According to customs data, in August 2025, China's rare earth imports totaled 5,020.8 tons, decreased by 47.82% month-on-month and decreased by 54.83% year-on-year, with an import value of 790 million yuan, decreased by 8.14% month-on-month and increased by 3.95% year-on-year; rare earth exports reached 5,791.8 tons, decreased by 3.38% month-on-month and increased by 22.63% year-on-year; and the export value was 390 million yuan, increased by 50.00% month-on-month and increased by 34.48% year-on-year.
According to the CTIA GROUP LTD Online website, in August 2025, the average prices of most rare earth products in China increased both month-on-month and year-on-year. The average price of praseodymium oxide was 588,476 yuan per ton, increased by 19.71% month-on-month and increased by 51.03% year-on-year; the average price of neodymium oxide was 583,667 yuan per ton, increased by 21.30% month-on-month and increased by 49.80% year-on-year; the average price of praseodymium-neodymium oxide was 570,095 yuan per ton, increased by 19.58% month-on-month and increased by 48.23% year-on-year; the average price of praseodymium-neodymium metal was 697,238 yuan per ton, increased by 19.71% month-on-month and increased by 46.16% year-on-year; the average price of terbium oxide was 7,073 yuan per kilogram, decreased by 1.09% month-on-month and increased by 32.01% year-on-year; the average price of dysprosium oxide was 1,633,810 yuan per ton, decreased by 1.86% month-on-month and decreased by 6.76% year-on-year; and the average price of dysprosium-iron alloy was 1,591,429 yuan per ton, decreased by 1.02% month-on-month and decreased by 7.84% year-on-year.
Rare earth elements refer to a collective term for 17 chemical elements in the periodic table, including the lanthanide series as well as scandium and yttrium. These elements are renowned as "industrial vitamins" due to their unique magnetic, optical, and catalytic properties, which are widely utilized in modern industry.
The primary applications of rare earths span multiple high-tech fields. In permanent magnet materials, elements like neodymium and dysprosium are core components in manufacturing high-performance neodymium-iron-boron magnets, used in electric vehicle motors, wind generators, hard disk drives, and audio equipment, enhancing device efficiency with their strong magnetic properties. In phosphorescent materials, europium and terbium are employed to produce LED lighting, displays, and fluorescent lamps, offering high brightness and excellent color performance. Catalysts represent another key application, with cerium and lanthanum widely used in petroleum cracking, automotive exhaust purification, and chemical catalysis, contributing to energy conservation and emissions reduction. Additionally, rare earths are used in laser technology to manufacture laser crystals for medical, communication, and industrial cutting applications; in the nuclear industry, elements like gadolinium serve as neutron absorbers to improve reactor safety; and in high-temperature superconductors and hydrogen storage materials, rare earths enhance the performance of new energy technologies.
