Rare Earth Price Fluctuations Narrowed Ahead of Labour Day Holiday [SMM Rare Earth Weekly Review]

Published: Apr 30, 2026 16:21
[SMM Rare Earth Weekly Review: Rare Earth Price Fluctuations Narrowed Ahead of Labour Day Holiday] Pr-Nd oxide market prices pulled back slightly at the beginning of the week due to news-driven factors. However, given that spot supply of Pr-Nd oxide remained tight, upstream suppliers held firm on their offers, and low-priced cargoes remained hard to find. As of today, Pr-Nd oxide prices fluctuated and adjusted to 770,000-775,000 yuan/mt over the week.

April 30 update:

Rare earth ore:

Today, rare earth carbonate price range was 62,400-62,800 yuan/mt, monazite prices adjusted to 4.4-4.8 yuan/mt, and medium-yttrium, europium-rich ore prices were approximately 251,000-252,000 yuan/mt. Recently, rare earth ore trading activity remained low, with downstream separation plants showing poor purchase activity, and rare earth ore prices were overall in the doldrums.

Rare earth oxides:

Lanthanum oxide prices remained generally stable this week at 5,000-5,800 yuan/mt. Cerium oxide market prices saw a slight raise recently, adjusting to 14,000-14,800 yuan/mt within the week. Pr-Nd oxide market prices pulled back slightly at the beginning of the week due to news-related factors. However, considering that spot supply of Pr-Nd oxide remained relatively tight, upstream suppliers maintained firm offers, and low-priced sources remained difficult to find. As of today, Pr-Nd oxide prices fluctuated and adjusted to 770,000-775,000 yuan/mt within the week. Medium-heavy rare earth side, inquiry activity in the dysprosium oxide market remained relatively low, but suppliers maintained firm offers, and actual transaction prices also stayed at relatively stable levels. This week, dysprosium oxide quotes remained stable at 1.36-1.38 million yuan/mt. Terbium oxide market was affected by news-related factors this week, with suppliers raising quotes slightly, but downstream metal plant purchase activity remained poor. Its price was raised slightly to 6.1-6.15 million yuan/mt within the week. Gadolinium oxide market prices were further raised within the week, but metal plant purchase willingness was weak. Its price continued to be raised slightly to 248,000-252,000 yuan/mt within the week. Holmium oxide market quotes were raised slightly, but downstream metal plant actual inquiry activity remained sluggish. Its price was raised to the 547,000-553,000 yuan/mt range within the week. Erbium oxide inquiry activity improved this week, with suppliers raising quotes notably and actual transaction prices also rising. Its price was raised to 420,000-425,000 yuan/mt this week. Yttrium oxide market prices remained generally stable, holding steady at 67,000-73,000 yuan/mt this week.

Rare earth metals:

This week, cerium metal prices ran generally stable at 35,000-35,500 yuan/mt. Pr-Nd alloy price fluctuations were relatively small this week. At the beginning of the week, affected by market news factors, Pr-Nd alloy prices pulled back slightly due to raw material cost reductions. However, with raw material prices recovering and downstream inquiries and purchases gradually following up, Pr-Nd alloy prices rose. Yet downstream magnetic material enterprises mainly sought low-price restocking, limiting the price increase of Pr-Nd alloy. As of now, Pr-Nd alloy prices were raised to 945,000-950,000 yuan/mt. Medium-heavy rare earth market, dysprosium-iron alloy closed at 1.33-1.35 million yuan/mt. Prices edged down this week, mainly due to low downstream inquiry and procurement activity. Suppliers slightly lowered their offers, but actual transactions did not improve. Terbium metal prices pulled back to 7.55-7.6 million yuan/mt. Market inquiries were sluggish this week. Although raw material prices were raised under the influence of news factors, it was difficult for metal prices to transmit downward, and prices were overall in the doldrums. Gadolinium-iron alloy quotes edged down, mainly affected by the pullback in raw material prices and fluctuations in Pr-Nd product prices. Metal enterprises lowered their offers, but downstream procurement enthusiasm was low, and gadolinium-iron prices adjusted to 242,000-248,000 yuan/mt during the week.

Rare earth permanent magnets:

Currently, NdFeB blank N38 (Ce) closed at 246-256 yuan/kg; NdFeB blank 40M was priced at 292-302 yuan/kg; NdFeB blank 40H was priced at 296-306 yuan/kg; NdFeB blank 45SH (Ce) was priced at 346-366 yuan/kg.

Price side, NdFeB prices remained stable this week. The core reason was that Pr-Nd oxide and metal prices, the raw materials for NdFeB, were relatively stable this week, keeping NdFeB magnetic material prices steady. Trading side, trading activity was moderate this week. With the holiday approaching, downstream rigid-demand restocking was nearing its end, and next month's peak had not yet arrived, leaving market transactions sluggish.

Rare earth scrap:

This week, Pr-Nd recycled from NdFeB scrap was priced at 760-770 yuan/kg; dysprosium recycled from NdFeB scrap was priced at 1,280-1,320 yuan/kg; terbium recycled from NdFeB scrap was priced at 5,800-6,000 yuan/kg.

This week, scrap prices first declined then rose, but were overall in the doldrums, mainly affected by the pullback in oxide prices and market news factors. At the beginning of the week, as market news continued to ferment, oxide prices continued to pull back, and recycling enterprises correspondingly lowered their scrap purchase offers. However, scrap suppliers had weak willingness to sell at low prices, with strong wait-and-see sentiment, and market trading was moderate. As oxide prices recovered, recycling enterprises raised their purchase offers somewhat, but actual gains were limited. Combined with the approaching Labour Day holiday, market trading atmosphere was sluggish, and actual transactions were in the doldrums.

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

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