May 15 SMM rare earth spot price: terbium oxide average price up 25 yuan / kg

【SMM Titanium Flash】On September 15th, JD.com released the "Titanium Assured" platform-level standard for the kitchen appliance industry, jointly announcing enterprise standards for pure titanium cookware and cups and mugs with the China Daily Hardware Technology Development Center and multiple brands. The standard specifies that the titanium substrate content of pure titanium cookware must be over 99%, and that of cups and mugs must be over 99.6%. It also sets requirements for titanium layer thickness, coating, and migration of harmful substances. Data shows that in the first half of 2026, online sales of titanium kitchenware increased by 94.1% year-on-year, and the growth rate of pure titanium cookware on the JD.com platform reached 335%. With the implementation of the standard and the platform's increased investment in supply chain, the large-scale application of titanium materials in the consumer kitchenware sector is expected to accelerate further.

【SMM Magnesium Flash】Recently, Anhui Baomai Light Alloy Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Baowu Magnesium Industry, has been approved to establish a national-level postdoctoral research station. Anhui Baomai has led the establishment of the province's only magnesium-based new material industry innovation research institute, with a total of 38 patents applied. Its base has a total investment of over ten billion yuan, achieving integrated operation from mining to smelting to deep processing through a 23-kilometer raw material corridor. The research station will focus on tackling core technologies such as lightweighting for new energy vehicles and magnesium hydrogen storage. With the implementation of this platform, the cultivation of high-level talent and the transformation of research achievements in magnesium-based new materials are expected to accelerate further, helping Chizhou build a world-class production base for magnesium-based new materials.

【SMM Magnesium Flash】On September 15th, Latrobe Magnesium of Australia announced a strategic shift, prioritizing the advancement of a project with an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons of primary magnesium metal in South Carolina, USA. The company has secured a total of 32,000 tons/year of intended demand letters and has identified a site with supporting port logistics. The project utilizes nickel-iron slag as raw material and has signed a 20-year memorandum of understanding with Société Le Nickel, ensuring raw material supply for approximately 60 years of operation. The estimated capital expenditure for the project is between $1.1 billion and $1.5 billion. It is planned to initiate a feasibility study in the first quarter of 2027 and commence production in April 2030. This move is expected to fill the supply gap of primary magnesium in North America and contribute to the self-sufficiency of key minerals in the United States.