Prices
No single exchange-settled price exists for erbium. 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 erbium.
About Erbium
Editorial overviewWhat is erbium?
Erbium (Er, atomic number 68) is a rare earth element in the lanthanide series. It is commonly used in lasers and as a glass colorant, according to Lynas Rare Earths.
How erbium is priced
Erbium 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 Erbium-specific contract; cash-settled rare-earth contracts on LME are limited to NdPr oxide.
Where erbium comes from
USGS does not report element-specific mine production for erbium; it reports rare earths as a basket, with China the dominant producer at 270,000 metric tons in 2025, followed by the United States at 51,000 metric tons, Australia at 29,000 metric tons, Burma at 22,000 metric tons, and Thailand at 4,800 metric tons (USGS MCS 2026 rare earths). Full breakdown in the production and reserves sections.
Who produces erbium
Erbium is produced as part of the broader rare-earth supply chain rather than as a separately reported USGS commodity. Relevant producers and developers include MP Materials in the United States, which says it is America’s only fully integrated rare earth producer; Iluka Resources in Australia, which says it is set to become a significant producer of refined rare earths; Lynas Rare Earths in Australia/Malaysia; and China Northern Rare Earth and Shenghe Resources in China, which are major rare-earth producers in the sector context (MP Materials, Iluka Resources, Lynas Rare Earths). Full list of producers below.
What erbium is used for
Lynas Rare Earths lists erbium’s current applications as lasers and glass colorant. USGS notes rare earths are used mainly in catalysts domestically and in magnets globally, but it does not publish erbium-specific end-use shares (Lynas Rare Earths, USGS MCS 2026 rare earths).
Key facts about erbium supply
- USGS MCS 2026: rare earths are reported as a basket, and the page says data include lanthanides and yttrium but exclude most scandium, so erbium-specific production and reserves are not reported (USGS MCS 2026 rare earths).
- USGS MCS 2026: world rare-earth mine production was 390,000 metric tons in 2025, up from 380,000 metric tons in 2024, and world reserves were more than 75,000,000 metric tons (USGS MCS 2026 rare earths).
- USGS MCS 2026: China produced 270,000 metric tons of rare earths in 2025, equal to about 69% of the 390,000-metric-ton world total (USGS MCS 2026 rare earths).
- USGS MCS 2026: the United States produced 51,000 metric tons of rare earths in 2025 and had net import reliance of 67% for compounds and metals in 2025e (USGS MCS 2026 rare earths).
- USGS MCS 2026: limited quantities of rare earths were recovered from batteries, permanent magnets, and fluorescent lamps, indicating recycling exists but remains small (USGS MCS 2026 rare earths).
Sources: USGS MCS 2026 rare earths, Lynas Rare Earths, MP Materials, Iluka Resources
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. Erbium 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 erbium production and reserves data?
Country-level erbium 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.