Data from the General Administration of Customs show that from January to April 2026, China’s cumulative rare earth imports totaled 40,857.8 tons, increased by 9.5% year-on-year, with an import value of RMB 6.20 billion, increased by 87.5% year-on-year; cumulative rare earth exports totaled 19,887.6 tons, increased by 4.9% year-on-year, with an export value of RMB 1.26 billion, increased by 17.2% year-on-year. From this, it can be inferred that the average import and export prices of rare earths in the first four months of this year both increased year-on-year.
Rare earth permanent magnet material images
According to the CTIA GROUP WeChat public account, in January–April 2026, prices of most rare earth products in China decreased month-on-month. Among them, Pr oxide averaged RMB 802,886/ton, increased by 79.08% year-on-year; Nd oxide averaged RMB 797,582/ton, increased by 80.56% year-on-year; Pr-Nd oxide averaged RMB 754,089/ton, increased by 75.79% year-on-year; Pr-Nd metal averaged RMB 923,899/ton, increased by 74.96% year-on-year; Tb oxide averaged RMB 6,226/kg, decreased by 2.75% year-on-year; Dy oxide averaged RMB 1,436,203/ton, decreased by 14.67% year-on-year; Dy-Fe alloy averaged RMB 1,405,696/ton, decreased by 14.64% year-on-year.
Rare earth elements are collectively the 17 metallic elements, including the 15 lanthanides in the periodic table (lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium) plus scandium and yttrium, and are known as “industrial vitamins.” According to atomic number, they can be classified into light rare earths and medium-to-heavy rare earths.
Rare earth permanent magnet material images
The core value of rare earths lies in their unique 4f electron shell structure, which gives them excellent optical, electrical, magnetic, catalytic, and high-temperature resistant properties. In the new energy sector, rare earth permanent magnet materials (such as NdFeB) are core components of electric vehicle drive motors and wind turbines. In the electronic information field, elements such as europium and gadolinium are key raw materials for mobile phone screens, LED phosphors, and chip polishing solutions.
