US classifies helium as critical material, with output at 81 million cubic meters in 2025
Key Facts
The US Department of Energy on October 23, 2026, classified helium as a critical material under the Energy Act of 2020, a move Washington links to manufacturing and supply chain security. The decision reflects the gas’s importance to sectors that rely on it for processes with no practical alternatives, notably semiconductor manufacturing, natural gas infrastructure leak testing and quantum computing. The Federal Register notice said helium is needed globally for chip manufacturing and key energy applications. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said, "Helium is essential to producing semiconductors and the advanced technologies that drive our economy." The designation comes as demand grows for advanced chips needed by semiconductor supply chains and data centers.
The law defines a critical material as a non-fuel material facing a high risk of supply disruption and serving an essential function in one or more energy technologies. The department said helium performs multiple critical functions for which it cannot be substituted, and is also used in some medical and scientific applications. This definition focuses on the impact of supply disruptions on industrial and technological uses, not solely on the material’s abundance underground. The decision therefore places helium among materials the department considers essential to sustaining manufacturing capabilities and energy technologies. The department says global demand for helium is growing faster than production.
Figures for 2025 show the scale of the US role in the market: the United States produced 81 million cubic meters of helium, equal to 43% of global supply, and exported 38 million cubic meters. The US Geological Survey estimated US sales at about $970 million and the base price of Grade-A helium at about $12 per cubic meter. Exports reached 41 million cubic meters in 2024 before falling to 38 million cubic meters in 2025. The United States remains the largest helium producer, while Qatar and Russia are among the other major producers. The figures show that substantial domestic output coincides with significant export flows, even as the department describes global demand growth as outpacing production growth.
But abundant domestic resources do not mean US production can be increased quickly, according to the Department of Energy, which points to limited refining capacity and lengthy permitting procedures as persistent constraints. Geological Survey data show that US helium imports between 2021 and 2024 came from Canada, with a 47% share, Qatar at 28%, Algeria at 10% and China at 5%. These shares show that the US market combines substantial domestic production with imports from several countries, including Qatar, one of the world’s major producers. Against a backdrop of supply risks, The Associated Press reported that Qatar’s exports were severely affected by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, while Iranian strikes on Qatari infrastructure also affected supplies. The agency said Russia imposed temporary restrictions on helium exports in April to protect domestic supplies.
Helium appeared on the US Geological Survey’s critical minerals list in 2018, before disappearing from later lists after domestic supply was deemed secure, according to The Associated Press. The agency also described the new designation as the 20th critical material identified by the Department of Energy. In US use in 2025, analytical, engineering, laboratory, scientific and specialty gas applications accounted for 22% of consumption, followed by controlled atmospheres, fiber optics and semiconductors at 17%. Lifting gas also accounted for 17%, while magnetic resonance imaging made up 15%. The breakdown highlights helium’s role across industry and research as well as medical applications, alongside its specific use in chip manufacturing.
The Associated Press said listing helium could make more federal funding available to producers, along with closer government monitoring of the material. The official rationale is also tied to expanding semiconductor production to support US infrastructure, as the department’s assessment found global demand for helium in chip manufacturing and key energy applications. Any increase in supply remains tied to refining capacity and permitting procedures, which the department says constrain US production despite abundant resources. The designation puts supply security at the center of US policy toward a material relied on by advanced manufacturing supply chains, as demand continues to outpace production, according to the department. The notice did not set a timeline for a specific subsequent government action, but pointed to the designation’s link to goals for supporting domestic manufacturing.