132
RARE EARTHS1
[Data in metric tons of rare-earth-oxide (REO) equivalent content unless otherwise noted]
Domestic Production and Use: Rare earths were mined domestically in 2019. Bastnaesite (or bastnäsite), a rare-
earth fluorocarbonate mineral, was mined as a primary product at a mine in Mountain Pass, CA, which was restarted
in the first quarter of 2018 after being put on care-and-maintenance status in the fourth quarter of 2015. Monazite, a
phosphate mineral, was produced as a separated concentrate or included as an accessory mineral in heavy-mineral
concentrates. The estimated value of rare-earth compounds and metals imported by the United States in 2019 was
$170 million, an increase from $160 million in 2018. The estimated distribution of rare earths by end use was as
follows: catalysts, 75%; metallurgical applications and alloys, 5%; ceramics and glass, 5%; polishing, 5%; and other,
10%.
Salient Statistics—United States: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019e
Production, bastnaesite concentratese 5,900 — — 18,000 26,000
Imports:2
Compounds 9,160 11,500 11,000 10,800 14,000
Metals:
Ferrocerium, alloys 356 268 309 301 310
Rare-earth metals, scandium, and yttrium 385 404 524 527 590
Exports:2
Ores and compounds 4,980 590 1,740 16,800 26,000
Metals:
Ferrocerium, alloys 1,220 943 982 1,210 1,400
Rare-earth metals, scandium, and yttrium 60 103 55 28 100
Consumption, apparent3 9,550 10,500 9,060 11,600 13,000
Price, dollars per kilogram, average:4
Cerium oxide, 99.5% minimum 3 2 2 2 2
Dysprosium oxide, 99.5% minimum 279 198 187 179 240
Europium oxide, 99.99% minimum 344 74 77 53 35
Lanthanum oxide, 99.5% minimum 3 2 2 2 2
Mischmetal, 65% cerium, 35% lanthanum 7 5 6 6 6
Neodymium oxide, 99.5% minimum 48 40 50 50 45
Terbium oxide, 99.99% minimum 564 415 501 455 510
Employment, mine and mill, annual average 351 — 24 190 220
Net import reliance5 as a percentage of
apparent consumption:6
Compounds and metals 38 100 100 100 100
Mineral concentrates XX XX XX E E
Recycling: Limited quantities of rare earths from batteries, permanent magnets, and fluorescent lamps are recycled.
Import Sources (2015–18): Rare-earth compounds and metals: China, 80%; Estonia, 6%; Japan and Malaysia, 3%
each; and other, 8%. Compounds and metals imported from Estonia, Japan, and Malaysia were derived from mineral
concentrates and chemical intermediates produced in Australia, China, and elsewhere.
Tariff: Item Number Normal Trade Relations
12–31–19
Rare-earth metals, scandium, and yttrium,
whether or not intermixed or interalloyed 2805.30.0000 5.0% ad val.
Cerium compounds:
Oxides 2846.10.0010 5.5% ad val.
Other 2846.10.0050 5.5% ad val.
Other rare-earth compounds:
Lanthanum oxides 2846.90.2005 Free.
Other oxides 2846.90.2040 Free.
Lanthanum carbonates 2846.90.8070 3.7% ad val.
Other carbonates 2846.90.8075 3.7% ad val.
Other rare-earth compounds 2846.90.8090 3.7% ad val.
Ferrocerium and other pyrophoric alloys 3606.90.3000 5.9% ad val.
Depletion Allowance: Monazite, 22% on thorium content and 14% on rare-earth content (Domestic), 14% (Foreign);
bastnäsite and xenotime, 14% (Domestic and foreign).
Prepared by Joseph Gambogi [(703) 648–7718, jgambogi@usgs.gov]
133
RARE EARTHS
Government Stockpile:7
FY 2019 FY 2020
Inventory Potential Potential Potential Potential
Material As of 9–30–19 Acquisitions Disposals Acquisitions Disposals
Cerium — — — 900 —
Dysprosium 0.2 0.5 — — —
Europium 20.9 35 — — —
Ferrodysprosium, gross weight 0.5 — — — —
Lanthanum, gross weight — — — 4,100 —
Rare earths — 416 — — —
Rare-earth-magnet feedstock — 100 — 100 —
Yttrium oxide 25 10 — — —
Events, Trends, and Issues: Global mine production was estimated to have increased to 210,000 tons of rare-earth-
oxide equivalent, an 11% increase compared with that of 2018. In the United States, domestic production of mineral
concentrates, all of which were exported, increased to 26,000 tons, a 44% increase compared with that of 2018.
China continued to dominate the global supply of rare earths. According to China’s Ministry of Industry and
Information Technology, the mine and separation production quotas for 2019 were 132,000 tons and 127,000 tons,
respectively.
World Mine Production and Reserves: Reserves for Canada, Greenland, Tanzania, and South Africa were
previously included with “Other countries.”
Mine productione Reserves8
2018 2019
United States 18,000 26,000 1,400,000
Australia 21,000 21,000 93,300,000
Brazil 1,100 1,000 22,000,000
Burma (Myanmar) 19,000 22,000 NA
Burundi 630 600 NA
Canada — — 830,000
China 10120,000 10132,000 44,000,000
Greenland — — 1,500,000
India 2,900 3,000 6,900,000
Madagascar 2,000 2,000 NA
Russia 2,700 2,700 12,000,000
South Africa — — 790,000
Tanzania — — 890,000
Thailand 1,000 1,800 NA
Vietnam 920 900 22,000,000
Other countries 60 — 310,000
World total (rounded) 190,000 210,000 120,000,000
World Resources: Rare earths are relatively abundant in the Earth’s crust, but minable concentrations are less
common than for most other ores. In North America, measured and indicated resources of rare earths were estimated
to include 2.7 million tons in the United States and more than 15 million tons in Canada.
Substitutes: Substitutes are available for many applications but generally are less effective.
e
Estimated. E Net exporter. NA Not available. XX Not applicable. — Zero.
1
Data include lanthanides and yttrium but exclude most scandium. See also Scandium and Yttrium.
2
REO equivalent or content of various materials were estimated. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
3
Defined as production + imports – exports.
4
Price range from Argus Media group – Argus Metals International.
5
Defined as imports – exports.
6
In 2015, domestic production of mineral concentrates was included with apparent consumption of compounds and metals. In 2018 and 2019, all
domestic production of mineral concentrates was exported, and all compounds and metals consumed were assumed to be imported material.
7
See Appendix B for definitions.
8
See Appendix C for resource and reserve definitions and information concerning data sources.
9
For Australia, Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant reserves were 1.9 million tons.
10
Production quota; does not include undocumented production.
U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2020
