Australia's Critical Minerals List: All 31 Entries
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Australia's Critical Minerals List has 31 entries in the Department of Industry, Science and Resources table, last updated on 20 February 2024. Rare-earth elements and platinum-group elements are each one entry. The department rates Australia's geological potential for each mineral and reports 2022 production, which shows how far apart Australia's reserves and its current output are: of the 31 entries, 6 had zero production in 2022 and 12 have no production figure.
31
entries in the Critical Minerals List table
16
entries rated "High" for Australian geological potential
6
entries with zero Australian production in 2022
20 of 31
entries that are also on the U.S., EU and Canadian lists
Source: Comparison table on this site
Which minerals are on Australia's Critical Minerals List?
The table reproduces the department's list with its two Australian columns, then shows whether each mineral is on the current U.S., EU and Canadian lists. Units vary by mineral, "kt" is thousand tonnes, and "no data" means the department published no figure.
| Mineral | Geological potential | Australian production (2022) | United States | European Union | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-purity alumina | High | 0 (HPA ore) | - | - | - |
| Antimony | Moderate | 2.3 kt | Yes | Critical | Yes |
| Arsenic | Moderate | No data | Yes | Critical | - |
| Beryllium | Moderate | No data | Yes | Critical | - |
| Bismuth | Moderate | No data | Yes | Strategic | Yes |
| Chromium | Moderate | 0 | Yes | - | Yes |
| Cobalt | High | 5.8 kt | Yes | Strategic | Yes |
| Fluorine | Moderate | 0 | Yes | Critical | Yes |
| Gallium | High | No data | Yes | Strategic | Yes |
| Germanium | High | No data | Yes | Strategic | Yes |
| Graphite | Moderate | 0 | Yes | Strategic | Yes |
| Hafnium | Moderate | No data | Yes | Critical | - |
| Indium | Moderate | No data | Yes | - | Yes |
| Lithium | High | 75 kt | Yes | Strategic | Yes |
| Magnesium | High | Magnesite: 500 kt | Yes | Strategic | Yes |
| Manganese | High | Manganese ore: 4,500 kt | Yes | Strategic | Yes |
| Molybdenum | Moderate | 0.28 kt | - | - | Yes |
| Nickel | High | 0.15 Mt | Yes | Strategic | Yes |
| Niobium | Unknown (interpreted moderate) | No data | Yes | Critical | Yes |
| Platinum-group elements | Moderate | 0.492 t | Yes | Strategic | Yes |
| Rare-earth elements | High | 16 kt | Yes | Strategic | Yes |
| Rhenium | Unknown (interpreted moderate) | No data | Yes | - | - |
| Scandium | High | 0 | Yes | Critical | Yes |
| Selenium | Unknown (interpreted moderate) | No data | - | - | - |
| Silicon | High | No data | Yes | Strategic | Yes |
| Tantalum | High | 0.1 kt | Yes | Critical | Yes |
| Tellurium | Unknown (interpreted moderate) | No data | Yes | - | Yes |
| Titanium | High | Ilmenite: 700 kt; rutile: 200 kt | Yes | Strategic | Yes |
| Tungsten | High | 0.23 kt | Yes | Strategic | Yes |
| Vanadium | High | 0 | Yes | Critical | Yes |
| Zirconium | High | Zircon: 500 kt | Yes | - | - |
Source: Department of Industry, Science and Resources, updated 20 February 2024. Other-list columns come from the primary sources on the comparison page.
What does a mineral need to be on the list?
The department says Australia's Critical Minerals List contains minerals essential to modern technologies, economies and national security, specifically the priority technologies in the Critical Minerals Strategy. They must also have geological potential in Australia, be in demand from strategic international partners, and be vulnerable to supply chain disruption. The government will review the list at least every three years.
Where does Australia have the strongest geological potential?
The department rates Australian geological potential as high for high-purity alumina, cobalt, gallium, germanium, lithium, magnesium, manganese, nickel, rare-earth elements, scandium, silicon, tantalum, titanium, tungsten, vanadium and zirconium. Of those, only cobalt, lithium, magnesium, manganese, nickel, rare earths, tantalum, titanium, tungsten and zirconium show a production figure for 2022. Gallium, germanium and silicon are rated high but have no published production figure, and high-purity alumina, scandium and vanadium are rated high with zero production.
What changed in the 2023 and 2024 updates?
The 2023 update created the Strategic Materials List and changed the critical list. Industry press reported that it added fluorine, molybdenum, arsenic, selenium and tellurium, and dropped helium so that the list sat closer to those of Australia's international partners. Nickel was then on the strategic list, and the department's table now carries nickel as a critical mineral after the update of 20 February 2024. The department's own page records only the dates, so these change details come from press reports.
Frequently asked questions
How many minerals are on Australia's Critical Minerals List?
Australia's Critical Minerals List has 31 entries in the department's table, including rare-earth elements and platinum-group elements as single entries. The government last updated it on 20 February 2024.
Is lithium on Australia's critical minerals list?
Yes. Lithium is on the list, the department rates Australian geological potential for it as high, and Australia produced 75 thousand tonnes in 2022. Lithium is also on the U.S., EU and Canadian lists.
Is copper a critical mineral in Australia?
No. Copper is on Australia's Strategic Materials List, not the Critical Minerals List. The government says its supply chain is not currently vulnerable enough to be critical, and strategic materials are excluded from the production tax incentive.
Does Australia's list include rare earths?
Yes. Rare-earth elements are one entry, with high geological potential and 16 thousand tonnes of Australian production in 2022. The strategic reserve's initial subset names neodymium and praseodymium plus dysprosium and terbium.
Sources
Read on October 12, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- Department of Industry, Science and Resources: Australia's Critical Minerals List and Strategic Materials List. Table 1 and criteria read in a browser because the site times out for automated readers
- Small Caps: Australia updates list of critical minerals and creates a new list of strategic materials. Press report of the 2023 changes; the page shows no date
- Department of Industry, Science and Resources: Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve
