Critical Mineral Trade Flows and Customs Codes
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Critical mineral trade is tracked through Harmonized System (HS) customs codes, which classify goods by chemical form rather than by end use. The first six digits are the same worldwide; countries add digits for their own tariff and statistics lines. A mineral can sit under several codes (ore, oxide, metal, scrap), and some share a code: gallium and germanium metal are both reported under 8112.92. This page lists the main codes used by the US Geological Survey and shows who supplied the United States and where China's exports went.
71%
of US rare earth compound and metal imports came from China (including Hong Kong) in 2021-24
7,520 kg
of germanium metal exported by China in January-September 2025, down from 18,787 kg a year earlier
55%
of US graphite anode material imports came from China in the first eight months of 2025
100%
US net import reliance for gallium and natural graphite in 2025
Which HS codes cover critical minerals?
The table gives the six-digit HS subheading for the main traded forms of each mineral, taken from the tariff tables in the US Geological Survey's 2026 summaries. The USGS lists 10-digit US tariff lines; the first six digits are the international code.
| Mineral | Product | HS code |
|---|---|---|
| Rare earths | Rare-earth metals (including scandium and yttrium) | 2805.30 |
| Rare earths | Cerium compounds | 2846.10 |
| Rare earths | Other rare-earth compounds (oxides, chlorides, carbonates) | 2846.90 |
| Rare earths | Ferrocerium and other pyrophoric alloys | 3606.90 |
| Rare earth magnets | Permanent magnets of metal, including neodymium-iron-boron (US Customs ruling N170957) | 8505.11 |
| Lithium | Lithium oxide and hydroxide | 2825.20 |
| Lithium | Lithium carbonate | 2836.91 |
| Cobalt | Ores and concentrates | 2605.00 |
| Cobalt | Oxides and hydroxides | 2822.00 |
| Cobalt | Sulfates | 2833.29 |
| Cobalt | Unwrought cobalt, mattes and powders | 8105.20 |
| Cobalt | Waste and scrap | 8105.30 |
| Nickel | Ores and concentrates | 2604.00 |
| Nickel | Ferronickel | 7202.60 |
| Nickel | Unwrought nickel, not alloyed | 7502.10 |
| Nickel | Waste and scrap | 7503.00 |
| Natural graphite | Flake, powder and other natural graphite | 2504.10 and 2504.90 |
| Gallium | Gallium metal (shares the code with germanium metal) | 8112.92 |
| Gallium | Gallium arsenide wafers, undoped / doped | 2853.90 / 3818.00 |
| Indium | Unwrought indium, including powders | 8112.92 |
| Rhenium | Ammonium perrhenate / unwrought rhenium and powders / other rhenium | 2841.90 / 8112.41 / 8112.49 |
| Hafnium | Unwrought hafnium, including powders / other hafnium | 8112.31 / 8112.39 |
| Germanium | Germanium dioxide and other germanium oxides | 2825.60 |
| Germanium | Germanium tetrachloride (unspecified chlorides) | 2827.39 |
| Germanium | Unwrought metal and powder / wrought metal | 8112.92 / 8112.99 |
| Tungsten | Ores and concentrates | 2611.00 |
| Tungsten | Oxides / ammonium tungstates / carbides | 2825.90 / 2841.80 / 2849.90 |
| Tungsten | Ferrotungsten / powders / waste and scrap | 7202.80 / 8101.10 / 8101.97 |
Sources: tariff tables in the USGS 2026 chapters on rare earths, lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, gallium, germanium and tungsten, plus the USGS indium, rhenium and zirconium-hafnium chapters; US Customs ruling N170957 for magnets. Check the current tariff schedule before declaring goods.
Who supplied the United States in 2021-24?
The United States relies on a small group of suppliers for each mineral, and China is the largest source for several. The table uses the USGS import source shares for 2021-24, which show the supplier pattern before the 2025 export controls.
| Mineral and product | Largest sources | US net import reliance, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Rare earth compounds and metals | China 71%, Malaysia 13%, Japan 5%, Estonia 5% | 67% |
| Lithium | Chile 54%, Argentina 43% | Above 50% (2024) |
| Cobalt (metal, oxide and salts) | Norway 26%, Finland 16%, Canada 14%, Japan 14% | 79% |
| Primary nickel | Canada 44%, Norway 11%, Australia 8%, Brazil 7% | 41% |
| Natural graphite | China 46%, Canada 13%, Mozambique 13%, Mexico 12% | 100% |
| Gallium metal | Canada 28%, Japan 22%, China 18%, Germany 16% | 100% |
| Germanium (metal and dioxide combined) | Belgium 41%, China 23%, Canada 17%, Germany 14% | Above 50% |
| Tungsten (ores, concentrates and other forms) | China 26%, Germany 14%, Bolivia 8%, Vietnam 8% | Above 50% |
Source: Import Sources and Salient Statistics sections of the USGS 2026 chapters (rare earths, lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, gallium, germanium, tungsten). Shares for China include Hong Kong where USGS says so.
