Terbium (Tb): Uses, Supply Chain and Market
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Terbium is a heavy rare earth element and the most valuable of the itemised rare earths, with an oxide price of $1,010 per kilogram in 2025. 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 terbium in 2025 was 100% for heavy rare earth compounds and metals. Terbium 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
$1,010/kg
terbium oxide, 99.99% minimum, average in 2025 (+24% on 2024)
Which countries produce terbium?
| 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 terbium mined and processed?
USGS reports terbium 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. Full page on how terbium is mined and processed.
What is terbium used for?
- High-strength magnets: among the heavy rare earth uses USGS lists
- Fluorescent lamps: energy-efficient lamps use yttrium, lanthanum, cerium, europium, gadolinium and terbium (USGS, 2002)
- Other heavy rare earth uses: USGS says heavy rare earths are used in catalysts for petroleum refining, fiber optics, high-strength magnets, industrial and medical lasers, and medical and scientific equipment such as portable X-rays, and that end use varies by element.
How much does terbium cost?
USGS reports the average 2025 price of terbium at $1,010/kg (terbium oxide, 99.99% minimum, average; +24% on 2024). EarthRarest, our sister business, lists Terbium oxide min. 99.5% at $5,053.13/kg. Full terbium price page.
Is terbium a critical mineral?
Terbium 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.
Export controls and trade measures
- China has required export licenses for rare earths since 2025. USGS lists this element among those added in the April 2025 measures: samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium.
See the export controls tracker for dates and current status.
What are the substitutes for terbium?
Light rare earths can substitute for heavy rare earths, though substitutes are generally less effective. Full terbium substitutes page.
Can terbium be recycled?
Small quantities of heavy rare earths were recovered from permanent magnets.
What are the supply risks and recent events for terbium?
- 2025 to 2026. Lynas first produced separated dysprosium and terbium oxides in its 2025 financial year. Iluka Resources' Eneabba refinery in Western Australia, still under construction, is designed for 750 tons a year of dysprosium-terbium oxide, with neodymium-praseodymium oxide capacity of 5,500 tons a year (Lynas and Iluka, August 2026).
- August 2025. The US Department of War provided a rare earths producer at Mountain Pass, California with a $150 million direct loan to build a heavy rare earths separation facility. In 2025 it also lent $80 million to a recycler in Marion, Indiana and awarded $5.1 million to a recycler in Houston to recover rare earths including terbium and dysprosium.
- October to November 2025. An Australian producer announced its intent to build a facility in Malaysia to separate heavy rare earths including terbium, dysprosium and lutetium. A mine in Brazil produced mixed concentrates from ionic clays with elevated terbium and dysprosium, and in November the US International Development Finance Corporation approved a $465 million loan to the company to increase heavy rare earth production.
- April to November 2025. China added terbium to its export controls in April 2025 and in early October expanded them to all heavy rare earths, then suspended the October expansion for a year in November. The April controls remained in effect, although China began issuing general licenses to selected exporters.
US import sources, 2021 to 2024. Terbium compounds and metals: China, 100%. (USGS)
Which companies produce or process terbium?
| Company | Country | Role | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lynas Rare Earths | Australia and Malaysia | Rare earth miner and separator, producing separated terbium oxide (ASX: LYC) | Its 2026 annual report calls dysprosium and terbium its first two separated heavy rare earth oxides, produced from FY25, and says samarium oxide, first made in March 2026, is its third. Lynas Rare Earths: 2026 Annual Report and Appendix 4E (26 August 2026) |
| Iluka Resources | Australia | Developer of the Eneabba rare earth refinery (ASX: ILU) | Its August 2026 half-year presentation lists a dysprosium-terbium oxide product at Eneabba with a design capacity of 750 tonnes a year, and does not split that figure between the two metals. Iluka Resources: 2026 half year results presentation (19 August 2026) |
| Energy Fuels | United States | Uranium and rare earth producer piloting heavy rare earths at White Mesa (NYSE American: UUUU) | Its 10-Q for the quarter to 30 June 2026 reports terbium oxide made on-spec at pilot scale at the Mill, and says it is also piloting gadolinium oxide there. Energy Fuels, Form 10-Q for the quarter ended 30 June 2026 |
| Neo Performance Materials | Canada (Silmet plant in Estonia) | Rare earth separator and magnet maker (TSX: NEO) | Its April 2026 release links the heavy rare earth line at Silmet to its European permanent magnet facility in Estonia, which was working through customer qualification, and says dysprosium and terbium go into sintered magnets for robotics, electric vehicle motors and wind turbines. Neo Performance Materials: heavy rare earth line commissioned at Silmet (10 April 2026) |
