Prices
No single exchange-settled price exists for cerium. Trade settles over-the-counter against benchmarks published by independent price-reporting agencies. We do not republish those numbers — consult the publishers directly:
Shanghai Metals Market ↗
Daily Chinese rare-earth oxide and metal benchmark quotations.
Fastmarkets — Rare Earths ↗
MB FOB China benchmark prices and market intelligence.
Asian Metal ↗
Daily REE oxide quotations from Chinese suppliers (subscription).
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 ↗
Annual U.S. Geological Survey reference — production, reserves, prices, and trade statistics for cerium.
About Cerium
Editorial overviewWhat is cerium?
Cerium (Ce, atomic number 58) is a light rare earth metal in the lanthanide series. It is used mainly in catalysts, glass polishing, and metal alloys, and it is one of the more abundant rare earth elements in the crust (Lynas Rare Earths).
How cerium is priced
Cerium has no exchange-listed contract. The reference market is the Chinese domestic spot market, where prices are published daily by Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) and the China Rare Earth Industry Association. International benchmark assessments are published by Fastmarkets and Argus Media on a daily/weekly basis. Both are regulated benchmark administrators under UK/EU BMR. The LME does not currently list a Cerium-specific contract; cash-settled rare-earth contracts on LME are limited to NdPr oxide.
Where cerium comes from
USGS MCS 2026 shows rare earth mine production is concentrated in China, Australia, the United States, Burma, and Madagascar, with 2025 production of 270,000 tons, 29,000 tons, 51,000 tons, 22,000 tons, and 22,700 tons respectively, versus a 390,000-ton world total (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Rare Earths). Full breakdown in the production and reserves sections.
Who produces cerium
For rare earths, the main relevant producers include MP Materials in the United States, Lynas Rare Earths in Australia/Malaysia, and China Northern Rare Earth and Shenghe Resources in China; MP Materials says it is America’s only fully integrated rare earth producer and mines and processes Mountain Pass in California (MP Materials), while Lynas publishes rare-earth end-use and product information (Lynas Rare Earths). Full list of producers below.
What cerium is used for
Cerium’s clearest industrial uses are autocatalysts, chemical catalysts, glass polishing, and metal alloys; Lynas lists those applications directly for cerium, and USGS says catalysts are the leading domestic end use of rare earths while global end use is magnets (Lynas Rare Earths, USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Rare Earths).
Key facts about cerium supply
- USGS MCS 2026: world rare earth mine production was 390,000 tons in 2025e against reserves of more than 75,000,000 tons, implying roughly 192 years of cover at the 2025e rate (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Rare Earths).
- USGS MCS 2026: China produced 270,000 tons in 2025e, or about 69% of world mine output using the reported 390,000-ton world total (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Rare Earths).
- USGS MCS 2026: U.S. rare earth production was 51,000 tons in 2025e and U.S. net import reliance for rare-earth compounds and metals was 67% of apparent consumption (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Rare Earths).
- USGS MCS 2026: limited quantities of rare earths were recovered from batteries, permanent magnets, and fluorescent lamps, so recycling remains small relative to primary supply (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Rare Earths).
Sources: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Rare Earths, Lynas Rare Earths — What are Rare Earths?, MP Materials
Mine Production by Country
Source: USGS MCS 2026Per-country production data not published by USGS
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 reports rare-earth production and reserves on a combined rare-earth-oxide (REO) basis only — per-country data are not broken out by individual element. Cerium production and reserves figures are not separately published by USGS. For the consolidated REE-group table covering all rare earths, see the Rare Earth Elements (REE) page.
Source: USGS MCS 2026
Major Producers (0)
No producer data available for this metal.
Latest News
All metals news →No recent news for this metal. Visit the Hub news section for all metals news.
Frequently Asked Questions
Auto-generated from primary-source dataWhat is the primary source for cerium production and reserves data?
Country-level cerium production and reserves figures on TSM Hub are sourced directly from the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, the U.S. Geological Survey's authoritative annual reference. Company-level production figures come from each producer's official annual report, production report, or regulated exchange filing.