63 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 ↗
Scroll the table sideways for the remaining columns.
| Material | Shelf | World production 2025 | World reserves | Leading producer | U.S. imported | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alumina critical A fine white powder of aluminium oxide, the halfway product between bauxite rock and aluminium… | Copper & Electrical Materials | 150,000thousand metric dry tons · Alumina, refinery production | — | — | 71% | |
| Aluminium critical A light silvery metal made by passing an enormous electric current through dissolved bauxite —… | Copper & Electrical Materials | 74,000thousand metric tons · Smelter production | — | — | 60% | Al |
| Antimony critical A brittle, silvery metalloid used mostly to stop things burning, and in the primers and tracer… | Aerospace & Defence Materials | 110,000metric tons · Mine production | 2,000,000 | China — 36% of world production | — | Sb |
| Arsenic critical Famous as a poison, but in ultra-pure form it is half of gallium arsenide, the compound behind… | Semiconductor Materials | 61,000metric tons · Production (arsenic trioxide, gross weight) | — | Peru — 49% of world production | 100% | As |
| Barite critical A very heavy, soft mineral used mostly to weigh down drilling mud so an oil well does not blow… | Industrial Minerals | 8,700thousand metric tons · Mine production | — | India — 34% of world production | 75% | |
| Bauxite critical A reddish soil-like rock, formed where tropical rain has rotted rock for millions of years, and… | Copper & Electrical Materials | 440,000thousand metric dry tons · Bauxite, mine production | 29,000,000 | — | 75% | |
| Beryllium critical A very light, very stiff metal that is transparent to X-rays and dangerous to breathe as dust. | Nuclear Materials | 430.0metric tons · Mine production | — | United States — 53% of world production | — | Be |
| Bismuth critical A heavy metal that is, unusually, not very toxic — which is why it replaces lead in solders… | Aerospace & Defence Materials | 16,000metric tons · Refinery production | — | China — 88% of world production | 92% | Bi |
| Boron critical An element that makes glass resist thermal shock, fibreglass strong, and — with iron and… | Industrial Minerals | not published | — | Turkey — W% of world production | — | B |
| Caesium critical The softest metal, liquid on a warm day, and the element that defines the second. | Aerospace & Defence Materials | not published | — | — | 100% | Cs |
| Cerium critical The most abundant rare earth — more common in the crust than copper — mostly used as a… | Rare Earth Elements | not published | — | — | — | Ce |
| 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 |
| Cobalt critical A hard, bluish metal that keeps a battery's cathode stable so it does not overheat, and that… | Battery Materials | 310,000metric tons · Mine production | 12,000,000 | Congo (Kinshasa) — 74% of world production | 79% | Co |
| Copper critical The reddish metal that carries electricity better than anything except silver, and which humans… | Copper & Electrical Materials | 23,000thousand metric tons · Mine production | 980,000 | Chile — 23% of world production | — | Cu |
| Dysprosium critical A heavy rare earth added in small amounts to magnets so they keep working when they get hot. | Rare Earth Elements | not published | — | — | — | Dy |
| Erbium critical The rare earth that amplifies light inside a fibre-optic cable without ever turning it back… | Rare Earth Elements | not published | — | — | — | Er |
| Europium critical The rare earth that glows red under ultraviolet light, and which for decades put the red in… | Rare Earth Elements | not published | — | — | — | Eu |
| Fluorspar critical Calcium fluoride, the mineral that every fluorine atom in industry ultimately comes from —… | Industrial Minerals | 10,000thousand metric tons · Mine production | 330,000 | China — 60% of world production | 100% | |
| Gadolinium critical A rare earth that absorbs neutrons better than almost anything, and that makes MRI scans easier… | Rare Earth Elements | not published | — | — | — | Gd |
| Gallium critical A silvery metal that melts in your hand, and the basis of the compound semiconductors in fast… | Semiconductor Materials | 900,000kilograms · Primary production | — | China — 100% of world production | 100% | Ga |