| Solvay | France (La Rochelle) | Rare earth separator | Its roadshow presentation after the first quarter of 2026 lists 2026 as the year it becomes first producer in Europe for dysprosium and terbium, in a phased project with a total investment of €50-100 million. Solvay: roadshow presentation after first-quarter 2026 results |
| MP Materials | United States | Rare earth miner and refiner at Mountain Pass (NYSE: MP) | A heavy rare earth refining extension at Mountain Pass is among the plans in its Department of War agreements, according to its 10-Q for the quarter to 30 June 2026. MP Materials, Form 10-Q for the quarter ended 30 June 2026 |
| Aclara Resources | Canada (Carina project in Brazil) | Developer of an ionic clay heavy rare earth project (TSX: ARA) | Its April 2026 release expects 27 tonnes a year of terbium from the Carina project over an 18-year mine life, against 156 tonnes of dysprosium. Aclara Resources: release on the Carina and Project Dynamo technical reports (13 April 2026) |
| NioCorp Developments | United States (Elk Creek, Nebraska) | Developer of a niobium, scandium and titanium project with rare earth by-products (Nasdaq: NB) | Its project page lists terbium oxide, next to dysprosium oxide and NdPr oxide, among the products expected from Elk Creek. NioCorp: Elk Creek project page (2026 technical report of 10 August 2026) |
| China Northern Rare Earth | China | Rare earth producer (SSE: 600111) | Its 2025 annual report, in Chinese, lists terbium oxide among its main products, for alloys, magnetic materials and phosphors. China Northern Rare Earth: 2025 annual report, in Chinese (17 April 2026) |
| China Rare Earth Group Resource Technology | China | Ionic clay rare earth separator (SZSE: 000831) | Its 2025 annual report, in Chinese, says its Yongzhou Rare Earth plant has a 5,000 tonne a year separation project in production, with full separation of 15 rare earth elements and 99.99% to 99.999% purity separation capability for products including terbium. China Rare Earth Group Resource Technology: 2025 annual report, in Chinese (April 2026) |
| Xiamen Tungsten | China | Magnet maker, a user of terbium (SSE: 600549) | Its 2025 annual report, in Chinese, quotes Baiinfo data that China produced 564 tonnes of terbium oxide in 2025, down 9.6%, at an average price of 6.73 million yuan a tonne, up 16.8%. Xiamen Tungsten: 2025 annual report, in Chinese (24 April 2026) |
Each row links to the document that supports it. The list is not exhaustive and is not a ranking.
Frequently asked questions
What is terbium used for?
Terbium is used in high-strength magnets, fluorescent lamps and other heavy rare earth uses. High-strength magnets: among the heavy rare earth uses USGS lists.
Which country produces the most terbium?
USGS does not report terbium 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 terbium a critical mineral?
Yes. Terbium is on all four official critical minerals lists: the US, EU, Australian and Canadian. Terbium was already on the 2022 US list and stays on the final 2025 list of 60 minerals. US net import reliance for terbium in 2025 was 100% for heavy rare earth compounds and metals.
How much does terbium cost?
USGS reports the average 2025 price of terbium at $1,010/kg (terbium oxide, 99.99% minimum, average; +24% on 2024). EarthRarest, our sister business, lists Terbium oxide min. 99.5% at $5,053.13/kg (5 kg oxide drums), read on October 14, 2026; a dealer list price covers one grade and pack size and is not a market benchmark.
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 Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: introduction (Table 4, export controls by country)
- Lynas Rare Earths: 2026 Annual Report and Appendix 4E (26 August 2026). Company statements on its heavy rare earth products and plans
- Iluka Resources: 2026 Half Year Results presentation (19 August 2026). Company statements on the Eneabba refinery design
- 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
- EarthRarest price list. Dealer list price, read October 14, 2026; our sister business
- Energy Fuels, Form 10-Q for the quarter ended 30 June 2026
- Neo Performance Materials: heavy rare earth line commissioned at Silmet (10 April 2026)
- Solvay: roadshow presentation after first-quarter 2026 results
- MP Materials, Form 10-Q for the quarter ended 30 June 2026
- Aclara Resources: release on the Carina and Project Dynamo technical reports (13 April 2026)
- NioCorp: Elk Creek project page (2026 technical report of 10 August 2026)
- China Northern Rare Earth: 2025 annual report, in Chinese (17 April 2026)
- China Rare Earth Group Resource Technology: 2025 annual report, in Chinese (April 2026)
- Xiamen Tungsten: 2025 annual report, in Chinese (24 April 2026)
Related topics
How Terbium is mined and refined
The mining and processing page for terbium.
Terbium price
The price page for terbium.
Terbium substitutes
The substitutes page for terbium.
Terbium supply chain and top producers
The supply chain page for terbium.
China profile
Production, policy and projects in China.
Critical Minerals Lists Compared
The US, EU, Australian and Canadian lists side by side.
