Strategic Metals: An Introduction

Some time back in the last quarter of the 20th century, strategic metals came to be defined generally as metals vital to modern technology and industry, but that have sources susceptible to disruption. In other words, they are metals you really need, but someone else has. Strategic metals are distinct from "precious" metals, like silver and gold, because most are not as vital to either technology and industry in the same way. Likewise, they differ from "base" metals, such as copper, lead, iron and zinc, in that those metals are relatively abundant in locations around the world. While some strategic metals like chromium, manganese or tungsten are produced on a relatively large scale, many others are produced in extraordinarily small quantities. For example, only an estimated 140 tonnes of germanium was produced in 2010, while only an estimated 10 tonnes of thallium, a highly toxic element, was produced.