The US has moved to keep more critical minerals at home, banning exports of certain industrial waste as part of its push to strengthen domestic supply chains and reduce reliance on China.
Under new rules published by the US Department of Commerce, suppliers of tungsten waste and black mass — shredded material recovered from used lithium-ion batteries — must sell to domestic buyers instead of exporting the materials. The restrictions take effect later this month.
The move follows President Donald Trump’s decision last week to authorise export restrictions on recoverable critical minerals and materials under the Defense Production Act.
“The President stated that the inadequate supply of CMMs poses an increasing risk to our national defense and security, and it is imperative that the United States take immediate action to secure the supply of recoverable CMMs,” the Commerce Department said in the Federal Register.
The latest measures form part of the Trump administration’s broader strategy to secure supplies of critical minerals used in defence, advanced manufacturing, and energy technologies, while reducing dependence on China.
Tungsten is among the materials targeted. Used in military armour, ammunition, and industrial tooling, the metal is subject to Chinese export controls. The US has not mined tungsten domestically for more than a decade and relies entirely on imports.
The restrictions also cover black mass, a recycled battery material that contains lithium, cobalt, nickel, and other valuable metals needed for battery production.
According to Bloomberg, the US accounted for about 9% of global black mass production capacity from battery scrap in the first quarter of 2026, citing Fastmarkets senior strategic markets analyst Lee Allen.
Most black mass is currently processed in Asia, and the export restrictions, Allen says, could “significantly tighten” supplies available to recyclers in the region.
Write to Jackson Chen at Mining.com.au
Image: Argonne National Laboratory
