How Erbium Is Mined and Processed
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Erbium is a heavy rare earth element used in erbium-doped fiber amplifiers for fiber-optic telecommunication cables. 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).
390,000 t
estimated world production of all rare earths combined in 2025
$46/kg
erbium oxide, 99.5% minimum, average in 2025 (+7% on 2024)
Which countries produce erbium?
| 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.
How is erbium mined and processed?
- USGS reports erbium only within the rare earths as a group. Bastnaesite is mined as the primary rare earth source at Mountain Pass, California, and monazite is produced from heavy-mineral-sand concentrates in the southeastern United States.
- Heavy rare earths are less abundant than light rare earths but are elevated in some ores, including ion-adsorption clays.
- At least five US companies were developing commercial-scale heavy rare earth processing and refining capacity in 2025, and several produced small-scale quantities of heavy rare earth compounds and metals, but none produced sustained commercial-scale quantities.
- Compounds and metals imported from Chile, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the Netherlands were derived from mineral concentrates and chemical intermediates produced elsewhere.
Frequently asked questions
Which country produces the most erbium?
USGS does not report erbium 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.
What is erbium used for?
Erbium is used in fiber-optic amplifiers and other heavy rare earth uses. Fiber-optic amplifiers: cables carry signals over long distances because they incorporate periodically spaced lengths of erbium-doped fiber that act as laser amplifiers; erbium is used despite its high cost because it alone has the required optical properties (USGS, 2002).
Is erbium a critical mineral?
Yes. Erbium is on all four official critical minerals lists: the US, EU, Australian and Canadian. Erbium was already on the 2022 US list and stays on the final 2025 list of 60 minerals. US net import reliance for erbium in 2025 was 100% for heavy rare earth compounds and metals.
How much does erbium cost?
USGS reports the average 2025 price of erbium at $46/kg (erbium oxide, 99.5% minimum, average; +7% on 2024).
Sources
Read on October 13, 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: Rare earths (heavy)
- 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
- 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
- Treibacher Industrie: glass industry page
- IPG Photonics, Form 10-K for 2025 (filed 23 February 2026)
- China Northern Rare Earth: 2025 annual report, in Chinese (17 April 2026)
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