Arsenic: Criticality

Why chip-grade purity puts arsenic on critical lists

What this tab covers How exposed economies are to a supply disruption: the EU, US and India listings, the concentration score, and a quantified exposure for the US, EU, India, China, Japan, Latin America, the Middle East and Australia. Where the EU scored it, a chart of supply risk against economic importance, with import reliance, recycling input and substitutes.

Exposure by region

Region	Exposure	Share of world output	Share of world imports	Share of world exports	Net trade (US$)	On own critical list	Position
US	High	0.0%	17.0%	1.0%	−$1.40 m	Yes	Has produced no arsenic trioxide or metal since 1985 and is 100% import reliant; imports in all forms came from China 45%, Malaysia 30% and Morocco 16% in 2021-24 (USGS 2026).
EU	Low	1.6%	30.9%	29.5%	+$1.52 m	Yes	Lists arsenic as critical (EU CRM 2023), with 0% end-of-life recycling; Belgium produces about 1,000 t of trioxide a year and supplies 59% of EU needs (USGS 2026; EU CRM 2023).
India	High	0.0%	8.1%	0.3%	−$702k	No	Has no reported production, imports small amounts (8.1% of world import value in 2024, UN Comtrade), and does not list arsenic as critical (2023).
China	Low	38.2%	10.9%	41.9%	+$5.17 m	No	Second largest producer (24,000 t As2O3 in 2025e) and the largest exporter of arsenic metal (41.9% of world export value in 2023, UN Comtrade).
Japan	Low	0.1%	2.7%	23.4%	+$3.20 m	No	Production fell from 40 t in 2024 to zero in 2025e, but Japan is a key source of high-purity arsenic and took 23.4% of world arsenic export value in 2023 (USGS 2026; UN Comtrade).
Latin America	Medium	51.0%	1.1%	0.0%	−$96k	no list	Peru is the world's largest producer (30,000 t As2O3 in 2025e); Chile and Mexico were once significant producers but report no recent output (USGS 2026).
Middle East	High	0.0%	2.3%	0.0%	−$213k	no list	No arsenic production is reported (USGS 2026).
Australia	High	0.0%	1.0%	0.5%	−$17k	Yes	No arsenic production is reported, although arsenic is common in its copper and gold ores (USGS 2026).

Exposure rating: High when the region is a net importer whose import share is at least three times its share of world output (or, for farm goods, it produces under 70% of what it consumes); Medium for other net importers (or 70-95% self-sufficiency), raised to High when world supply is highly concentrated in another country; Low for net exporters or self-sufficient regions. Net importer status uses tonnage where reported, otherwise value. Output: World Mining Data, 2024. Trade: UN Comtrade 2023 (EU = sum of member states, including intra-EU trade). Critical lists: US 2025, EU 2024/1252, India 2023, China 2016 strategic minerals, Japan METI, Australia 2024.

Arsenic is critical for the EU, with supply risk 1.9 and economic importance 2.9, and it is on the US 2025 list. India's 2023 list omits it. The concern is high-purity metal for GaAs chips in defence, satellites and telecoms. USGS says no effective substitute exists for GaAs in many defence uses, and China dominates metal supply. Graedel and colleagues place arsenic among the elements with the highest supply risk (pdf p. 5). Bulk uses such as wood treatment have good substitutes.

EU 2023 Critical US 2025 list Yes India 2023 list No Production HHI 4,137 highly concentrated

EU 2023 assessment

Chart: EU 2023 criticality: supply risk against economic importance

Each dot is a material assessed by the EU in 2023. The shaded corner is the critical zone (supply risk ≥ 1.0, economic importance ≥ 2.8). Arsenic: supply risk 1.9, economic importance 2.9. EU import reliance, processing 39% EU recycling input rate 0% US net import reliance, 2025 100% share of apparent consumption

Substitutes

Copper-based preservatives (ACQ, copper azole) for CCA; concrete, plastic or steel for treated wood; silicon, GaN, InP and SiGe for GaAs in many electronics