Critical Minerals Lists Compared
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The four official lists overlap heavily but are not the same. The United States lists 60 minerals, the European Union 34 critical raw materials (17 of them also strategic), Australia 31 critical minerals plus a separate five-item strategic materials list, and Canada 34. 20 minerals or mineral groups appear on all four critical lists, and the table below shows every entry on any of them.
31 + 5
Australian critical minerals plus five strategic materials
Which minerals are on which list?
"Critical" means the mineral is on that jurisdiction's critical list. "Strategic" in the EU column marks a raw material that is also on the EU strategic list, including copper and nickel, which are strategic only. "Strategic material" in the Australian column is the separate Strategic Materials List. "Priority" in the Canadian column marks the six minerals the 2022 strategy prioritised. Rare earths and platinum group metals are shown as groups.
| Mineral | United States | European Union | Australia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum / bauxite | Critical | Strategic | Strategic material | Critical |
| Antimony | Critical | Critical | Critical | Critical |
| Arsenic | Critical | Critical | Critical | - |
| Barite / baryte | Critical | Critical | - | - |
| Beryllium | Critical | Critical | Critical | - |
| Bismuth | Critical | Strategic | Critical | Critical |
| Boron / borate | Critical | Strategic | - | - |
| Cesium | Critical | - | - | Critical |
| Chromium | Critical | - | Critical | Critical |
| Cobalt | Critical | Strategic | Critical | Priority |
| Coking / metallurgical coal | Critical | Critical | - | - |
| Copper | Critical | Strategic | Strategic material | Priority |
| Feldspar | - | Critical | - | - |
| Fluorspar / fluorine | Critical | Critical | Critical | Critical |
| Gallium | Critical | Strategic | Critical | Critical |
| Germanium | Critical | Strategic | Critical | Critical |
| Graphite | Critical | Strategic | Critical | Priority |
| Hafnium | Critical | Critical | Critical | - |
| Helium | - | Critical | - | Critical |
| High-purity alumina | - | - | Critical | - |
| High-purity iron ore | - | - | - | Critical |
| Indium | Critical | - | Critical | Critical |
| Lead | Critical | - | - | - |
| Lithium | Critical | Strategic | Critical | Priority |
| Magnesium | Critical | Strategic | Critical | Critical |
| Manganese | Critical | Strategic | Critical | Critical |
| Molybdenum | - | - | Critical | Critical |
| Nickel | Critical | Strategic | Critical | Priority |
| Niobium | Critical | Critical | Critical | Critical |
| Phosphate / phosphorus | Critical | Critical | Strategic material | Critical |
| Platinum group metals | Critical | Strategic | Critical | Critical |
| Potash | Critical | - | - | Critical |
| Rare earth elements | Critical | Strategic | Critical | Priority |
| Rhenium | Critical | - | Critical | - |
| Rubidium | Critical | - | - | - |
| Scandium | Critical | Critical | Critical | Critical |
| Selenium | - | - | Critical | - |
| Silicon / silicon metal | Critical | Strategic | Critical | Critical |
| Silver | Critical | - | - | - |
| Strontium | - | Critical | - | - |
| Tantalum | Critical | Critical | Critical | Critical |
| Tellurium | Critical | - | Critical | Critical |
| Tin | Critical | - | Strategic material | Critical |
| Titanium | Critical | Strategic | Critical | Critical |
| Tungsten | Critical | Strategic | Critical | Critical |
| Uranium | Critical | - | - | Critical |
| Vanadium | Critical | Critical | Critical | Critical |
| Zinc | Critical | - | Strategic material | Critical |
| Zirconium | Critical | - | Critical | - |
Sources: U.S., EU, Australian and Canadian list pages, each built from the primary document linked there.