Where did China's exports go in 2025?
China's export data show how licensing and demand shifted flows during 2025. The USGS reports that China exported 115,000 t of natural graphite in the first nine months of 2025, 6% more than a year earlier, and 37,400 t of spherical purified graphite, 29% more. Chinese germanium metal exports fell sharply after the December 2024 ban on shipments to the United States.
| Product | Volume | Largest destinations |
|---|---|---|
| Natural graphite | 115,000 t (up 6%) | Japan 36%, Indonesia 22%, Republic of Korea 10%, Germany 8% |
| Spherical purified graphite | 37,400 t (up 29%) | Republic of Korea 40%, Indonesia 33%, Japan 16%, United States 11% |
| Germanium metal | 7,520 kg (18,787 kg in 2024; 36,656 kg in 2023) | Russia 28%, Belgium 26%, Germany 26%, Japan 18% (shares for 2025) |
Source: USGS graphite chapter and USGS germanium chapter. USGS says the rise in exports to Indonesia likely reflects a Chinese company's new spherical graphite plant in Central Java.
What are the pitfalls in trade data?
- Shared codes. Gallium and germanium metal share 8112.92 in the USGS tariff tables, so the six-digit code alone cannot isolate one metal; the 10-digit US line can.
- Embedded content. The USGS notes that a significant amount of imported rare earths arrives embedded in finished goods, which the mineral and compound codes do not capture.
- Trade data used as a production proxy. The USGS estimates Burma's rare earth output from reported import data for China, so a customs change can alter a production estimate.
- Hong Kong and re-exports. USGS footnotes say its China figures include Hong Kong, and several suppliers such as Malaysia, Japan and Estonia process material derived from Chinese or Australian concentrates, so the country of consignment is not always the country of origin.
- Unit values. The USGS average unit value of imported gallium metal was $580 per kilogram in 2025, but this is an import average, not a market price.
The EU also uses customs codes in law: Article 28 of the Critical Raw Materials Act empowers the Commission to publish a list of Combined Nomenclature codes for products with permanent magnets, so that customs authorities can apply the magnet recycling rules.
Where can the data be downloaded?
| Source | Coverage | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| UN Comtrade | Reports from most countries; allows mirror comparison of exporter and importer data | Six-digit HS |
| Eurostat Comext | EU member state trade with the world | Eight-digit Combined Nomenclature |
| USITC DataWeb | US imports and exports | Ten-digit US tariff lines |
| USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries | Annual import sources and net import reliance by mineral | Mineral-level summaries |
Frequently asked questions
What is the HS code for rare earth magnets?
The HS code for rare earth magnets such as neodymium-iron-boron is 8505.11, which covers permanent magnets of metal. US Customs ruling N170957 classified imported neodymium-iron-boron magnets under that code.
What is the HS code for gallium?
The HS code for gallium metal is 8112.92, which is shared with germanium metal. Gallium arsenide wafers are reported under 2853.90 when undoped and 3818.00 when doped.
What is the HS code for lithium carbonate?
The HS code for lithium carbonate is 2836.91. Lithium oxide and hydroxide are reported separately under 2825.20.
Why is there no single customs code for rare earths?
There is no single customs code for rare earths because the HS classifies them by form. Rare-earth metals are 2805.30, most compounds are 2846.10 or 2846.90, and magnets are 8505.11, so a full picture needs several codes.
Sources
Read on October 12, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026. Chapters on rare earths, lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, gallium, germanium and tungsten
- US Customs ruling N170957: tariff classification of NdFeB magnets from China. Copy of the 2011 ruling on a third-party site
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1252, Article 28
- UN Comtrade
- Eurostat Comext
- USITC DataWeb
Related topics
Export Controls and Restrictions
The measures behind the 2025 changes in Chinese exports.
Traceability and Certification
How origin is documented beyond customs codes.
How Critical Minerals Are Priced
Why import unit values differ from market prices.
Logistics and Shipping
How the physical flows are moved.
