Critical minerals supply chains rely on technical data. That data supports resource evaluation, process control, product specification, regulatory decisions, investment and trade. Where results cannot be readily compared across laboratories, jurisdictions and markets, decisions based on those results become harder to defend. The World Bank describes standards as part of the invisible infrastructure of modern economies and as the hidden foundations of prosperity. Standards support trust, interoperability, market access and trade. The report opens with a quotation attributed to Werner von Siemens: ‘Whoever owns the standards, owns the market’ (World Bank, 2025). The methods used to characterise critical minerals are therefore not administrative detail. They form part of the technical infrastructure that determines whether results are accepted across a supply chain and the ease with which Australian materials can be traded on terms the market understands.