The terms behind every record — defined plainly, so a search result or an AI answer can lift them without ambiguity.
The processing stage between mining (upstream) and end-product manufacturing (downstream). Critical Midstream covers the midstream only: separation, refining, alloying, magnet production and recycling — the steps that turn mined concentrate into usable metal and material.
Splitting a mixed concentrate into individual elements. For rare earths this means separating a mixed rare-earth concentrate into neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, terbium and the rest — typically by solvent extraction. China dominates this step; it is the hardest one to rebuild outside China.
Purifying a metal or compound to a high grade. Examples: gallium refined to 6N–7N (99.9999%+) for semiconductors, germanium zone-refined for optics, tungsten processed to high-purity powder.
Combining metals into an alloy. In this space: NdFeB (neodymium-iron-boron) magnet alloy, tungsten carbide, and specialty steel additives.
A neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnet — the strongest commercially available magnet. Used in EV drive motors, wind turbines and hard drives. Rare earths (Nd, Pr) plus dysprosium or terbium for heat resistance.
Shaping graphite flakes into spherical particles so they pack densely into a battery anode. Usually paired with purification and coating to make battery-grade anode material.
The intermediate tungsten compound most of the world trades. Tungsten ore is processed into APT, then reduced to tungsten oxide and tungsten metal powder. Controlling APT production means controlling the tungsten supply chain.
Nameplate capacity is a plant's designed maximum. Actual output is what it really produces. They frequently differ — a plant can be built for 35,000 tpa and run at a fraction of that. Critical Midstream flags which figure a record shows and never conflates them.
A purchase agreement committing a buyer to a producer's future output — often the difference between a plant that gets financed and one that stays a slide deck. Critical Midstream treats offtake as gated data.
The Responsible Minerals Initiative and its assurance process. For tungsten, the RMAP-conformant smelter list is the authoritative register of audited smelters — one of the anchors Critical Midstream checks against.