| Germanium critical The element the very first transistors were made from, now used mainly for infrared lenses and… | Semiconductor Materials | not published | — | China — NA% of world production | 50% | Ge |
| Graphite critical Pure carbon in soft, slippery sheets — the same stuff as pencil lead — and the material that… | Battery Materials | 1,800,000metric tons · Mine production | 310,000,000 | China — 78% of world production | 100% | C |
| Hafnium critical Zirconium's chemical shadow — always found with it, almost impossible to separate from it, and… | Nuclear Materials | not published | — | — | — | Hf |
| Holmium critical The rare earth with the strongest magnetic moment of any element, used in the pole pieces of… | Rare Earth Elements | not published | — | — | — | Ho |
| Indium critical A soft metal whose oxide is both transparent and electrically conductive — the invisible wiring… | Semiconductor Materials | 1,100metric tons · Refinery production | — | China — 69% of world production | 100% | In |
| Iridium critical The most corrosion-resistant metal known, and the second densest — a litre of it weighs about… | Precious Metals | not published | — | — | — | Ir |
| Lanthanum critical The first of the rare earths, used by the tonne in the catalysts that crack crude oil into… | Rare Earth Elements | not published | — | — | — | La |
| 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 |
| Lithium critical A soft, silvery metal so light it floats on water, and the element that lets a rechargeable… | Battery Materials | 290,000metric tons · Mine production | 37,000,000 | Australia — 32% of world production | 50% | Li |
| Lutetium critical The last and densest rare earth, used in the crystals that detect gamma rays inside a PET… | Rare Earth Elements | not published | — | — | — | Lu |
| 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 |
| Manganese critical A brittle grey metal that steel cannot be made without, and that is now being used to stretch… | Battery Materials | 20,000thousand metric tons · Mine production | 1,700,000 | South Africa — 37% of world production | 100% | Mn |
| Neodymium critical The rare earth at the heart of the strongest magnet ever made — the kind in headphones, hard… | Rare Earth Elements | not published | — | — | — | Nd |
| Nickel critical A silvery metal that resists rust, which is why it goes into stainless steel — and, more… | Battery Materials | 3,900,000metric tons · Mine production | 140,000,000 | Indonesia — 67% of world production | 41% | Ni |
| Niobium critical A metal that makes steel much stronger when added in tiny amounts — a few hundred grams per… | Aerospace & Defence Materials | 112,000metric tons · Mine production | 21,000,000 | — | 100% | Nb |
| Palladium critical Platinum's cheaper cousin for most of the twentieth century, then briefly more expensive than… | Precious Metals | 190,000kilograms · Mine production: Palladium, rounded | — | Russia — 44% of world production | 57% | Pd |
| Phosphate Rock critical Rock full of the element phosphorus — the P in fertiliser, and now the P in the LFP batteries… | Agricultural Minerals | 250,000thousand metric tons · Mine production | 73,000,000 | China — 44% of world production | — | P |
| Platinum critical A dense, unreactive metal that speeds up chemical reactions without being consumed by them. | Precious Metals | 170,000kilograms · Mine production: Platinum, rounded | — | South Africa — 71% of world production | 89% | Pt |
| Platinum-Group Metals critical Six metals — platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium and osmium — that occur together… | Precious Metals | not published | 76,000,000 | — | — | |
| Potash critical Potassium salts mined from ancient dried-up seas — the K in NPK fertiliser, which plants need… | Agricultural Minerals | 49,000thousand metric tons · Mine production | 10,000,000 | Canada — 31% of world production | 92% | K |
| Praseodymium critical Neodymium's near-twin, so alike that magnet makers usually do not bother separating the two and… | Rare Earth Elements | not published | — | — | — | Pr |
| Rare Earths (all) critical A family of seventeen metals that are not actually rare in the ground, but are hard to separate… | Rare Earth Elements | 390,000metric tons · Mine production | 85,000,000 | — | — | |
