Beryllium: Criticality

Dependence on one producer, not scarce rock

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	Low	59.4%	0.2%	5.7%	+$1.63 m	Yes	Mined 230 t in 2025, over half the world total, is a net exporter, and treats beryllium as critical with Defense Production Act support (USGS 2026).
EU	High	0.0%	5.3%	1.8%	−$429k	Yes	Has no beryllium production, is 100% import dependent and lists beryllium as critical, with 0% end-of-life recycling (EU CRM 2023).
India	Low	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	+$182	Yes	Reports no current production, imports its needs and lists beryllium as critical (India 2023 list; USGS 2026).
China	High	19.6%	93.8%	0.0%	−$17.0 m	No	Mines about 77 t a year, about 18% of world output, and imports most traded unwrought beryllium, 93.8% by value in 2023 (USGS 2026; EU CRM 2023; Comtrade).
Japan	Low	0.0%	0.3%	0.1%	−$35k	Yes	Has no mine output but supplied 19% of US beryllium imports in 2021-24, mostly as processed products (USGS 2026).
Latin America	Low	3.8%	0.0%	0.0%	+$0	no list	Brazil mines about 80 t a year of beryllium in beryl, the second-largest output (USGS 2026).
Middle East	Low	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	−$6,833	no list	No beryllium production is reported (USGS 2026).
Australia	Low	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	+$0	Yes	No beryllium production is reported (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.

Beryllium is critical for the EU, the US and India. The EU scores supply risk 1.8 and economic importance 5.4, with 100% import reliance and no end-of-life recycling. The risk is less about geology than about dependence on one US producer and a few processors. Beryllium was on the EU's first critical list in 2010 (Humphreys, pdf p. 205). Composites, aluminium, titanium or other copper alloys can substitute, but often with much lower performance. Toxicity also requires strict control of workplace dust.

EU 2023 Critical US 2025 list Yes India 2023 list Yes Production HHI 4,149 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). Beryllium: supply risk 1.8, economic importance 5.4. EU import reliance, processing 100% EU recycling input rate 0%

Substitutes

Composites, high-strength aluminium, pyrolytic graphite, silicon carbide, steel or titanium; other copper alloys; aluminium or boron nitride for beryllium oxide