Tungsten: Criticality

Critical and strategic in Europe, the US and India

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	0.0%	32.3%	3.8%	−$45.5 m	Yes	No mining since 2015 and more than 50% import reliant; tariffs on Chinese tungsten products rose to 50% and the government planned to buy 2,041 t for the stockpile in FY2025, while DPA awards funded projects in Nevada and elsewhere (USGS).
EU	Low	2.6%	0.5%	33.1%	+$56.8 m	Yes	Mines in Austria, Portugal and Spain extract about 3% of world tungsten; tungsten is both critical and strategic in the EU, with 80% import reliance at processing and 42% end-of-life recycling input (EU CRM 2023).
India	Low	0.0%	0.4%	0.0%	−$569k	Yes	No significant mine output; imports intermediates for carbide and alloy makers, and tungsten is on India's 2023 critical list.
China	Medium	77.9%	35.7%	0.2%	−$57.4 m	Yes	Mines 67,000 t (about 79% of 2025 world output), holds 2,500 kt of reserves, is the largest importer of concentrate and controls exports since February 2025 (USGS; UN Comtrade).
Japan	High	0.0%	1.0%	0.0%	−$1.69 m	Yes	No significant mine output; imports intermediates for a large carbide tool industry; took 1.0% of world ore imports in 2023 (UN Comtrade).
Latin America	Low	2.7%	0.0%	20.2%	+$35.2 m	no list	Bolivia mined 1,700 t in 2025 and supplied 18% of world concentrate exports in 2023 (USGS; UN Comtrade).
Middle East	Low	0.0%	0.0%	0.8%	+$1.35 m	no list	No production or major trade flows appear in USGS or UN Comtrade data.
Australia	Low	1.3%	0.0%	7.2%	+$12.5 m	Yes	Mined about 1,000 t in 2025 with 570 kt of reserves, and exported 7.2% of world concentrate in 2023 (USGS; UN Comtrade).

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.

Tungsten is critical and strategic for the EU, and on the US 2025 and India 2023 lists. The EU gives it economic importance of 8.7, one of the highest scores, and supply risk of 1.2. EU import reliance is 21% for ore and 80% for processed forms. China dominates mining, refining and use, and has used export controls. Tungsten is an EU-regulated conflict mineral (Pitron). Substitutes include molybdenum, niobium or titanium carbides and ceramics, but USGS notes most only reduce tungsten use. Defence demand adds urgency, and the US has funded projects in Nevada, New Brunswick and Yukon.

EU 2023 Critical also a strategic raw material US 2025 list Yes India 2023 list Yes Production HHI 6,146 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). Tungsten: supply risk 1.2, economic importance 8.7. EU import reliance, extraction 21% EU import reliance, processing 80% EU recycling input rate 42%

Substitutes

Molybdenum, niobium or titanium carbide cemented carbides, ceramics, cermets and tool steels, which mostly reduce rather than replace tungsten; depleted uranium or lead for high-density uses