Use of raw materials in the United States from 1900 through 2010

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the types and quantities of raw materials used by U.S. manufacturers and consumers have changed over time. This fact sheet quantifies the amounts of those materials (other than food and fuel) that have been input into the U.S. economy annually for a period of 111 years, from 1900 through 2010. It provides a broad overview of all materials used but highlights the use and importance of raw nonfuel minerals in particular. This fact sheet supersedes U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2009–3008, which was published in April 2009 and covered the period 1900 through 2006. These data have been compiled to help the public and policymakers understand the flow of raw materials used in the United States in physical terms. Such information can be helpful in assessing the past and potential effects of the materials on the environment, evaluating the materials’ intensity of use, and examining the role that these materials play in the economy. It can also provide insight into what may happen to the materials at the end of their useful life. The data are presented in three ways. Figure 1 lists the raw materials put into use annually in the United States from 1900 through 2010 based on the historical data available. The materials are divided into the following broad categories: agriculture, forestry, metals, minerals, and nonrenewable organics. Table 1 lists the amounts (by weight) of these raw materials put into use each year for the same time period. Figures 2 and 3 are graphical representations of the data in table 1. The graphs show how the expansions and contractions in raw materials usage have been coincident with major economic and military events of the past 11 decades. These events have included World War I, the Great Depression of the 1930s, World War II, the post-World War II expansion, the oil crisis of the 1970s, the recessions of the 1980s and early 1990s, the extended period of economic prosperity and technological growth at the end of the 20th century, and the global financial crisis that began in 2007. For the purposes of this fact sheet, “usage” refers to the annual apparent inputs during the use phase of consumption (which is calculated as the sum of domestic production, imports, and recycling, minus exports). The usage data are for the first point of consumption only; ultimate consumption in the form of manufactured products could be significantly different. The data are also only for raw materials that were ready for use directly by the consumer or in the manufacture of products that were actually made and sold in the United States, not for materials contained in finished goods that were imported into or exported out of the country. In an industrial economy such as that of the United States where the volume of goods flowing into and out of the country is large, tracking the flow of materials embedded in imported products is virtually impossible. The following is a list of all the sources used to compile these data:

Resources for the Future, Natural Resource Commodities—A Century of Statistics (for agriculture statistics)

U.S. Bureau of Mines and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Mineral Resources of the United States, and Minerals Yearbook (for metal and mineral statistics)

U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Timber Production, Trade, Consumption, and Price Statistics (for forestry and paper statistics)

U.S. International Trade Commission, Synthetic Organic Chemicals (for nonrenewable organics statistics, and statistics on primary products made from petroleum and natural gas) The USGS National Minerals Information Center provides statistics and information on the worldwide supply of, demand for, and flow of minerals and materials essential to the U.S. economy, the national security, and protection of the environment.

By Grecia R. Matos

991 National Center Reston, VA 20192 http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals

Nonrenewable organics Metals (includes Minerals Forestry Agriculture recycled material)

EXPLANATION

1900 U.S. raw materials put into use annually from 1900 through 2010. Materials embedded in imported goods are not included. [In million metric tons]

1900 ncluded. [In million

U.S. raw nonfuel minerals put into use annually from 1900 through 2010. Mineral materials embedded in imported goods are not i

Figure 3.

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