Critical minerals are raw materials a government deems essential to its economy and national security, where supply is concentrated in few countries and substitutes are limited. The United States maintains a formal list, compiled by the USGS and reviewed at least every three years, covering materials vital to defense, clean energy and advanced manufacturing. The European Union runs a parallel designation under the Critical Raw Materials Act, which sets 2030 benchmarks for domestic extraction, processing and recycling, and Canada, Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom publish their own lists. Scope differs between them, and the lists are policy instruments rather than geological categories: inclusion can inform permitting priority, stockpiling, trade measures and eligibility for public funding, so a designation change can move project economics without anything changing underground.

A group of 17 metallic elements (15 lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium) with unique magnetic, luminescent, and electrochemical properties. They are essential for permanent magnets in wind turbines, EV motors, and consumer electronics. Despite the name, most are not geologically rare but are difficult to extract and process.

A lightweight alkali metal at the core of lithium-ion batteries: lithium ions shuttle between a lithium-containing cathode and, in most conventional cells, a graphite-based anode. These batteries power electric vehicles, grid-scale energy storage, and portable electronics. Demand projections vary by source and scenario — Albemarle, cited by Global X in February 2026, sees global demand rising from about 1.6 million tonnes LCE in 2025 to as much as 3.6 million tonnes by 2030.

A highly conductive metal essential to electrical wiring, power transmission, EV motors, and renewable energy infrastructure. An average EV uses 2-4x more copper than a conventional vehicle. Copper demand from the energy transition is expected to create significant supply deficits.

A transition metal used primarily in stainless steel and also in specialty alloys and nickel-bearing NMC and NCA battery cathodes. LFP contains no nickel, so battery exposure varies with the chemistry mix. Nickel products include ores, concentrates, ferronickel or NPI, intermediates and refined metal; Class 1 and battery grade are not interchangeable labels.

A metal used in lithium-ion battery cathodes to improve energy density and thermal stability. Supply concentration in the Democratic Republic of Congo creates geopolitical risk, driving research into lower-cobalt and cobalt-free battery chemistries.

How an ETF obtains its exposure. Equity ETFs hold shares in mining, utility, technology or equipment companies. Other funds use futures contracts, total-return swaps, physically-backed commodity trusts, or a mix of securities and derivatives. A fund described as offering 'physical' exposure may track a commodity-owning trust rather than holding the metal directly.

The annual fee an ETF charges to cover stated operating costs such as management and administration, expressed as a percentage of assets. Depending on the source it may be quoted gross or net of contractual fee waivers. It does not capture every cost of owning a fund: brokerage commissions, bid-ask spreads, any premium or discount to NAV, and — for futures funds — roll effects are all separate. All else equal, a lower expense ratio means less annual fee drag on returns.

The net value of the assets an ETF holds. AUM indicates fund scale, but it does not by itself determine liquidity or trading costs; bid-ask spreads, trading volume, market makers and the liquidity of underlying holdings also matter. AUM changes with market prices and fund inflows or outflows.

Critical minerals ETFs invest in companies that mine, process, or recycle metals and minerals essential to the energy transition — including lithium, copper, nickel, cobalt, uranium, rare earth elements, and graphite. These materials are vital inputs for batteries, electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels, and power grid infrastructure.

There are 33 US-listed ETFs on this list as of the latest monthly update, covering critical minerals and energy transition metals. The funds span equity, futures, leveraged, and income strategies across copper, lithium, rare earths, nickel, uranium, battery metals, and broad critical materials themes. New funds have launched steadily since 2024, so the count changes; this page is updated monthly with the current roster.

The Global X Copper Miners ETF (COPX) is the largest critical minerals ETF by assets under management at approximately $7.3 billion, followed by the VanEck Rare Earth/Strategic Metals ETF (REMX) at $2.3 billion and the Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF (LIT) at $1.5 billion.

Equity critical minerals ETFs hold shares in mining and processing companies (e.g. COPX, REMX, LIT), while futures-based ETFs hold derivative contracts on the underlying commodities (e.g. CPER for copper futures, EVMT for EV metals futures). Futures ETFs provide purer commodity price exposure but may carry K-1 tax reporting requirements and contango risk.

Copper is the most widely needed critical mineral, essential for electrical wiring, EV motors, and renewable energy systems. Lithium is central to lithium-ion batteries: it moves between a lithium-containing cathode and, in most conventional cells, a graphite-based anode. Nickel and cobalt are key battery cathode materials. Rare earth elements are vital for permanent magnets in wind turbines and EV motors. Graphite is the primary anode material in lithium-ion batteries. Uranium is the fuel for nuclear power, a source of low-carbon, dispatchable electricity.

Yes. Several ETFs provide broad critical minerals exposure rather than focusing on a single metal. SETM (Sprott Critical Materials) covers uranium, lithium, copper, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and rare earths. EMET (VanEck Copper and Electrification Metals) holds copper and electrification metals producers. IBAT (iShares Energy Storage & Materials) covers battery and storage materials. These diversified funds reduce single-commodity concentration risk.

It depends on the exposure you want. For the broadest single-fund coverage, SETM holds more than 150 companies across uranium, lithium, copper, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and rare earths. For single-metal depth, COPX ($7.3 billion) and REMX ($2.3 billion) are the largest funds in their niches, copper miners and rare earths respectively, while LIT ($1.5 billion) covers the lithium and battery chain. Fees, index rules, and concentration differ fund by fund; the table above sorts by AUM and expense ratio so you can compare directly.

No US-listed ETF focuses solely on cobalt as of 2026. Cobalt exposure comes through diversified funds on this list: EVMT held a 9.8% cobalt futures position at its last holdings update, and LIMI counts Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt among its top holdings. Most cobalt is mined as a by-product of copper and nickel operations, largely in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, so there are few pure-play cobalt equities for a dedicated fund to hold.