Prices
No single exchange-settled price exists for yttrium. 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 yttrium.
About Yttrium
Editorial overviewWhat is yttrium?
Yttrium (Y, atomic number 39) is a rare-earth element used mainly as a high-performance material additive and in specialty compounds. It is valued for ceramics, phosphors, lasers, optical glass, and other advanced industrial applications (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026).
How yttrium is priced
Yttrium 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 Yttrium-specific contract; cash-settled rare-earth contracts on LME are limited to NdPr oxide.
Where yttrium comes from
USGS estimated 2025 world mine production of yttrium contained in rare-earth mineral concentrates at 10,000 to 15,000 tons (Y2O3 equivalent), with China producing most of the supply and Burma producing a significant percentage (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026). USGS said global yttrium reserves were not quantified, while Australia, Brazil, China, Russia, and Vietnam were the leading countries for total rare-earth-oxide reserves (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026). Full breakdown in the production and reserves sections.
Who produces yttrium
In the United States, yttrium-bearing monazite concentrates came from heavy-mineral-sand operations in Florida, while Mountain Pass, California, was the main rare-earth mine but did not report yttrium production content (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026). Outside the United States, major rare-earth producers relevant to yttrium supply include MP Materials in the United States and Lynas Rare Earths in Australia/Malaysia; Lynas states it is the world’s only commercial producer of separated light and heavy rare earth oxides outside China and lists yttrium among future products (Lynas Rare Earths, MP Materials). Full list of producers below.
What yttrium is used for
USGS says the leading domestic and global end uses of yttrium were ceramics and phosphors, with lesser amounts used for fiber optics, optical glass, pigments, and yttrium-aluminum-garnet crystals for lasers (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026). A USGS 2024 report adds that yttrium compounds are used in abrasives, bearings and seals, high-temperature refractories, jet-engine coatings, oxygen sensors, cutting tools, microwave radar components, and phosphor compounds for flat-panel displays and lighting (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2024).
Key facts about yttrium supply
- USGS MCS 2026: U.S. imports for consumption were 300 metric tons in 2025e, while exports of compounds were 412 metric tons, indicating a very import-dependent but trade-distorted market (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026).
- USGS MCS 2026: net import reliance was 100% of apparent consumption in each year from 2021 through 2025e (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026).
- USGS MCS 2026: recycling was described as insignificant, so secondary supply is not a major source for yttrium (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026).
- USGS MCS 2026: China supplied 70% of U.S. yttrium alloy/compound/metal import sources in 2021–24, followed by Germany at 11%, Austria at 8%, and the Republic of Korea at 4% (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026).
- USGS MCS 2026: world mine production was estimated at 10,000 to 15,000 tons Y2O3 equivalent in 2025, but global yttrium reserves were not quantified, limiting any reserves-to-production cover calculation (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026).
Sources: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — Yttrium, USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — Rare Earths, USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2024 — Yttrium, 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. Yttrium 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
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Frequently Asked Questions
Auto-generated from primary-source dataWhat is the primary source for yttrium production and reserves data?
Country-level yttrium 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.