| Rhenium critical One of the rarest metals in the crust, recovered from molybdenum roasting, and the ingredient… | Aerospace & Defence Materials | 81,000kilograms · Mine production | — | Chile — 37% of world production | 75% | Re |
| Rhodium critical The rarest of the metals traded in any volume, produced in tens of tonnes a year, and the only… | Precious Metals | not published | — | — | — | Rh |
| Rubidium critical Caesium's cheaper neighbour, recovered from the same rare deposits, and the basis of the atomic… | Aerospace & Defence Materials | not published | — | — | 100% | Rb |
| Ruthenium critical A hard platinum-group metal used in tiny quantities inside hard drives and increasingly in chip… | Precious Metals | not published | — | — | — | Ru |
| Samarium critical The rare earth in the magnet that works where neodymium cannot: very hot, or very cold, or in a… | Rare Earth Elements | not published | — | — | — | Sm |
| Scandium critical A light metal that makes aluminium dramatically stronger and weldable — and which is produced… | Rare Earth Elements | 80.00metric tons · global production | — | China — NA% of world production | 100% | Sc |
| Silicon critical The second-most-common element in the Earth's crust — ordinary sand — purified until only one… | Semiconductor Materials | 5,000thousand metric tons · Ferrosilicon | — | China — 87% of world production | — | Si |
| Silver critical The best electrical conductor there is, and the metal that has been used as money for longer… | Precious Metals | 26,000metric tons · Mine production | 610,000 | Mexico — 24% of world production | 77% | Ag |
| Tantalum critical A dense metal whose oxide layer stores charge extremely reliably, which is why it is in the… | Aerospace & Defence Materials | 2,500metric tons · Mine production | — | Congo (Kinshasa) — 52% of world production | 100% | Ta |
| Tellurium critical A brittle, silvery element recovered from the slime at the bottom of a copper refinery tank… | Semiconductor Materials | 1,000metric tons · Refinery production | — | China — 80% of world production | 25% | Te |
| Terbium critical The scarcest of the four magnet rare earths, used in tiny quantities to make a magnet survive… | Rare Earth Elements | not published | — | — | — | Tb |
| Thulium critical The least abundant stable rare earth, used in portable X-ray sources and in surgical lasers. | Rare Earth Elements | not published | — | — | — | Tm |
| 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 |
| Titanium critical A metal as strong as steel at about half the weight, which does not corrode in seawater or in… | Aerospace & Defence Materials | 370,000metric tons · Titanium sponge metal production | — | — | — | Ti |
| Titanium Mineral Concentrates critical Black beach sand — ilmenite and rutile — that is the starting point both for titanium metal and… | Aerospace & Defence Materials | 9,400thousand metric tons · Mine production: ilmenite, rounded | 490,000 | — | 88% | |
| Tungsten critical The metal with the highest melting point of them all — you can heat it to 3,400 C before it… | Aerospace & Defence Materials | 85,000metric tons · Mine production | 4,700,000 | China — 79% of world production | 50% | W |
| 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 |
| Ytterbium critical A rare earth used in the fibre lasers that cut steel in factories, and in some of the most… | Rare Earth Elements | not published | — | — | — | Yb |
| Yttrium critical Counted as a rare earth even though it sits elsewhere on the periodic table, because it behaves… | Rare Earth Elements | 12,500metric tons · mine production of Y2O3 equivalent contained in rare-earth mineral concentrates | — | China — NA% of world production | 100% | Y |
| 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 |
| Zirconium critical A metal that barely absorbs neutrons, which is why nuclear fuel rods are wrapped in it, and… | Nuclear Materials | 1,200thousand metric tons · Zirconium mineral concentrates, mine production (thousand metric tons, gross weight) | 70,000 | — | — | Zr |
Browse by picture
Alumina
A fine white powder of aluminium oxide, the halfway product between bauxite rock and aluminium metal.
