engineering

United States critical materials list

United States critical materials list is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand United States critical materials list rather than just read about it. In short: The United States critical materials list is a designation of materials or minerals considered essential for the economic or national security of the United States, where there is a high risk of supply chain disruption. This list is established under the authority of the Energy Act of 2020, specifically Section 7002(a), which empowers the Secretary of Energy, in collaboration with the Secretary of the Interior, to i…

Key takeaways

United States critical materials list belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect United States critical materials list to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of United States critical materials list from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The United States critical materials list is a designation of materials or minerals considered essential for the economic or national security of the United States, where there is a high risk of supply chain disruption. This list is established under the authority of the Energy Act of 2020, specifically Section 7002(a), which empowers the Secretary of Energy, in collaboration with the Secretary of the Interior, to identify critical materials. In the U.S., critical minerals that are at risk of shortage or supply chain disruption are assessed by the United States Geological Survey under the Secretary of the Interior and by the National Science and Technology Council. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), part of the U.S. Department of Defense, is the primary agency responsible for analyzing, planning, procuring, and managing materials that are critical to national security.

2023 Final Critical Materials List The "Final 2023 Critical Materials List" was determined by the United States Department of Energy (DOE), with the Undersecretary for Science and Innovation involvement. This list incorporates materials deemed critical for energy applications and minerals from the 2022 final list designated by the Department of the Interior through the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Critical Materials for Energy ("The Electric Eighteen") The following materials were identified as critical for energy technology:

Critical Minerals The 2022 list from the Department of the Interior includes the following minerals:

Basis for listing This designation is based on the DOE's 2023 Critical Materials Assessment, which evaluates materials for their criticality to global clean energy technology supply chains. Materials are considered "critical" or "near critical" based on their importance in energy technologies and potential supply risks. Notably, uranium is excluded from this list as per Section 7002(a) of the Energy Act of 2020, which restricts the list to non-fuel materials, as uranium is classified as a fuel material when used in commercial nuclear reactors.

2025 Final List of Critical Minerals In November 2025, the Department of the Interior released the final 2025 List of Critical Minerals assessed by the U.S. Geological Survey. It included ten new minerals—boron, copper, lead, metallurgical coal, phosphate, potash, rhenium, silicon, silver, and uranium. The update of the list also reflects the broader minerals strategy to reduce reliance on imports from countries such as China.

See also Critical raw materials Energy policy of the United States US critical minerals deal with Australia U.S. Department of Energy U.S. Geological Survey

References

External links U.S. Department of Energy. (2023). "2023 DOE Critical Materials Assessment." Critical Materials Assessment U.S. Geological Survey. (2022). "2022 Final List of Critical Minerals." 2022 Final List of Critical Minerals U.S. Defense Logistics Agency's List of Materials of Interest. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States government.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with United States critical materials list

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what United States critical materials list claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to United States critical materials list before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about United States critical materials list ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of United States critical materials list

In research: United States critical materials list appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses United States critical materials list in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: United States critical materials list is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Energy policy of the United States, Minerals, Rare earth elements, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for United States critical materials list outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “United States critical materials list” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study United States critical materials list in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what United States critical materials list means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain United States critical materials list out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is United States critical materials list in simple terms?

Why does United States critical materials list matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study United States critical materials list?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on United States critical materials list.