13 materials shown. Production and reserves are USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · 2025 estimates, contained metal or gross weight as the source defines for each commodity · source ↗
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| Material | Shelf | World production 2025 | World reserves | Leading producer | U.S. imported | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadmium A toxic soft metal recovered from zinc refining, now used mainly in thin-film solar panels… | Steel & Alloy Metals | 23,000metric tons · Refinery production | — | — | 25% | Cd |
| Chromium critical The element that makes stainless steel stainless — at about eleven percent chromium, steel… | Steel & Alloy Metals | 51,000thousand metric tons · Mine production | 540,000 | South Africa — 45% of world production | 79% | Cr |
| Iron & Steel Iron with a little carbon in it, and the most-produced manufactured material on the planet. | Steel & Alloy Metals | 360.0million metric tons · world iron slag production was estimated to be between 330 million and 390 million tons, | — | — | — | |
| Iron & Steel Scrap Old steel collected to be melted into new steel — the largest recycling stream on the planet by… | Steel & Alloy Metals | not published | — | — | — | |
| Iron Ore Rust-coloured rock that is roughly one-third to two-thirds iron, and the single largest tonnage… | Steel & Alloy Metals | 2,600,000thousand metric tons · Mine production: Usable ore, rounded | 87,000 | — | — | Fe |
| Lead critical A soft, dense, blue-grey metal that blocks radiation and stores charge cheaply — and that is… | Steel & Alloy Metals | 4,500thousand metric tons · Mine production | 95,000 | China — 42% of world production | — | Pb |
| Magnesium Metal critical The lightest structural metal, about a third lighter than aluminium, and the ingredient that… | Steel & Alloy Metals | 1,100thousand metric tons · Smelter production | — | — | 75% | Mg |
| Mercury The only metal that is liquid at room temperature, and one of the most tightly regulated… | Steel & Alloy Metals | 210.0metric tons · Mine production | — | — | — | Hg |
| Molybdenum A silvery metal added to steel so it keeps its strength at high temperature and under pressure. | Steel & Alloy Metals | 260,000metric tons · Mine production | 17,000 | — | — | Mo |
| Selenium An element recovered from copper refinery slimes, used in glass, in animal feed and in… | Steel & Alloy Metals | 3,800metric tons · Refinery production | — | — | 50% | Se |
| Tin critical A soft metal with a low melting point, which is why nearly every electrical joint in every… | Steel & Alloy Metals | 290,000metric tons · Mine production | 6,000,000 | China — 24% of world production | — | Sn |
| Vanadium critical A metal that makes rebar dramatically stronger in tiny doses, and that can also store… | Steel & Alloy Metals | 110,000metric tons · Mine production | 21,000 | China — 75% of world production | 41% | V |
| Zinc critical The metal that steel is dipped in so it does not rust — a sacrificial coating that corrodes… | Steel & Alloy Metals | 13,000thousand metric tons · Mine production | 240,000 | China — 32% of world production | — | Zn |
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Cadmium
A toxic soft metal recovered from zinc refining, now used mainly in thin-film solar panels rather than in the batteries…
Chromium
The element that makes stainless steel stainless — at about eleven percent chromium, steel grows an invisible film that…
Iron & Steel
Iron with a little carbon in it, and the most-produced manufactured material on the planet.
Iron & Steel Scrap
Old steel collected to be melted into new steel — the largest recycling stream on the planet by weight.
Iron Ore
Rust-coloured rock that is roughly one-third to two-thirds iron, and the single largest tonnage the mining industry…
Lead
A soft, dense, blue-grey metal that blocks radiation and stores charge cheaply — and that is also a well-documented…
Magnesium Metal
The lightest structural metal, about a third lighter than aluminium, and the ingredient that makes most aluminium…
Mercury
The only metal that is liquid at room temperature, and one of the most tightly regulated substances in the world.
Molybdenum
A silvery metal added to steel so it keeps its strength at high temperature and under pressure.
Selenium
An element recovered from copper refinery slimes, used in glass, in animal feed and in thin-film solar cells.
Tin
A soft metal with a low melting point, which is why nearly every electrical joint in every device is held together with…
Vanadium
A metal that makes rebar dramatically stronger in tiny doses, and that can also store electricity dissolved in a tank…
Zinc
The metal that steel is dipped in so it does not rust — a sacrificial coating that corrodes instead of the iron…