A metal (in exchange trading, a commodity) whose primary use is industrial (being a material in certain uses in an industry). Examples of industrial metals include aluminum, zinc, copper, lead, iron, nickel, etc. For certain industries (mobile phone making), gold and silver are also used.
Industrial metals constitute a specific category of commodities that is distinguished from others such as industrial minerals (such as asphalt, silica, gypsum, and potash, along with less obvious industrial minerals such as marble and precious stones (diamond).
