Rare earth market update on May 12, 2026
The domestic rare earth market as a whole maintained stable operation. Under the conditions of weak supply and demand, trading activity on the floor was low, and there was no significant fluctuation in volume or price. In this market situation, many industry participants expect that the short-term market may continue to operate in a consolidation pattern.
In the light rare earth market, affected by the significant decline in Pr-Nd prices at the end of April and the high energy prices, many suppliers have strengthened their willingness to hold prices. Coupled with the downstream users’ active interest in replenishing stocks at low prices, Pr-Nd prices gradually stabilized. Today, the prices of Pr-Nd oxide and Pr-Nd metal are about RMB 755,000/ton and RMB 920,000/ton, respectively.
In the medium and heavy rare earth market, overall trading sentiment is relatively weak. With suppliers having a low willingness to reduce prices for sales and terminal customers mostly maintaining a “purchase as needed” mode, mainstream product prices remain weakly stable. Currently, the prices of Terbium oxide and Holmium oxide are about RMB 6,120,000/ton and RMB 550,000/ton, respectively.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, in April 2026, the nationwide producer price index for industrial products increased by 2.8% year-on-year and increased by 1.7% month-on-month; the purchase price index for industrial products increased by 3.5% year-on-year and increased by 2.1% month-on-month. From the perspective of year-on-year changes, in the producer price of industrial products, the prices of mining industry increased by 10.6%, raw material industry increased by 7.1%, and processing industry increased by 1.5%; in the purchase price of industrial products, the prices of non-ferrous metal materials and wires increased by 21.3%, chemical raw materials increased by 5.9%, and ferrous metal materials decreased by 0.9%.
Price of rare earth products on May 12, 2026
Images of erbium oxide
