diff --git a/packages/material-ui/src/List/List.js b/packages/material-ui/src/List/List.js
index a54ac9feb5c517..9a6cbbab58a828 100644
--- a/packages/material-ui/src/List/List.js
+++ b/packages/material-ui/src/List/List.js
@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
+import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
 import clsx from 'clsx';
 import withStyles from '../styles/withStyles';
 import ListContext from './ListContext';
+import handleListKeyDown from '../utils/handleListKeyDown';
+import { useForkRef } from '../utils/reactHelpers';
 
 export const styles = {
   /* Styles applied to the root element. */
@@ -35,13 +38,27 @@ const List = React.forwardRef(function List(props, ref) {
     className,
     component: Component,
     dense,
+    disableListWrap,
     disablePadding,
+    onKeyDown,
     subheader,
     ...other
   } = props;
 
   const context = React.useMemo(() => ({ dense }), [dense]);
 
+  const listRef = React.useRef();
+  const selectedItemRef = React.useRef();
+
+  const handleKeyDown = event =>
+    handleListKeyDown(event, listRef, selectedItemRef, disableListWrap, onKeyDown);
+
+  const handleOwnRef = React.useCallback(refArg => {
+    // StrictMode ready
+    listRef.current = ReactDOM.findDOMNode(refArg);
+  }, []);
+  const handleRef = useForkRef(handleOwnRef, ref);
+
   return (
     <Component
       className={clsx(
@@ -53,7 +70,8 @@ const List = React.forwardRef(function List(props, ref) {
         },
         className,
       )}
-      ref={ref}
+      onKeyDown={handleKeyDown}
+      ref={handleRef}
       {...other}
     >
       <ListContext.Provider value={context}>
@@ -89,10 +107,18 @@ List.propTypes = {
    * `dense` context.
    */
   dense: PropTypes.bool,
+  /**
+   * If `true`, the menu items will not wrap focus.
+   */
+  disableListWrap: PropTypes.bool,
   /**
    * If `true`, vertical padding will be removed from the list.
    */
   disablePadding: PropTypes.bool,
+  /**
+   * @ignore
+   */
+  onKeyDown: PropTypes.func,
   /**
    * The content of the subheader, normally `ListSubheader`.
    */
diff --git a/packages/material-ui/src/MenuList/MenuList.js b/packages/material-ui/src/MenuList/MenuList.js
index 8fef8929e6cebe..eef515b18093c3 100644
--- a/packages/material-ui/src/MenuList/MenuList.js
+++ b/packages/material-ui/src/MenuList/MenuList.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
 import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
 import warning from 'warning';
 import ownerDocument from '../utils/ownerDocument';
+import handleListKeyDown from '../utils/handleListKeyDown';
 import List from '../List';
 import getScrollbarSize from '../utils/getScrollbarSize';
 import { useForkRef } from '../utils/reactHelpers';
@@ -92,46 +93,8 @@ const MenuList = React.forwardRef(function MenuList(props, ref) {
     }
   };
 
-  const handleKeyDown = event => {
-    const list = listRef.current;
-    const key = event.key;
-    const currentFocus = ownerDocument(list).activeElement;
-
-    if (
-      (key === 'ArrowUp' || key === 'ArrowDown') &&
-      (!currentFocus || (currentFocus && !list.contains(currentFocus)))
-    ) {
-      if (selectedItemRef.current) {
-        selectedItemRef.current.focus();
-      } else {
-        list.firstChild.focus();
-      }
-    } else if (key === 'ArrowDown') {
-      event.preventDefault();
-      if (currentFocus.nextElementSibling) {
-        currentFocus.nextElementSibling.focus();
-      } else if (!disableListWrap) {
-        list.firstChild.focus();
-      }
-    } else if (key === 'ArrowUp') {
-      event.preventDefault();
-      if (currentFocus.previousElementSibling) {
-        currentFocus.previousElementSibling.focus();
-      } else if (!disableListWrap) {
-        list.lastChild.focus();
-      }
-    } else if (key === 'Home') {
-      event.preventDefault();
-      list.firstChild.focus();
-    } else if (key === 'End') {
-      event.preventDefault();
-      list.lastChild.focus();
-    }
-
-    if (onKeyDown) {
-      onKeyDown(event);
-    }
-  };
+  const handleKeyDown = event =>
+    handleListKeyDown(event, listRef, selectedItemRef, disableListWrap, onKeyDown);
 
   const handleItemFocus = event => {
     const list = listRef.current;
diff --git a/packages/material-ui/src/utils/handleListKeyDown.js b/packages/material-ui/src/utils/handleListKeyDown.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..2765a652116d38
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/material-ui/src/utils/handleListKeyDown.js
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import ownerDocument from './ownerDocument';
+
+export default function handleListKeyDown(
+  event,
+  listRef,
+  selectedItemRef,
+  disableListWrap,
+  onKeyDown,
+) {
+  const list = listRef.current;
+  const key = event.key;
+  const currentFocus = ownerDocument(list).activeElement;
+
+  if (
+    (key === 'ArrowUp' || key === 'ArrowDown') &&
+    (!currentFocus || (currentFocus && !list.contains(currentFocus)))
+  ) {
+    if (selectedItemRef.current) {
+      selectedItemRef.current.focus();
+    } else {
+      list.firstChild.focus();
+    }
+  } else if (key === 'ArrowDown') {
+    event.preventDefault();
+    if (currentFocus.nextElementSibling) {
+      currentFocus.nextElementSibling.focus();
+    } else if (!disableListWrap) {
+      list.firstChild.focus();
+    }
+  } else if (key === 'ArrowUp') {
+    event.preventDefault();
+    if (currentFocus.previousElementSibling) {
+      currentFocus.previousElementSibling.focus();
+    } else if (!disableListWrap) {
+      list.lastChild.focus();
+    }
+  } else if (key === 'Home') {
+    event.preventDefault();
+    list.firstChild.focus();
+  } else if (key === 'End') {
+    event.preventDefault();
+    list.lastChild.focus();
+  }
+
+  if (onKeyDown) {
+    onKeyDown(event);
+  }
+}