balloon is a permanent loss.
- Recycling is catching up. USGS reports closed-loop recovery systems becoming more common. Labs and hospitals can ask suppliers about boil-off recovery.
- Choose low-helium tech. When a clinic upgrades, sealed magnets that need roughly 7 liters instead of ~1,700 reduce exposure to supply shocks.