Rare Earth Elements List

The 17 Rare Earth Elements

The rare earth elements comprise 15 lanthanides (atomic numbers 57 through 71) plus scandium (21) and yttrium (39). Each element possesses unique physical and chemical properties that determine its industrial applications. The table below provides a comprehensive reference for all 17 elements, organized by atomic number. For background on what rare earths are and the important distinction between light and heavy rare earths, see our dedicated guides.

Element-by-Element Highlights

Scandium (Sc) — The Lightweight Alloy Enabler

Scandium is often overlooked among rare earths, but it has transformative potential in aerospace and transportation. Adding just 0.1 to 0.5 percent scandium to aluminum alloys dramatically improves strength, weldability, and corrosion resistance. Aluminum-scandium alloys are used in fighter jet components, high-end bicycle frames, and are being evaluated for lightweight automotive structures. The challenge is supply: scandium has no dedicated primary mines and is produced almost entirely as a byproduct of other operations, with global production estimated at only 15 to 25 tonnes annually. Several projects in Australia, the Philippines, and Canada aim to increase primary scandium supply, which could unlock broader industrial adoption.

Yttrium (Y) — The Versatile Heavy Rare Earth

Yttrium is one of the most versatile rare earth elements. Its primary application is in yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), a ceramic material used as a thermal barrier coating in jet engines and gas turbines, as an electrolyte in solid oxide fuel cells, and as a component of oxygen sensors. Yttrium is also essential for yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) lasers, one of the most widely used solid-state laser types in manufacturing, surgery, and defense. Global yttrium supply is dominated by China, where it is recovered from both ion-adsorption clays and as a byproduct of xenotime processing.

Cerium (Ce) — The Abundant Workhorse

Cerium is the most abundant rare earth element and the highest-volume rare earth in industrial use. Its most significant application is as cerium oxide in automotive catalytic converters, where it serves as an oxygen storage component that improves catalyst efficiency. Cerium oxide is also the dominant compound for precision glass polishing, including semiconductor wafer polishing, flat panel display glass, and telescope mirror finishing. Despite its abundance, cerium illustrates the rare earth balance problem: as neodymium production expands to meet magnet demand, cerium is co-produced in quantities that may increasingly exceed market absorption.

Neodymium (Nd) — The Magnet King

Neodymium is the most strategically significant rare earth element by value. It is the primary rare earth input for NdFeB permanent magnets, which are essential for electric vehicle traction motors, direct-drive wind turbine generators, and countless other applications. A single EV may contain 1 to 3 kilograms of NdFeB magnets, and a large offshore wind turbine may contain over 4,000 kilograms. Global neodymium demand is projected to grow at 8 to 12 percent annually through 2035, driven almost entirely by the energy transition. For detailed coverage, see our magnet rare earths guide.

Dysprosium (Dy) — The Supply Chain Bottleneck

Dysprosium is the element that security analysts and automakers worry about most. It is added to NdFeB magnets in small quantities (4 to 11 percent by weight) to maintain magnetic performance at the elevated temperatures encountered in EV motors and wind generators. Without dysprosium, these magnets demagnetize. Dysprosium is a heavy rare earth sourced predominantly from ion-adsorption clays in China and Myanmar, making it among the most supply-constrained of all critical materials. Its price, typically $250 to $450 per kilogram, reflects this scarcity. Grain boundary diffusion technology is reducing dysprosium consumption per magnet, but growing total magnet demand continues to drive overall dysprosium requirements higher.

Erbium (Er) — The Telecommunications Backbone

Erbium's unique optical properties make it indispensable to modern telecommunications. Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) are the technology that enabled the global fiber-optic network to span continents. By doping optical fiber with erbium ions, light signals at the 1550-nanometer wavelength can be amplified without converting them to electrical signals, enabling the high-bandwidth, long-distance data transmission that underpins the internet. Erbium is also used in medical and dental lasers, as a pink colorant in specialty glass, and as an alloying addition to vanadium to improve workability.

Supply Concentration and Strategic Risk

The supply picture for the 17 rare earth elements is dominated by China, which accounts for approximately 60 percent of global mine production and over 85 percent of separation and processing. For heavy rare earth elements, the concentration is even more extreme — China and Myanmar together supply over 90 percent. Other significant producers include Australia (Lynas Rare Earths' Mount Weld mine), the United States (MP Materials' Mountain Pass mine), Myanmar, and Russia. Dozens of development-stage projects are underway worldwide, but the timeline from discovery to production typically spans 10 to 15 years, and establishing competitive processing capacity outside China remains the most significant challenge.

For analysis of how this supply concentration shapes the economics of rare earths, see our guide to price and market structure. To understand how secondary supply could evolve, explore our coverage of rare earth recycling.