Molybdenum
A steel-hardening and high-temperature metal, also used in thin films for displays and as an emerging chip-wiring material.
Molybdenum is being adopted for advanced chip interconnects and is used in sputtering targets and high-strength steels.
China added molybdenum items to export licensing in 2025.
Where it's produced
Share of 2025 world mine production (metric tons). Source: USGS MCS 2026.
Where the reserves are
Share of known economic reserves (thousand metric tons). World total: 17M t.
Who calls it critical
Membership on each government list. “Strategic” marks a higher tier where the list has one; “group” means included as part of a group such as rare earths or PGMs.
Molybdenum: key questions
- Where is molybdenum mined or produced?
- According to USGS 2025 data, the largest producers are China (37%), Chile (16%) and United States (15%) of world mine production.
- Is molybdenum a critical mineral?
- Molybdenum appears on 6 of the 10 official lists we track (China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, Canada).
- Is molybdenum in short supply?
- Our supply status: Watch. China added molybdenum items to export licensing in 2025.
- Why does molybdenum matter for AI infrastructure?
- Molybdenum is being adopted for advanced chip interconnects and is used in sputtering targets and high-strength steels.
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