Cerium (Ce): Uses, Supply Chain and Market
Facts checked against sources on . How we check facts.
Cerium is the most abundant rare earth element, and USGS reported in 2002 that virtually all polished glass products are finished with cerium oxide. USGS reports production only for all rare earths combined: in 2025 China produced an estimated 270,000 t of rare earth oxide equivalent, 69% of the world total (USGS world total: 390,000 t). US net import reliance for cerium in 2025 was 67% for rare earth compounds and metals as a group. Cerium is on all four official critical minerals lists: the US, EU, Australian and Canadian.
390,000 t
estimated world production of all rare earths combined in 2025
$1.71/kg
cerium oxide, 99.5% minimum, average in 2025 (+41% on 2024)
Which countries produce cerium?
| Country | 2024 | 2025 (estimate) | Share of 2025 world | Reserves (t) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 270,000 | 270,000 | 69% | 44,000,000 |
| United States | 45,500 | 51,000 | 13% | 1,900,000 |
| Australia | 29,000 | 29,000 | 7.4% | 6,300,000 |
| Burma | 27,000 | 22,000 | 5.6% | NA |
| All other countries | 12,500 | 17,310 | 4.4% | NA |
| World total (USGS, rounded) | 380,000 | 390,000 | 100% | >75,000,000 |
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Rare earths. Shares are calculated from the country figures and can differ by a point or two from percentages USGS states in its text, because USGS rounds its figures. NA means not available; Withheld means USGS withheld the figure to avoid disclosing company data. USGS reports mine production only for all rare earths combined (as rare earth oxide equivalent), not for individual elements.
What is cerium used for?
- Glass polishing: cerium oxide is uniquely suited as a polishing agent; virtually all polished glass products, from mirrors and eyeglasses to precision lenses, are finished with it (USGS, 2002)
- Catalysts: several rare earths are essential constituents of petroleum fluid cracking catalysts and automotive catalytic converters (USGS, 2002)
- Pigments and lamps: red and red-orange pigments made with lanthanum or cerium, and energy-efficient fluorescent lamps using yttrium, lanthanum, cerium, europium, gadolinium and terbium (USGS, 2002)
- Magnets: the EU lists cerium among the rare earths for permanent magnets
How much does cerium cost?
| Price | Unit | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cerium oxide, 99.5% minimum, average | dollars per kilogram | 1.54 | 1.45 | 1.03 | 1.21 | 1.71 |
| Mischmetal (65% cerium, 35% lanthanum), average | dollars per kilogram | 5.66 | 6.52 | 5.47 | 5.45 | 5.62 |
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Rare earths. The 2025 figures are USGS estimates. Prices are annual averages of the series named in each row, so they are not live quotes.
Is cerium a critical mineral?
Cerium is on all four official critical minerals lists: the US, EU, Australian and Canadian. Each government builds its list with its own method, so a mineral can be critical in one place and not in another.
| Jurisdiction | Status |
|---|---|
| United States | Critical mineral (final 2025 list) |
| European Union | Critical and strategic |
| Australia | Critical minerals list |
| Canada | Critical (priority) |
Lists last checked against the primary publications on October 12, 2026. See the comparison of all four lists.
What are the substitutes for cerium?
| Application | Substitute and trade-off |
|---|---|
| Most applications | USGS says substitutes for rare earths are available for many applications but generally are less effective |
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Rare earths. USGS says substitutes often cost performance or money; the table gives its wording for each application.
Can cerium be recycled?
Limited quantities of rare earths were recovered from batteries, permanent magnets and fluorescent lamps.
What are the supply risks and recent events for cerium?
- 2025. The average cerium oxide price rose from $1.21 to $1.71 per kilogram.
- 2025. USGS does not list this element among those named in China's 2025 rare earth export control measures.
Resources. USGS notes that in most rare earth deposits lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium and neodymium make up 80% to 99% of the total (2002).
Which companies produce or process cerium?
| Company | Country | Role | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|
| China Northern Rare Earth | China | Rare earth producer (SSE: 600111) | Its 2025 annual report, in Chinese, lists cerium oxide, for special alloys, rare earth catalytic materials, colourants and heat stabilisers, and cerium metal among its main products, and says its separated cerium output rose year on year. China Northern Rare Earth: 2025 annual report, in Chinese (17 April 2026) |
| MP Materials | United States | Rare earth miner and refiner at Mountain Pass (NYSE: MP) | Its 2025 10-K says its process converts the cerium in the mixed rare earth concentrate to tetravalent cerium and removes lower-value cerium early in separation, and that it produces cerium and lanthanum products. A risk factor refers to NdPr oxide volumes excluding cerium concentrate. MP Materials, Form 10-K for 2025 (filed 26 February 2026) |
| Neo Performance Materials | Canada (plants in Estonia and China) | Producer of cerium oxides and salts (TSX: NEO) | Its annual information form for 2024 lists cerium oxides and salts among the products of its Chemicals and Oxides segment, made at Zibo in China and Sillamäe in Estonia for auto catalysts, wastewater treatment, chemical catalysis and electronics. Neo Performance Materials: annual information form for 2024 (18 March 2025) |
Each row links to the document that supports it. The list is not exhaustive and is not a ranking.
Frequently asked questions
What is cerium used for?
Cerium is used in glass polishing, catalysts and pigments and lamps. Glass polishing: cerium oxide is uniquely suited as a polishing agent; virtually all polished glass products, from mirrors and eyeglasses to precision lenses, are finished with it (USGS, 2002).
Which country produces the most cerium?
USGS does not report cerium separately; China produced the most rare earths of any country in 2025, an estimated 270,000 t (69%) of the world's 390,000 t of rare earth oxide equivalent.
Is cerium a critical mineral?
Yes. Cerium is on all four official critical minerals lists: the US, EU, Australian and Canadian. Cerium was already on the 2022 US list and stays on the final 2025 list of 60 minerals. US net import reliance for cerium in 2025 was 67% for rare earth compounds and metals as a group.
How much does cerium cost?
USGS reports the average 2025 price of cerium at $1.71/kg (cerium oxide, 99.5% minimum, average; +41% on 2024).
Sources
Read on October 14, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Rare earths. Production, reserves, uses, substitutes, recycling and events
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: introduction (Table 7 and Figures 10A and 10B). Net import reliance, leading producer and price changes for critical minerals
- USGS Fact Sheet 087-02: Rare Earth Elements, Critical Resources for High Technology (2002). Used for the uses of individual elements; it dates from 2002
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1252, Annex I. Lists neodymium, praseodymium, terbium, dysprosium, gadolinium, samarium and cerium as rare earths for permanent magnets
- Federal Register: Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2024/1252
- Department of Industry, Science and Resources: Australia’s Critical Minerals List and Strategic Materials List
- Government of Canada: Canada’s critical minerals
- China Northern Rare Earth: 2025 annual report, in Chinese (17 April 2026)
- MP Materials, Form 10-K for 2025 (filed 26 February 2026)
- Neo Performance Materials: annual information form for 2024 (18 March 2025)
Related topics
China profile
Production, policy and projects in China.
Critical Minerals Lists Compared
The US, EU, Australian and Canadian lists side by side.
The 17 Rare Earth Elements
Every rare earth with its group, price and control status.
Dysprosium
Profile of dysprosium.
Erbium
Profile of erbium.
Europium
Profile of europium.
