Chemical and Metal Shortage Alert – November 2022

The purpose of this blog is to identify chemical and metal shortages reported on the Internet.  The sources of the information reported here are primarily news releases issued on the Internet.  The issue period of the news releases is November 2022. 

Section I below lists those chemicals and metals that were on the previous month’s Chemical and Metal Shortage Alert list and continue to have news releases indicating they are in short supply.  Click here to read the October 2022 Chemical and Metal Shortage Alert list.

 Section II lists the new chemicals and metals (not on the October alert).  Also provided is some explanation for the shortage and geographical information.  This blog attempts to list only actual shortage situations – those shortages that are being experienced during the period covered by the news releases.  Chemicals and metals identified in news releases as only being in danger of being in shortage status are not listed.

 Section I. 

• Carbon dioxide: United States, European Union; production not keeping up with demand
• Diesel: United States; production not keeping up with demand
• Helium: global; production not keeping up with demand 

Section II.   Shortages Reported in November not found on the Previous Month’s Lists 

• Graphite: United States; mining not keeping up with demand
• Paper: United States; production not keeping up with demand
• Sodium fluoride: United States; supply not keeping up with demand 

Reasons for Section II shortages can be broadly categorized as:  

• Mining not keeping up with demand: graphite
• Production not keeping up with demand: paper
• Sources no longer available: none
• Insufficient imports:  none
• Supply not keeping up with demand: sodium fluoride