United States Critical Minerals
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The United States imported more than half of its apparent consumption of 54 nonfuel mineral commodities in 2025 and was 100% net import reliant for 16 of them, according to USGS. Of the 58 commodities on the 2025 critical minerals list that USGS counts, it was 100% reliant for 13 and more than 50% reliant for another 20. At home, the United States produces an estimated 230 t of beryllium (53% of the world, first), 51,000 t of rare earth oxide (13%, second) and 15% of the world's molybdenum.
54
nonfuel mineral commodities for which imports exceeded half of US consumption in 2025; 16 were 100% import reliant
60
minerals on the final 2025 critical minerals list, published on 7 November 2025, ten more than in 2022
Source: USGS
53%
of world beryllium production came from the United States in 2025, the largest share of any country
50
critical mineral and mining projects were receiving FAST-41 permitting benefits on 20 November 2025
Source: Permitting Council
Which critical minerals does the United States mine?
The table shows where the United States ranks in USGS estimates of 2025 world production. The country leads in beryllium and holds large shares of molybdenum and rare earths, and it mines little of most other critical minerals.
| Mineral | 2025 production (USGS estimate) | Share of world | Rank | Reserves (share of world) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beryllium | 230 t of beryllium content | 53% | 1 of 7 | not reported |
| Molybdenum | 40,000 t of molybdenum content | 15% | 3 of 15 | 3,500 t (21%) |
| Rare earths | 51,000 t of rare earth oxide equivalent | 13% | 2 of 16 | 1,900,000 t |
| Rhenium | 9,800 kg | 12% | 4 of 9 | not reported |
| Phosphate rock | 20,000 kt of marketable phosphate rock | 8% | 3 of 24 | 1,000,000 kt (1.4%) |
| Lead | 280 kt of lead content | 6.2% | 4 of 12 | 4,600 kt (4.8%) |
| Zinc | 670 kt of zinc content | 5.2% | 6 of 10 | 9,300 kt (3.9%) |
| Gold | 160 t of gold content | 4.8% | 5 of 13 | 3,000 t (4.5%) |
| Copper | 1,000 kt of copper content | 4.3% | 6 of 17 | 47,000 kt (4.8%) |
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 chapters. Shares are calculated by this site from the USGS country figure and the larger of the USGS world total and the sum of the country figures, because USGS rounds the world total. Units differ by row. Rank is among the countries named in each USGS table. Production for lithium is withheld by USGS to protect company data. Rank is among the countries named in each USGS table.
What are the main US policies on critical minerals?
US policy in 2025 and 2026 combined a longer list, faster permitting, price floors and equity or loans, and procurement rules against Chinese-processed inputs. The table gives each measure with its date and source.
| Measure | What it does | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 List of Critical Minerals | Names 60 minerals; kept all 50 minerals from the 2022 list and added boron, copper, lead, metallurgical coal, phosphate, potash, rhenium, silicon, silver and uranium | 7 November 2025 | USGS |
| Executive Order 14241 | Immediate measures to increase American mineral production; the Permitting Council then added mining projects to FAST-41 | 20 March 2025 | White House |
| FAST-41 mining projects | Federal permitting timetables for critical mineral projects: 50 projects were receiving benefits on 20 November 2025, and on 2 April 2026 the covered list held 17 mining projects and the transparency list 21 | 20 November 2025; 2 April 2026 | Permitting Council, portfolio |
| Section 232 proclamation on processed critical minerals | Imposed no tariffs and directed Commerce and the US Trade Representative to negotiate agreements that consider price floors, with a status report due within 180 days | 15 January 2026 | White House |
| MP Materials partnership with the Department of Defense | Set a ten-year floor of $110 per kilogram for neodymium-praseodymium products | 10 July 2025 | MP Materials |
| 10 U.S.C. 4872 | From 1 January 2027 defense contractors may not supply magnets, tungsten and tantalum with any mining, refining or separation step in China, Russia, Iran or North Korea | Effective 1 January 2027 | Cornell LII |
| US-Australia framework and FORGE | A US$8.5 billion project pipeline with Australia, and a State Department forum to align allies on projects and price floors | 20 October 2025; 4 February 2026 | Minerals Council of Australia, CSIS |
Where does the United States get the minerals it does not mine?
USGS reports that China was the leading supplier of eight of the critical minerals for which US net import reliance exceeded 50% and a major supplier of six others. Canada was a major supplier of 16 of them, including four for which it was the leading supplier, and Germany a major supplier of eight. Japan, Mexico and South Africa were major suppliers of six each and Brazil of three. The pattern explains why the policy table leans on allies and on price floors: replacing Chinese supply means building processing as well as mines.
Processing is where the gap is widest. USGS notes that the last US primary nickel refinery, at Port Nickel in Louisiana, closed in 1985, and it estimates US cobalt imports rose to 14,000 tonnes in 2025 from 10,800 tonnes in 2024 after the Congolese export ban created uncertainty. The pages on strategic projects and national security follow how the US is trying to close the gap.
Which US projects and companies matter most?
The mining projects with federal permitting status are on the mines page, which tallies the covered and transparency lists. In rare earths, MP Materials produced 840 tonnes of NdPr oxide in the June 2026 quarter and began magnet manufacturing in Texas in December 2025, and Energy Fuels began building a commercial heavy rare earth plant in Utah on 29 July 2026. The refiners page gives the sourced figures for each.
Frequently asked questions
How import-reliant is the United States for critical minerals?
USGS reports that in 2025 the United States was 100% net import reliant for 13 of the 58 commodities on its critical minerals list that it counts, and more than 50% reliant for another 20. China was the leading supplier of eight of those minerals.
Which critical minerals does the United States produce?
The United States leads the world in beryllium, with an estimated 53% of 2025 production, and ranks second in rare earths with 13%. It also produces molybdenum, phosphate rock, lead, zinc and copper in quantities that make it a top-six producer of each.
How many minerals are on the US critical minerals list?
The final 2025 list names 60 minerals. It kept the 50 minerals of the 2022 list and added boron, copper, lead, metallurgical coal, phosphate, potash, rhenium, silicon, silver and uranium.
What is FAST-41 for critical minerals?
FAST-41 is a federal permitting framework that gives projects a coordinated timetable and public tracking. The Permitting Council said that 50 critical mineral and mining projects were receiving its benefits on 20 November 2025.
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 (full publication, import reliance)
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Beryllium
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Nickel
- USGS: Interior Department releases final 2025 list of critical minerals
- White House: Executive Order 14241 (March 2025)
- Permitting Council: 50 mining and infrastructure projects milestone (20 November 2025)
- Permitting Council: current FAST-41 portfolio
- White House: Section 232 proclamation on processed critical minerals (January 2026)
- MP Materials: partnership with the Department of Defense (10 July 2025)
- 10 U.S.C. 4872 (Cornell LII)
- Minerals Council of Australia: US-Australia framework
- CSIS: Critical Minerals Ministerial introduces new international cooperation strategy
