Cadmium: Criticality

Low supply risk, high toxicity: the reverse problem

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	n/a	0.8%	–	–	–	No	Makes about 200 t of cadmium at one zinc smelter, was a net exporter in 2023-24 with import reliance under 25% in 2025, and does not list cadmium as critical (USGS 2026).
EU	n/a	4.5%	–	–	–	No	Produces cadmium at smelters in the Netherlands (600 t), Poland (400 t), Bulgaria (380 t) and Germany (220 t), recycles at a 30% end-of-life rate, and does not list it as critical (USGS 2026; EU CRM 2023).
India	n/a	0.0%	–	–	–	Yes	Produces cadmium at Hindustan Zinc's smelters but publishes no tonnage, and lists cadmium as critical (India 2023 list).
China	n/a	38.9%	–	–	–	No	Refined about 9,500 t in 2025, about 41% of world output, and supplied half of US unwrought imports in 2021-24 (USGS 2026).
Japan	n/a	7.2%	–	–	–	No	Refined about 1,300 t in 2025, down from 1,580 t in 2024 (USGS 2026).
Latin America	n/a	8.4%	–	–	–	no list	Mexico (1,000 t) and Peru (600 t) refine cadmium from zinc (USGS 2026).
Middle East	n/a	0.0%	–	–	–	no list	No cadmium refinery output is reported (USGS 2026).
Australia	n/a	2.6%	–	–	–	No	Refined about 600 t in 2025 at its zinc smelters (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 (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.

Cadmium is not critical for the EU or the US. The EU scores supply risk at only 0.2, with economic importance 4.1 and 8% import reliance. India includes it on its 2023 list. Supply is a zinc by-product but spread across many smelters in many countries. Substitutes exist for most uses: lithium-ion batteries, zinc-nickel coatings, cerium sulphide pigments and silicon solar panels. The main risk is environmental. Cadmium is toxic, so the challenge is handling surplus, not finding supply.

EU 2023 Not critical US 2025 list No India 2023 list Yes Production HHI 2,044 moderately 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). Cadmium: supply risk 0.2, economic importance 4.1. EU import reliance, processing 8% EU recycling input rate 30%

Substitutes

Lithium-ion for NiCd batteries; zinc-nickel coatings; cerium sulphide pigments; barium stabilisers in PVC; crystalline silicon competes with CdTe