US adds copper, potash, silicon in critical minerals list shake-up

[Ben Graham]

The US government has added copper, potash and silicon to its draft list of critical minerals, in the most significant overhaul since the it was first published in 2018.

The update, mandated every three years under the Energy Act of 2020, follows the 2022 version and now includes 54 minerals. Six were proposed for addition—copper, silicon, potash, silver, lead and rhenium—while two, tellurium and arsenic, were removed.

Copper and silicon were included because of the severe economic consequences that supply disruptions could trigger in refined forms, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. 

Lead and rhenium, which narrowly missed the 2022 cutoff, were added under the new methodology. 

Potash was also included after updated modelling flagged the risks of potential trade barriers from major suppliers, particularly Canada. Silver was added to hedge against a low-probability but high-impact disruption scenario in Mexico.

Tellurium was dropped as the US has shifted from net importer to exporter following increased domestic production. Arsenic was removed after revised data showed Peru, not China, is the leading producer, lowering the risk of supply disruption.

Three types of minerals

For the first time, critical minerals are divided into three risk categories: high, elevated and moderate. The new methodology also considers the economic fallout of supply shocks and highlights “single points of failure,” where reliance rests on a sole domestic producer. 

The assessment spans 84 mineral commodities, 402 industries and more than 1,200 scenarios, which the USGS says offers a more realistic and usable framework for policymakers.

The 2025 draft underscores how evolving market conditions and new data are reshaping Washington’s view of supply vulnerabilities. The final list will be published after a 30-day period of public comment.