Metal niobium can be made by electrolytic melting of Potassium niobate heptafluoro, or by reduction of Potassium niobate heptafluoro with sodium or Niobium pentoxide with aluminum. Pure niobium is used in electronic tubes to remove residual gases. Doping niobium in steel can improve the oxidation resistance of steel at high temperatures and improve its welding performance. Niobium is also used to manufacture high-temperature cermets.

The ore obtained from mining should go through the separation process to separate Tantalum pentoxide and Niobium pentoxide from other minerals. The first step in the processing process is to react with hydrofluoric acid:

Ta2O5+14 HF → 2 H2 [TaF7]+5 H2O

Nb2O5+10 HF → 2 H2 [NbOF5]+3 H2O

Jean Charles Garissa de Marina invented an industrial scale separation method, which took advantage of the difference in water solubility of niobium and tantalum fluoride complexes. The new method uses an organic solvent similar to Cyclohexanone to extract fluoride from the aqueous solution, and then uses water to extract niobium and tantalum complexes from the organic solvent. Adding Potassium fluoride can precipitate niobium into Potassium fluoride complexes, while adding ammonia can precipitate Niobium pentoxide:

H2 [NbOF5]+2 KF → K2 [NbOF5] ↓+2 HF

Then:

2 H2 [NbOF5]+10 NH4OH → Nb2O5 ↓+10 NH4F+7 H2O

There are several methods for reducing compounds to metallic states. One is to electrolyze a molten mixture of K2 [NbOF5] and sodium chloride, and the other is to reduce niobium fluoride with sodium. The niobium metal obtained by this method has high purity. In large-scale production, hydrogen or carbon is generally used to reduce Nb2O5. Another method utilizes aluminothermal reaction, where iron oxide and niobium oxide react with aluminum:

3 Nb2O5+Fe2O3+12 Al → 6 Nb+2 Fe+6 Al2O3

A small amount of oxidation additive similar to Sodium nitrate can enhance the above reaction. This will produce alumina and niobium iron alloys, which can be used for steel production. Ferroniobium generally contains 60% -70% niobium. If iron oxide is not added, the aluminothermic reaction will produce niobium metal, but it requires a purification process to make high-purity niobium alloys with superconducting properties. The method used by the two largest niobium dealers in the world is vacuum electron beam melting.

As of 2013, Brazilian Metallurgical and Mining Corporation controlled 85% of the world's niobium production. The United States Geological Survey estimates that niobium production increased from 38700 tons in 2005 to 44500 tons in 2006. The global stock of niobium resources is estimated to be 4.4 million tons. Between 1995 and 2005, production increased from 17800 tons to more than double. From 2009 to 2011, the production remained stable at 63000 tons per year.