This paper carries out a study of the interrelation between total consumption-GDP ratio of different key metals (aluminium, copper, lead, nickel, tin and zinc) and per capita income investigating if the environmental Kuznets’ curve (EKC) could be considered – in empirical terms – as a possible explanatory model of past and current trends. Such an analysis is proposed through a cross-country evaluation for some industrialised countries (France, Italy, Japan, UK and USA) and for a long time span covering a period of 35 years (1960–1995). In addition to elaborations related to specific currencies, calculations by using PPPs are also proposed in order to show more detailed information about international situations. Without any pretension of an exhaustive study, such an attempt presents a wide series of data in order to enrich the discussion on ‘dematerialisation’ by bringing analytical values and elaborating specific country situations using the most widely employed macroeconomic indicators in the field of policy analysis.