Rows with notes: Aluminum / bauxite (EU: bauxite/alumina/aluminium. Australia lists aluminium as a strategic material, not a critical mineral.) Boron / borate (Added to the US list in 2025. EU strategic entry is metallurgy-grade boron.) Coking / metallurgical coal (Added to the US list in 2025 as metallurgical coal.) Copper (Added to the US list in 2025. Australia lists copper as a strategic material.) Helium (Dropped from Australia’s list in its 2023 update, according to industry press.) High-purity iron ore (Added to Canada’s list in 2024.) Lead (Added to the US list in 2025.) Phosphate / phosphorus (Added to the US list in 2025 as phosphate. Canada added phosphorus in 2024.) Potash (Added to the US list in 2025.) Rare earth elements (The EU strategic entry covers rare earths used in magnets.) Rhenium (Added to the US list in 2025.) Silicon / silicon metal (Added to the US list in 2025 and to Canada’s in 2024.) Silver (Added to the US list in 2025.) Uranium (Added to the US list in 2025.)
Which minerals are on all four lists?
20 entries are critical on every list: antimony, bismuth, cobalt, fluorspar / fluorine, gallium, germanium, graphite, lithium, magnesium, manganese, nickel, niobium, platinum group metals, rare earth elements, scandium, silicon / silicon metal, tantalum, titanium, tungsten, vanadium. These are the clearest international consensus on what is critical, and projects for them can usually draw on policy support in several countries.
Where do the lists disagree?
Copper
Copper was the most debated difference until November 2025, when the United States added it to its list. It is now critical in the U.S., strategic in the EU, a priority mineral in Canada and a strategic material, not a critical mineral, in Australia.
Strategic materials in Australia
Australia keeps aluminium, copper, phosphorus, tin and zinc on a separate Strategic Materials List because their supply chains are not currently vulnerable enough to be critical. The U.S. and Canada treat all five as critical or priority, and the strategic label excludes them from Australia's processing tax incentive.
Entries found on only one list
- United States only: lead, rubidium, silver.
- European Union only: feldspar, strontium.
- Australia only: high-purity alumina, selenium.
- Canada only: high-purity iron ore.
Helium, uranium and potash
Helium is critical in the EU and Canada, and industry press reported that Australia dropped it in its 2023 update. Uranium and potash are critical in the U.S. (added 2025) and Canada but not in the EU or on Australia's lists.
Why do the lists differ?
The lists differ because each government asks a different question, as the table of tests shows. The U.S. and EU use quantitative models, while Australia and Canada add a test about whether the country can produce the mineral.
| Jurisdiction | Test | Review |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Essential to economic or national security, supply chain vulnerable to disruption, essential manufacturing function. Applied in 2025 through a model of foreign trade disruptions and a single-domestic-producer check. | At least every three years by law; USGS intends every two. |
| European Union | Supply risk of at least 1 and economic importance of at least 2.8; strategic materials chosen on strategic importance, demand growth and difficulty of increasing production. | By 24 May 2027, then at least every three years. |
| Australia | Essential to priority technologies, geological potential in Australia, demand from strategic partners and a vulnerable supply chain. | At least every three years. |
| Canada | A threatened supply chain and a reasonable chance of Canadian production, plus one of three further tests (security, low-carbon transition, strategic partnership). | No schedule stated on the government page. |
Sources: the primary documents linked on each jurisdiction's list page.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the longest critical minerals list?
The United States has the longest list, with 60 minerals after the November 2025 update. The EU has 34 critical raw materials, Canada has 34 and Australia has 31 critical minerals plus five strategic materials. List lengths are not directly comparable, because countries group rare earths and platinum group metals differently.
Which minerals are critical in all four jurisdictions?
20 entries are critical on every list: antimony, bismuth, cobalt, fluorspar / fluorine, gallium, germanium, graphite, lithium, magnesium, manganese, nickel, niobium, platinum group metals, rare earth elements, scandium, silicon / silicon metal, tantalum, titanium, tungsten, vanadium. They are the strongest consensus on what counts as critical.
Is copper a critical mineral?
Copper is critical in the United States since November 2025, strategic in the EU, a priority mineral in Canada and a strategic material, not a critical mineral, in Australia. The answer depends on which government's list you use.
How often do these lists change?
The U.S. and Australian lists must be reviewed at least every three years, and the EU lists by 24 May 2027 and every three years after that. Canada's government page states no schedule. The U.S. list changed most recently, in November 2025.
Sources
Read on October 12, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
