Critical Minerals: Official Lists, Supply Chains and Prices
Critical minerals are raw materials that are essential to the economy or national security and whose supply is at risk. This site compares the official lists of the United States (60 minerals), the European Union (34), Australia (31) and Canada (34), and profiles every mineral on the USGS list.
- Mineral profiles
- 60
- Official lists compared
- 4
- Country profiles
- 21
- Industry sectors
- 10
Critical minerals list explorer: filter all 60 minerals
Every mineral on the 2025 USGS list, with its criticality, top producer and whether the EU, Australia and Canada also list it. Select a mineral for its full profile.
Showing 60 of 60 minerals
| Mineral | Group | Criticality | Top producer | US | EU | AU | CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antimony | Specialty Metal | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Beryllium | Specialty Metal | High | United States | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
| Cerium | Rare Earth Element | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cesium | Specialty Metal | High | Canada | Yes | - | - | Yes |
| Chromium | Refractory Metal | High | South Africa | Yes | - | Yes | Yes |
| Cobalt | Battery Metal | High | DR Congo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dysprosium | Rare Earth Element | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Erbium | Rare Earth Element | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Europium | Rare Earth Element | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gadolinium | Rare Earth Element | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gallium | Technology Metal | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Germanium | Technology Metal | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Graphite | Battery Metal | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hafnium | Refractory Metal | High | France | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
| Holmium | Rare Earth Element | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Indium | Technology Metal | High | China | Yes | - | Yes | Yes |
| Iridium | Platinum Group Metal | High | South Africa | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lanthanum | Rare Earth Element | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lithium | Battery Metal | High | Australia | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lutetium | Rare Earth Element | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Magnesium | Base Metal | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Manganese | Battery Metal | High | South Africa | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Neodymium | Rare Earth Element | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nickel | Battery Metal | High | Indonesia | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Niobium | Refractory Metal | High | Brazil | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Palladium | Platinum Group Metal | High | Russia | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Platinum | Platinum Group Metal | High | South Africa | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Praseodymium | Rare Earth Element | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rhenium | Refractory Metal | High | Chile | Yes | - | Yes | - |
| Rhodium | Platinum Group Metal | High | South Africa | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ruthenium | Platinum Group Metal | High | South Africa | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Samarium | Rare Earth Element | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scandium | Specialty Metal | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tantalum | Refractory Metal | High | DR Congo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tellurium | Technology Metal | High | China | Yes | - | Yes | Yes |
| Terbium | Rare Earth Element | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Thulium | Rare Earth Element | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Titanium | Refractory Metal | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tungsten | Refractory Metal | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Uranium | Energy Mineral | High | Kazakhstan | Yes | - | - | Yes |
| Vanadium | Battery Metal | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ytterbium | Rare Earth Element | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Yttrium | Rare Earth Element | High | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Zirconium | Refractory Metal | High | Australia | Yes | - | Yes | - |
| Aluminum | Base Metal | Medium | China | Yes | Yes | - | Yes |
| Arsenic | Specialty Metal | Medium | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
| Barite | Industrial Mineral | Medium | China | Yes | Yes | - | - |
| Bismuth | Specialty Metal | Medium | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Boron | Industrial Mineral | Medium | Turkey | Yes | Yes | - | - |
| Copper | Base Metal | Medium | Chile | Yes | Yes | - | Yes |
| Fluorspar | Industrial Mineral | Medium | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Metallurgical Coal | Energy Mineral | Medium | Australia | Yes | Yes | - | - |
| Phosphate | Industrial Mineral | Medium | China | Yes | Yes | - | Yes |
| Potash | Industrial Mineral | Medium | Canada | Yes | - | - | Yes |
| Rubidium | Specialty Metal | Medium | Canada | Yes | - | - | - |
| Silicon | Technology Metal | Medium | China | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Silver | Precious Metal | Medium | Mexico | Yes | - | - | - |
| Tin | Base Metal | Medium | China | Yes | - | - | Yes |
| Zinc | Base Metal | Medium | China | Yes | - | - | Yes |
| Lead | Base Metal | Low | China | Yes | - | - | - |
US column: all 60 minerals are on the 2025 USGS list. Compare the full lists on the comparison page.
Latest updates
All updates and corrections-
Update
China's 2025 export controls added to the database
Added China's October 2025 rare earth controls (announced 9 October, suspended for a year on 30 October) and the suspension, until 27 November 2026, of the ban on gallium, germanium and antimony exports to the United States.
See the page -
Correction
USGS critical minerals list: final 2025 list has 60 minerals
The page previously described a 50-mineral list and said copper was absent. The final list adds ten minerals, including copper, silver, silicon and uranium. The mineral library flags now match.
See the page -
Correction
Canada's critical minerals list has 34 minerals
The 2024 update added high-purity iron ore, phosphorus and silicon metal to the 31 minerals from 2021. The page now lists all 34.
See the page
What we cover
Start with the topic that matches your question.
Critical Minerals
What makes a mineral critical, how governments assess it and why supply is at risk.
Strategic Minerals
Defense dependencies, stockpiling programs and the minerals essential to national security.
Mineral Library
Profiles of all 60 USGS-listed minerals: uses, producers, prices, companies and substitutes.
Supply Chain
From mine to manufacturer: every stage of the critical minerals value chain.
Markets & Pricing
How critical minerals are priced, benchmarked and traded.
Geopolitics
Export controls, resource nationalism, friendshoring and the forces shaping mineral supply.
Official critical minerals lists
Governments designate minerals as critical based on supply risk and economic importance. Each list below was checked against its primary source.
Browse by application
See which critical minerals each industry depends on.
Country profiles
The nations that dominate critical mineral production, refining and reserves, and their role in global supply chains.
More resources
Specialised topics across the critical minerals landscape.
Rare Earth Elements
The 17 rare earth elements: properties, supply chains, separation, recycling and prices.
Recycling & Circularity
Secondary supply, urban mining and circular economy approaches to critical minerals.
Companies
Major miners, refiners, recyclers and manufacturers across the critical minerals sector.
Projects
New mines, processing plants and development-stage projects around the world.
Glossary
Key terms and definitions used across the critical and strategic minerals industry.
Updates and corrections
A dated log of every change to the lists, datasets and facts on this site.
