Tellurium
A rare by-product of copper refining used in cadmium-telluride solar panels, thermoelectric coolers and phase-change memory.
Thermoelectric (Peltier) coolers for laser modules in optical transceivers; CdTe solar for renewable power purchase agreements.
China added tellurium to export licensing in 2025.
Where it's produced
Share of 2025 world refinery production (metric tons). Source: USGS MCS 2026.
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.
Tellurium: key questions
- Where is tellurium mined or produced?
- According to USGS 2025 data, the largest producers are China (80%), Russia (6.7%) and Japan (6.1%) of world refinery production.
- Is tellurium a critical mineral?
- Tellurium appears on 6 of the 10 official lists we track (United States, United Kingdom, Japan, India, Australia, Canada).
- Is tellurium in short supply?
- Our supply status: Watch. China added tellurium to export licensing in 2025.
- Why does tellurium matter for AI infrastructure?
- Thermoelectric (Peltier) coolers for laser modules in optical transceivers; CdTe solar for renewable power purchase agreements.
Related minerals
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