Aluminium
A light silvery metal made by passing an enormous electric current through dissolved bauxite — which is why people call…
Antimony
A brittle, silvery metalloid used mostly to stop things burning, and in the primers and tracer rounds of ammunition.
Arsenic
Famous as a poison, but in ultra-pure form it is half of gallium arsenide, the compound behind high-frequency radio…
Barite
A very heavy, soft mineral used mostly to weigh down drilling mud so an oil well does not blow out.
Bauxite
A reddish soil-like rock, formed where tropical rain has rotted rock for millions of years, and the only ore aluminium…
Beryllium
A very light, very stiff metal that is transparent to X-rays and dangerous to breathe as dust.
Bismuth
A heavy metal that is, unusually, not very toxic — which is why it replaces lead in solders, plumbing brass and stomach…
Boron
An element that makes glass resist thermal shock, fibreglass strong, and — with iron and neodymium — the strongest…
Caesium
The softest metal, liquid on a warm day, and the element that defines the second.
Cerium
The most abundant rare earth — more common in the crust than copper — mostly used as a polishing powder and in…
Chromium
The element that makes stainless steel stainless — at about eleven percent chromium, steel grows an invisible film that…
Cobalt
A hard, bluish metal that keeps a battery's cathode stable so it does not overheat, and that holds its strength when…
Copper
The reddish metal that carries electricity better than anything except silver, and which humans have been smelting for…
Dysprosium
A heavy rare earth added in small amounts to magnets so they keep working when they get hot.
Erbium
The rare earth that amplifies light inside a fibre-optic cable without ever turning it back into electricity.
Europium
The rare earth that glows red under ultraviolet light, and which for decades put the red in every colour television.
Fluorspar
Calcium fluoride, the mineral that every fluorine atom in industry ultimately comes from — including the fluorine in…
Gadolinium
A rare earth that absorbs neutrons better than almost anything, and that makes MRI scans easier to read.
Gallium
A silvery metal that melts in your hand, and the basis of the compound semiconductors in fast chargers, radar and LEDs.
Germanium
The element the very first transistors were made from, now used mainly for infrared lenses and fibre-optic glass.
Graphite
Pure carbon in soft, slippery sheets — the same stuff as pencil lead — and the material that holds the lithium when a…
Hafnium
Zirconium's chemical shadow — always found with it, almost impossible to separate from it, and the opposite of it in a…
Holmium
The rare earth with the strongest magnetic moment of any element, used in the pole pieces of the most powerful…
Indium
A soft metal whose oxide is both transparent and electrically conductive — the invisible wiring on top of every…
Iridium
The most corrosion-resistant metal known, and the second densest — a litre of it weighs about 22.5 kilograms.
Lanthanum
The first of the rare earths, used by the tonne in the catalysts that crack crude oil into petrol.
Lead
A soft, dense, blue-grey metal that blocks radiation and stores charge cheaply — and that is also a well-documented…
Lithium
A soft, silvery metal so light it floats on water, and the element that lets a rechargeable battery store a lot of…
Lutetium
The last and densest rare earth, used in the crystals that detect gamma rays inside a PET scanner.
Magnesium Metal
The lightest structural metal, about a third lighter than aluminium, and the ingredient that makes most aluminium…
Manganese
A brittle grey metal that steel cannot be made without, and that is now being used to stretch scarce nickel and cobalt…
Neodymium
The rare earth at the heart of the strongest magnet ever made — the kind in headphones, hard drives, wind turbines and…
Nickel
A silvery metal that resists rust, which is why it goes into stainless steel — and, more recently, into the cathodes…
Niobium
A metal that makes steel much stronger when added in tiny amounts — a few hundred grams per tonne changes the whole…
Palladium
Platinum's cheaper cousin for most of the twentieth century, then briefly more expensive than gold because petrol cars…