Critical Raw Materials (CRMs), also known as Critical Resource Materials, are raw materials that are economically and strategically important, but that also have a high risk of supply disruption. CRMs are essential for renewable energy technologies, electronics, defense applications, and emerging technologies like electric vehicles and semiconductors.

The specific list of CRMs varies by country and region based on economic needs and supply vulnerabilities. The US and EU Critical Materials lists include many similarities, with some variations based on domestic supply chains and strategic priorities. Key differences between the US and the EU Critical Materials lists include:

• EU-specific materials: Boron, Coking coal, Phosphate rock, Phosphorus, Silicon metal, Strontium
• US-specific materials: Aluminum (bauxite), Cesium, Chromium, Potash, Rhenium, Rubidium, Tellurium, Tin, Zinc

What Are The Critical Raw Materials (CRMs)?

Combining the EU and US Critical Raw Materials lists yields the following CRM list:

• Aluminum (bauxite) – Find the history of aluminum here.
• Antimony – Find the history of antimony here.
• Arsenic – Find the history of arsenic here.
• Barite – Find the history of barite here.
• Beryllium – Find the history of beryllium here.
• Bismuth – Find the history of bismuth here.
• Boron – Find the history of boron here.
• Cesium
• Chromium – Find the history of chromium here.
• Cobalt
• Coking Coal
• Fluorspar – Find the history of fluorspar here.
• Gallium
• Germanium – Find the history of germanium here.
• Graphite (natural) – Find the history of graphite here.
• Hafnium
• Helium – Find information about the nobles gases here & other industrial gases here.
• Indium
• Lithium
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Niobium
• Phosphate Rock – Find the history of phosphate rock here.
• Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) – Find the history of all six PGMs here.
  • Iridium – Find the history of iridium here.
  • Osmium – Find the history of osmium here.
  • Palladium – Find the history of palladium here.
  • Platinum – Find the history of platinum here.
  • Rhodium – Find the history of rhodium here. 
  • Ruthenium – Find the history of ruthenium here.
• Potash
• Rare Earth Elements (REEs) – Find the history of all 17 REEs here.
  • Heavy rare earth elements (HREEs)
    • Dysprosium – Find the history of dysprosium here. 
    • Erbium – Find the history of erbium here. 
    • Holmium – Find the history of holmium here. 
    • Lutetium – Find the history of lutetium here. 
    • Terbium – Find the history of terbium here. 
    • Thulium – Find the history of thulium here. 
    • Ytterbium – Find the history of ytterbium here. 
    • Yttrium – Find the history of yttrium here.
  • Light rare earth elements (LREEs)
    • Cerium – Find the history of cerium here. 
    • Europium – Find the history of europium here. 
    • Gadolinium – Find the history of gadolinium here.
    • Lanthanum – Find the history of lanthanum here. 
    • Neodymium – Find the history of neodymium here. 
    • Praseodymium – Find the history of praseodymium here. 
    • Samarium – Find the history of samarium here. 
    • Scandium – Find the history of scandium here. 
• Rhenium
• Rubidium – Find the history of rubidium here.
• Silicon – Find a history of silicon here.
• Strontium – Find the history of strontium here.
• Tantalum – Find the history of tantalum here.
• Tellurium – Find the history of tellurium here.
• Tin
• Titanium – Find the history of titanium here.
• Tungsten – Find the history of tungsten here.
• Vanadium
• Zinc – Find the history of zinc here.

Thanks for reading!