Critical minerals explorer

A by-product of aluminum refining that becomes gallium nitride (GaN) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) — the materials of power electronics, RF chips and lasers.

The anode in nearly every lithium-ion battery, plus electrodes for steelmaking. China mines ~78% and refines over 90% of battery-grade material.

A soft by-product metal used in touchscreens (ITO) and in indium phosphide — the compound semiconductor behind many high-speed optical lasers.

Used in YAG lasers, phosphors, thermal-barrier coatings and yttria-stabilized zirconia.

A heavy, non-toxic metal used in pharmaceuticals, low-melt solders and lead-free alloys. China refines ~88%.

The densest common metal with the highest melting point — used for cutting tools, armor, and as the 'plugs' that connect chip transistors to wiring.

The lightest structural metal, used in aluminum alloys, die-cast parts and titanium production. China makes ~86% of the metal.

Partners with neodymium in NdPr magnets — the strongest permanent magnets made.

The 'Nd' in NdFeB magnets inside EV motors, wind turbines, speakers and hard drives.

Forms samarium-cobalt magnets that keep their strength at high temperatures — vital for defense systems.

Used in MRI contrast agents, nuclear control and magnet alloys.

A heavy rare earth that lets NdFeB magnets resist demagnetization at high heat.

The other heat-resistance additive for NdFeB magnets — among the most supply-constrained rare earths.

The heaviest rare earth; used in PET-scan detectors and cancer radiotherapy.

A tiny market (~80 t/yr) with outsized uses in aluminum-scandium alloys, solid-oxide fuel cells, and ScAlN for 5G RF filters.

A semiconductor metal recovered from zinc and coal ash, essential for fiber-optic cores, infrared optics and high-speed SiGe chips.

Used in catalysts that refine petroleum, nickel-metal-hydride batteries and high-index optical glass.

The most abundant rare earth — used for glass polishing, catalytic converters and ceramics.

A phosphor element that produced red light in screens and still secures euro banknotes.

Has the highest magnetic strength of any element; used in lasers and magnet pole pieces.

The amplifier of the internet: erbium-doped fiber amplifiers boost light signals across long-haul optical networks.

One of the rarest rare earths; used in medical lasers and portable X-ray devices.

Used in fiber lasers, atomic clocks and stress gauges.

A rare by-product of copper refining used in cadmium-telluride solar panels, thermoelectric coolers and phase-change memory.

Used in flame retardants, lead-acid batteries, munitions and as a semiconductor dopant. China and Russia dominate supply.

Strong, light and corrosion-resistant — the aerospace metal. Titanium dioxide is also the world's main white pigment.

A battery cathode and superalloy metal. About three-quarters of mined supply comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The lightest metal and the heart of every lithium-ion battery — from phones and EVs to the grid-scale storage now being bolted onto data centers.

Light, conductive and recyclable — used in transmission lines, server chassis, heat sinks and building structures. Made from bauxite (Guinea, Australia).

The substrate of the digital age. Metallurgical silicon is refined into polysilicon and grown into the wafers every chip is built on — and it is this site's namesake.

A steel-hardening and high-temperature metal, also used in thin films for displays and as an emerging chip-wiring material.

The source of fluorine for hydrofluoric acid, refrigerants, battery electrolytes and fluoropolymers. China mines ~60%.

A corrosion-proof metal used in compact, reliable capacitors and in chip barrier layers. DR Congo and Rwanda supply most mined tantalum.

A steel-strengthening alloy and the active material in vanadium redox flow batteries for long-duration storage.

The metal of electrification. Copper wires the grid, the substation, the busbar and the chip — and it is the single largest mineral input to AI infrastructure.

The most electrically conductive element — used in solar cells, electrical contacts, brazing and electronics.

Strengthens steel pipelines and structures in tiny amounts; also forms superconducting magnets. Brazil supplies about 93%.

Indispensable for steelmaking and increasingly used in battery cathodes (LMFP, NMC). China refines over 90% of battery-grade manganese.

The rarest and often priciest PGM, used in catalytic converters and glass-fiber bushings.

Magnesium carbonate ore used for refractories that line steel furnaces and as a source of magnesium compounds.

The fuel of nuclear power. Hyperscalers have signed agreements to restart and build reactors to power AI.

Stainless steel's key ingredient and a high-energy battery cathode metal. Indonesia now produces roughly two-thirds of the world's mine supply.

A toxic metalloid that is nevertheless vital as high-purity metal for gallium-arsenide chips and as a silicon dopant.

The solder that joins every electronic component to every circuit board. Supply comes from China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Peru and DR Congo.

What makes stainless steel stainless. South Africa produces close to half the world's chromite.

Phosphate rock feeds the world's fertilizers; refined phosphorus is used in LFP batteries, flame retardants and as a semiconductor dopant.

Grain-oriented electrical steel forms the magnetic cores of power transformers — a chronic bottleneck in grid build-out. Listed by the US DOE as a critical material.

A soft alkali metal that defines the second: cesium atomic clocks underpin GPS and network timing.

An alkali metal used in atomic clocks and research — and, per USGS, in data-network synchronization.

Galvanizes steel against corrosion and is the main source of by-product germanium, indium and cadmium.

A precious catalyst metal for vehicle exhausts, hydrogen fuel cells and glass-fiber production. South Africa supplies ~71%.

Still the workhorse of lead-acid batteries used in vehicles and many backup power systems.

A wide-bandgap semiconductor that switches high voltages efficiently. Listed by the US DOE as a critical material for energy.

An irreplaceable inert gas recovered from natural gas, used in chip fabs, MRI scanners, fiber-optic drawing and leak detection.

Mined as celestite for drilling fluids, ceramic ferrite magnets and aluminum alloys.

A copper-refining by-product used in glass, metallurgy, solar cells (CIGS) and electronics.

One of the rarest elements in Earth's crust, recovered from molybdenum in copper ores and used in jet-engine and gas-turbine superalloys.

A zirconium by-product that forms hafnium oxide — the 'high-k' gate dielectric inside nearly every advanced logic transistor.

The most corrosion-resistant metal, critical for PEM electrolyzers that make green hydrogen and for crucibles that grow crystals.

A PGM used in hard-disk drives, chip resistors and — increasingly — as a next-generation chip interconnect metal.

Potassium salts that fertilize the world's crops. Canada, Russia and Belarus dominate supply.

Mostly used in gasoline catalytic converters, but also in multilayer ceramic capacitors and electronic plating. Russia and South Africa dominate.

Beyond bullion, gold plates connectors and bonds chips. Listed as a strategic mineral by China.

A dense mineral used mainly to weight oil-and-gas drilling fluids, and in medical imaging.

Abundant and cheap — listed by the UK as critical, partly for its role in emerging sodium-ion batteries.

Coking coal used to make the coke that reduces iron ore to steel. Added to the US list in 2025 and listed by the EU.

Mined as borates (Turkey dominates) for glass, ceramics and NdFeB magnets; ultra-pure boron is a key p-type dopant in silicon.

A zinc-refining by-product used in nickel-cadmium batteries and cadmium-telluride thin-film solar panels.

High-purity iron ore feeds low-carbon steelmaking and specialty materials, including the electrical steel inside transformers.

An ultra-light, stiff metal used in aerospace, defense optics and copper-beryllium connectors. The US is the leading producer.

The most abundant mineral group in Earth's crust, used in glass and ceramics. Listed as critical by the EU.

Zircon sands feed ceramics and refractories; zirconium metal clads nuclear fuel rods.