Nickel Substitutes: Alternatives and Trade-offs
Facts checked against sources on . How we check facts.
Nickel can be replaced in some applications and not in others. For austenitic stainless steel in construction, USGS names low-nickel, duplex or ultrahigh-chromium stainless steels. It names substitutes for 3 applications in all, and the table below gives its wording for each, including where a substitute costs performance or does not exist.
67%
of world mine production came from Indonesia in 2025
$15,000/t
london Metal Exchange (LME), cash, annual average in 2025 (-11% on 2024)
What is nickel used for?
- Stainless and alloy steel and nickel-containing alloys: typically more than 85% of US consumption
- Electroplating: a leading use of primary nickel
- Other uses: including catalysts and chemicals
Which materials can replace nickel?
| Application | Substitute and trade-off |
|---|---|
| Austenitic stainless steel in construction | Low-nickel, duplex or ultrahigh-chromium stainless steels |
| Stainless steel in power generation and petrochemicals | Nickel-free specialty steels |
| Nickel and nickel-base alloys in corrosive environments | Titanium alloys |
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Nickel. USGS says substitutes often cost performance or money; the table gives its wording for each application.
Frequently asked questions
What can replace nickel?
Austenitic stainless steel in construction: low-nickel, duplex or ultrahigh-chromium stainless steels; Stainless steel in power generation and petrochemicals: nickel-free specialty steels; Nickel and nickel-base alloys in corrosive environments: titanium alloys.
What is nickel used for?
Nickel is used in stainless and alloy steel and nickel-containing alloys, electroplating and other uses. Stainless and alloy steel and nickel-containing alloys: typically more than 85% of US consumption.
Can nickel be recycled?
Most secondary nickel is the nickel content of stainless-steel scrap, and most of it is used to make new alloys and stainless steel. Nickel recovered from scrap accounted for about 60% of US apparent consumption in 2025.
Is nickel a critical mineral?
Yes. Nickel is on all four official critical minerals lists: the US, EU, Australian and Canadian. Nickel was already on the 2022 US list and stays on the final 2025 list of 60 minerals. US net import reliance for nickel in 2025 was 41%.
Sources
Read on October 14, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Nickel. Production, reserves, uses, substitutes, recycling and events
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: introduction (Table 7 and Figures 10A and 10B). Net import reliance, leading producer and price changes for critical minerals
- Federal Register: Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2024/1252
- Department of Industry, Science and Resources: Australia’s Critical Minerals List and Strategic Materials List
- Government of Canada: Canada’s critical minerals
- Eramet: FY 2025 results presentation (19 February 2026)
- Glencore: full year 2025 production report (29 January 2026)
- PT Vale Indonesia: 2025 results release (16 March 2026)
- BHP: operational review for the year ended 30 June 2026 (Form 6-K, 16 July 2026)
- Nornickel: FY2025 production results page (28 January 2026)
- Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt: 2025 annual report, in Chinese (8 April 2026)
Related topics
Nickel: full profile
Uses, producers, price, substitutes and critical list status for nickel.
Indonesia profile
Production, policy and projects in Indonesia.
Critical Minerals Lists Compared
The US, EU, Australian and Canadian lists side by side.
Export Controls and Restrictions
China, Indonesia, DR Congo and other measures with dates.
Cobalt
Profile of cobalt.
Graphite
Profile of graphite.
