Open data · strategic minerals & rare earths

The go-to data site on strategic minerals

mineral.watch cross-references verified open data and business intelligence on the minerals powering batteries, magnets, chips and defence — who mines them, who refines them, and who depends on whom.

Now live

Graphite: who controls the anode?

Interactive world map of mines, anode plants and trade flows, production and reserves charts, price trends and the China chokepoint — built on USGS, BGS, UN Comtrade and IEA data.

Open the Graphite dashboard →
World mine production, 2018–2025
Metric tons per year — roughly doubled since 2018
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries (approximate)
The minerals

One deep-dive per mineral

Each mineral gets its own data dashboard: production, reserves, trade flows, prices and supply-chain concentration. Graphite is live; the rest are in the pipeline.

Live C

Graphite

The single largest material in a lithium-ion battery. Mining, spherical processing and anode production, mapped and charted.

Coming soon Li

Lithium

The core of the battery economy: brine and hard-rock supply, conversion capacity and price cycles.

Coming soon Co

Cobalt

Concentrated mining in the DRC, refining in China, and the shift to lower-cobalt chemistries.

Coming soon Ni

Nickel

Indonesia's rise, class-1 vs class-2 supply, and the battery-grade squeeze.

Coming soon REE

Rare earths

Seventeen elements, one dominant refiner. Magnets, export controls and the race to diversify.

Coming soon Cu

Copper

The metal of electrification: grids, EVs and a looming supply gap.

Coming soon Mn

Manganese

From steel staple to battery cathode ingredient: high-purity supply under scrutiny.

Why it matters

Small markets, outsized leverage

Strategic minerals are tiny markets compared with oil or iron ore, but everything downstream depends on them. Concentration in mining and, above all, refining makes them a lever of industrial and geopolitical power.

Demand growth

The IEA projects demand for key battery minerals to roughly double or more by 2040 in its base scenarios, driven by EVs, storage and grids.

>70%

Refining concentration

For several critical minerals, a single country refines the large majority of world supply — a tighter chokepoint than mining itself.

50+

Critical mineral lists

The US, EU, Japan and others each maintain official critical-mineral lists; export controls and tariffs increasingly follow them.

Data & methodology

Built on open, verifiable sources

Every dashboard cross-references primary open datasets. Figures are cited to their source and dated; estimates are flagged as such.

Custom research

Need an ad hoc data-driven research report?

We produce bespoke, source-cited research on strategic minerals — supply-chain mapping, trade-flow analysis, country and commodity deep-dives — built on the same open, verifiable data behind this site.

Reach out at hello@mineral.watch
FAQ

Common questions

What is mineral.watch?

mineral.watch is an independent, open-data knowledge hub on strategic minerals and rare earths. It cross-references verified data from USGS, BGS, UN Comtrade and the IEA to show who mines, refines and trades the materials behind batteries, magnets, chips and defence systems.

Which minerals does mineral.watch cover?

Graphite is live today, with dedicated dashboards for lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earths, copper and manganese in development.

What data sources does mineral.watch use?

Figures are cross-referenced from the USGS National Minerals Information Center, British Geological Survey World Mineral Statistics, UN Comtrade and IEA Critical Minerals data, cited and dated on each page.

Is mineral.watch affiliated with any government or company?

No. mineral.watch is an independent project and holds no commercial position in the minerals it covers.

How can I request custom research?

Email hello@mineral.watch for bespoke, source-cited research on supply-chain mapping, trade-flow analysis and commodity deep-dives.

About

An independent knowledge hub

mineral.watch is an independent open-data project. It exists because reliable information on strategic minerals is scattered across agency reports, customs databases and paywalled market research — and because decisions about supply chains, industrial policy and investment deserve a shared, verifiable evidence base.

Corrections, data tips and collaboration ideas are welcome: hello@mineral.watch