Critical Minerals Applications by Industry
Facts checked against sources on . How we check facts.
Most critical minerals go mainly into one industry, so demand for a mineral follows that industry. USGS reports that batteries took 88% of world lithium use in 2025, solar cells 70% of tellurium use and turbine engine superalloys about 80% of rhenium, while metallurgical uses took over 90% of U.S. vanadium. China makes about 94% of rare earth magnets and produced 99% of primary low-purity gallium, so the industries that depend on them depend on one country as well.
99%
of world primary low-purity gallium production came from China in 2025
80%
of rhenium end use is superalloys for high-temperature turbine engine components
Which industry uses which critical minerals?
The table gives each industry page, the minerals that matter most there and the figure that best shows the dependence.
| Industry | Main minerals | Key figure |
|---|---|---|
| EV batteries | Lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite | More than 20 million electric cars sold in 2025, up 20% (IEA) |
| Grid storage | Lithium, graphite, vanadium | U.S. battery capacity from 43.6 GW at the end of 2025 to nearly 52 GW by mid-2026 (EIA) |
| Permanent magnets | Neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, terbium, samarium, cobalt | China makes about 94% of rare earth magnets |
| Semiconductors | Gallium, germanium, indium | Gallium 73% integrated circuits in the U.S.; China about 70% of indium |
| Solar and wind | Tellurium, silver, selenium, neodymium, dysprosium | Solar cells 70% of global tellurium use |
| Aerospace and defense | Rhenium, cobalt, titanium, tungsten, gallium | 51% of U.S. cobalt consumed in superalloys |
| Steel and superalloys | Vanadium, niobium, cobalt, rhenium, manganese | Over 90% of U.S. vanadium is metallurgical; niobium 77% steels |
| Nuclear and radiation | Uranium, hafnium, zirconium, tungsten, germanium | Kazakhstan mined 39% of world uranium in 2024 |
| Catalysts and chemicals | Platinum group metals, rare earths, vanadium, rhenium | South Africa mined about 71% of platinum in 2025 |
| Glass and ceramics | Feldspar, boron, selenium, lithium | Türkiye supplied 99% of EU boron in the 2023 assessment |
Figures are taken from the linked pages, which cite USGS, the IEA, the EIA, the Congressional Research Service, the World Nuclear Association and the EU 2023 study.
Why do end-use shares matter for supply risk?
End-use concentration matters because a mineral that has one dominant use cannot be rationed across several. If battery demand rises, lithium has no other large market to draw from, and if a Chinese export license cuts gallium, chip makers have few places to turn. The economic importance page shows how the EU and USGS turn these shares into scores, and the substitution page shows where demand has moved away from a mineral.
Frequently asked questions
Which industries use critical minerals?
Critical minerals are used mainly in batteries, permanent magnets, semiconductors, solar and wind power, aerospace and defense, steel and superalloys, nuclear power, catalysts, and glass and ceramics. Most minerals have one dominant industry.
Which critical minerals are used in electric vehicles?
Electric vehicle batteries use lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite, and traction motors use rare earth magnets. USGS reports that batteries took 88% of world lithium use in 2025.
Which critical minerals do defense systems need?
Defense systems use rhenium, cobalt and hafnium in engines, titanium in airframes, tungsten in munitions, gallium and germanium in electronics and rare earth magnets in motors. About 80% of rhenium goes into turbine engine superalloys.
Which critical minerals are used in solar panels?
Solar power is the largest end use of tellurium, at 70% of global use in 2025, and a notable use of silver, silicon, selenium and gallium. Tellurium is a byproduct of copper refining, so solar supply follows copper output.
Sources
Read on October 13, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: lithium, gallium and rhenium. Other end-use shares are cited on the linked industry pages
- Congressional Research Service: rare earth magnets (June 2026)
