Tool
What would it take?
Pick a technology and a quantity. The calculator multiplies out the material bill and puts each total next to the entire world’s annual production of that material — which is usually the number that changes how the answer feels.
1,000,000 × LFP Lithium-Ion Battery — Iron and phosphate instead of nickel and cobalt: heavier, cheaper, safer and very long-lived.
Quantities are per 75 kWh pack indicative range tonnes of contained material
Scroll the table sideways for the remaining columns.
| Material | Per unit | Total, low | Total, high | World annual production | Share of a year’s supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphite | 55.00–85.00 kg | 55,000 t | 85,000 t | 1.80 million tMine production, 2025 | 4.7% |
| Iron Ore | 25.00–45.00 kg | 25,000 t | 45,000 t | 2.60 billion tMine production: Usable ore, rounded, 2025 | 0.0% |
| Phosphate Rock | 25.00–45.00 kg | 25,000 t | 45,000 t | 250.00 million tMine production, 2025 | 0.0% |
| Copper | 15.00–25.00 kg | 15,000 t | 25,000 t | 23.00 million tMine production, 2025 | 0.1% |
| Lithium About 0.09 kg Li per kWh. | 5.50–8.00 kg contained lithium | 5,500 t | 8,000 t | 290,000 tMine production, 2025 | 2.8% |
Intensity ranges are indicative, compiled from published technology studies and chemistry — not a manufacturer specification. World production is USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, 2025 (estimated), converted to tonnes of the same basis where the source reports thousands of tonnes or kilograms · source ↗. This is an educational order-of-magnitude tool. It is not a procurement estimate and must not be used as one.