U.S. Critical Minerals List (USGS)
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The U.S. critical minerals list is the official list of minerals the Secretary of the Interior has designated as critical under section 7002 of the Energy Act of 2020. The current version, published on 7 November 2025, names 60 minerals. USGS prepares the analysis behind it, and the law requires the Secretary to review it at least every three years.
3
lists published since Executive Order 13817 of 2017: 2018, 2022 and 2025
Source: Interior Department
Where do the U.S. critical minerals lists come from?
The U.S. critical minerals list began with Executive Order 13817 of 2017 and has been governed by the Energy Act of 2020 since then. USGS published the first list in 2018, a second on 22 February 2022 and the third on 7 November 2025. Each new list changed the roster, so the version date matters when you quote a mineral count.
| Version | Minerals | Main changes | Where to read more |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 35 | First list under the 2017 executive order. The count is the 2022 total of 50 less the 15-mineral net increase USGS reported that year. | Not covered in detail on this site |
| 2022 | 50 | Added nickel and zinc; removed helium, potash, rhenium and strontium; rare earths and platinum group metals listed one by one. | 2025 list page (change table) |
| 2025 (current) | 60 | Added boron, copper, lead, metallurgical coal, phosphate, potash, rhenium, silicon, silver and uranium; kept arsenic and tellurium. | All 60 minerals |
Sources: USGS release on the 2022 list and USGS release on the 2025 list.
What does the Energy Act say a critical mineral is?
The Energy Act defines a critical mineral as one that the Secretary of the Interior designates, using three tests: it is essential to the economic or national security of the United States, its supply chain is vulnerable to disruption, and it serves an essential function in manufacturing a product whose absence would have significant consequences. Fuel minerals, water, ice, snow and common varieties of sand, gravel, stone, pumice, cinders and clay are excluded by definition. The page on how the list is made shows how USGS turns those tests into a model.
How is it different from the stockpile list?
The USGS list is not the same thing as the list of strategic and critical materials used for the National Defense Stockpile. The stockpile statute defines strategic and critical materials as materials that would be needed to supply the military, industrial and essential civilian needs of the United States during a national emergency and are not found or produced in the United States in sufficient quantities. That definition comes from a defense statute and serves the stockpile, while the Interior list comes from the Energy Act. The strategic minerals page explains the difference, and the stockpiles page covers what the government holds.
What is in this section?
| Page | Question it answers |
|---|---|
| The 2025 list | Which 60 minerals are on the list, and why were ten added? |
| How the list is made | What test must a mineral pass, and how does the 2025 model work? |
| Compare the lists | How do the U.S., EU, Australian and Canadian lists differ? |
Frequently asked questions
What is the U.S. critical minerals list?
The U.S. critical minerals list is the official set of minerals the Secretary of the Interior has designated as critical under the Energy Act of 2020. The 2025 version names 60 minerals.
Who publishes the U.S. critical minerals list?
The Department of the Interior publishes the list, and the U.S. Geological Survey prepares the technical analysis. The Secretary of the Interior signs the designation after consulting other agencies and after a public comment period.
How often is the U.S. critical minerals list updated?
The Energy Act requires a review at least every three years. USGS says it intends to update the list at least every two years, and the lists so far appeared in 2018, 2022 and 2025.
Is the USGS critical minerals list the same as the National Defense Stockpile list?
No. The stockpile uses the statutory term strategic and critical materials, defined by what the military, industry and essential civilian needs would require in a national emergency. The USGS list uses the Energy Act definition, which tests economic or national security importance and supply chain vulnerability.
Sources
Read on October 12, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- 30 U.S.C. 1606 (Energy Act of 2020, section 7002)
- 50 U.S.C. 98h-3 (definitions for the National Defense Stockpile)
- USGS: Interior Department releases final 2025 list of critical minerals
- Interior Department press release, 7 November 2025
- USGS: U.S. Geological Survey releases 2022 list of critical minerals
