Critical Minerals Glossary

A strategic reference for industry and policy. Thirty essential minerals cross-referenced from US, EU, Australian, Canadian, and Japanese critical minerals lists.

Lithium

Li

High Risk

A soft, silvery-white alkali metal essential to modern battery technology and the global energy transition.

Cobalt

Co

Very High Risk

A hard, lustrous blue-grey metal critical to rechargeable battery chemistry and high-performance alloys.

Natural Graphite

C

Very High Risk

A crystalline form of carbon with exceptional conductivity and lubricity, increasingly vital as a battery anode material.

Nickel

Ni

High (Indonesia dominance growing) Risk

A silvery-white, corrosion-resistant metal fundamental to stainless steel production and an increasingly important battery material.

Rare Earth Elements

REE

Very High Risk

A group of 17 metallic elements with unique magnetic, luminescent, and catalytic properties that are difficult to substitute in advanced technologies.

Manganese

Mn

High Risk

A hard, brittle metal essential to steel production and emerging as a key material in next-generation battery cathodes.

Chromium

Cr

High Risk

A hard, corrosion-resistant metal that is the essential ingredient in stainless steel and a critical component in high-temperature alloys.

Tungsten

W

Very High Risk

An exceptionally dense, hard metal with the highest melting point of any element, critical to cutting tools, defence applications, and electronics.

Vanadium

V

High Risk

A hard, silvery-grey metal valued for strengthening steel and as an emerging player in grid-scale energy storage.

Copper

Cu

Moderate Risk

A highly conductive, ductile metal that is the backbone of electrical infrastructure and a cornerstone of the energy transition.

Gallium

Ga

Extreme Risk

A soft, silvery metal that melts near room temperature, indispensable in semiconductor and optoelectronic manufacturing.

Germanium

Ge

Very High Risk

A lustrous, brittle metalloid essential to fibre-optic communications, infrared optics, and advanced electronics.

Antimony

Sb

Very High Risk

A brittle, silvery metalloid used in flame retardants, munitions, and increasingly as a semiconductor material.

Tantalum

Ta

High (Central African supply) Risk

A rare, extremely corrosion-resistant metal prized for its capacitance properties in electronics and its biocompatibility in medical implants.

Platinum Group Metals

PGM

Very High Risk

Six precious metals with exceptional catalytic properties, corrosion resistance, and high-temperature stability.

Niobium

Nb

Extreme (Brazil) Risk

A soft, grey, ductile metal that dramatically strengthens steel and is critical to superconductor and aerospace applications.

Titanium

Ti

High Risk

A strong, lightweight, corrosion-resistant metal vital to aerospace, biomedical, and defence industries.

Molybdenum

Mo

Moderate-High Risk

A silvery-grey, high-melting-point metal that enhances the strength and corrosion resistance of steel alloys.

Magnesium

Mg

Extreme Risk

The lightest structural metal, essential for lightweight alloys in automotive, aerospace, and defence applications.

Silicon

Si

High (for refined grades) Risk

The second most abundant element in Earth's crust, refined into the foundational material of the semiconductor industry and solar energy.

Beryllium

Be

High (but Western-controlled) Risk

A lightweight, stiff metal with exceptional thermal conductivity, used in aerospace, defence, and advanced electronics.

Indium

In

High Risk

A soft, silvery-white metal primarily used in transparent conductive coatings and semiconductor compounds.

Tellurium

Te

High Risk

A rare, brittle metalloid primarily used in advanced solar cells and thermoelectric devices.

Hafnium

Hf

High Risk

A lustrous, corrosion-resistant metal closely associated with zirconium, critical to semiconductor manufacturing and nuclear reactor control.

Zirconium

Zr

Moderate Risk

A strong, corrosion-resistant metal primarily used in nuclear reactors and advanced ceramics.

Scandium

Sc

Very High Risk

A rare, lightweight metal that dramatically strengthens aluminium alloys, with emerging applications in solid oxide fuel cells.

Fluorspar

CaF₂

High Risk

The primary commercial source of fluorine, essential for aluminium smelting, steel production, and refrigerant manufacturing.

Phosphate Rock

P

Extreme (Morocco reserves) Risk

The primary source of phosphorus, an element essential to all life and irreplaceable in agriculture and food production.

Barite

BaSO₄

Moderate Risk

A heavy, chemically inert mineral primarily used as a weighting agent in oil and gas drilling fluids.

Bismuth

Bi

Extreme Risk

A brittle, pinkish-white metal increasingly valued as a non-toxic substitute for lead in numerous applications.