Rare earth market update on March 18, 2026
The overall rare earth prices in China have shown a downward trend, with the price of praseodymium oxide decreasing by RMB 48,000 per ton, the price of praseodymium neodymium oxide decreasing by RMB 40,000 per ton, the price of praseodymium neodymium metal decreasing by RMB 30,000 per ton, the price of terbium oxide decreasing by RMB 80,000 per ton, and the price of dysprosium iron alloy decreasing by RMB 50,000 per ton. Due to the continuous decline in raw material prices recently, the prices of rare earth permanent magnet materials and their scraps have also decreased, with the price of 55N neodymium-iron-boron rough blocks and neodymium-iron-boron scraps (praseodymium-neodymium) decreasing by approximately RMB 5 per kilogram and RMB 40 per kilogram, respectively.
According to CTIA GROUP LTD, the reasons for this price decline include a low level of procurement enthusiasm from downstream inquiries, a clear “buying on the rise and not on the decline” market sentiment, a reduced willingness to speculate among traders, and an increased awareness among suppliers of realizing profits. However, supported by strong production cost support and the good development trend of the downstream rare earth industries, suppliers are generally rational in their price reductions.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, from January to February 2026, the industrial added value above designated size increased by 6.3% year-on-year in real terms. Looking at the three major sectors, the added value of the mining industry increased by 6.1%, manufacturing increased by 6.6%, and the electricity, heat, gas, and water production and supply industry increased by 4.7%. By industry, the chemical raw materials and chemical products manufacturing industry increased by 7.6%, the non-metallic mineral products industry increased by 2.5%, the black metal smelting and rolling processing industry increased by 2.2%, the non-ferrous metal smelting and rolling processing industry increased by 3.9%, the general equipment manufacturing industry increased by 8.9%, the special equipment manufacturing industry increased by 8.8%, the automobile manufacturing industry increased by 3.4%, the railway, shipbuilding, aerospace, and other transportation equipment manufacturing industry increased by 13.7%, the electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing industry increased by 8.7%, and the electricity and heat production and supply industry increased by 5.1%.
Price of rare earth products on March 18, 2026
Images of neodymium oxide
