Metalintensive

Metalintensive describes processes, products, or economies that require large quantities of metal inputs. In materials science and economic geography, metal intensity refers to the degree to which metal materials, such as iron, aluminum, copper, or rare earth elements, are embodied in a product or in an economy’s output. A metalintensive sector uses a high ratio of metal material to other inputs, and a metalintensive economy shows high metal demand relative to GDP.

Measurement and indicators: Metal intensity can be quantified as the mass of metal input per unit of economic output or per unit of product. Life cycle assessment and material flow analyses track embodied metal throughout supply chains. Trade flows can reveal dependence on metal imports and exposure to price swings.

Sectors and examples: Industries such as automotive manufacturing, construction, electronics, machinery, and energy infrastructure often have high metal intensity due to steel, aluminum, copper, and specialty metals. Urban systems and globalization patterns can exhibit metal intensity in the footprint of metropolitan areas and value chains.

Implications and policy: High metal intensity carries environmental and geopolitical considerations, including mining impacts, energy use, and price volatility. Recycling, material efficiency, product design for reuse, and diversification of supply can reduce metal intensity. Substitution research and circular economy strategies are commonly linked to managing metal-intensive systems.

Limitations: The term is not always consistently defined in literature; it may be used qualitatively or through specific metrics of metal input per value of output. It often overlaps with broader concepts such as resource intensity or material intensity.