#58
Ce
Cerium Price
Light Rare Earth
Most abundant REE. Used in catalytic converters, polishing powders, and glass.
Last update: 2026-04-04
9 records
9 records
Retail Reference
$18382/kg
Metal 99.9% (3N)
· 7 g
Luciteria
· US
· 2026-04-04
Retail Premium: 6127.3×
Bulk Benchmark
$3/kg
Oxide 99.9% (3N)
Star Earth Minerals (Alibaba)
· FOB
· 2026-04-04
Price Movement
Moderate data| Tier | 7d | 30d | 90d | 1y |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail | — | +10450.0% | +10450.0% | +10450.0% |
| Bulk | — | — | — | — |
Data available since through . Based on 9 observations across 2 days.
Price History (USD/kg)
Retail
Bulk
Chart requires JavaScript. The Price Movement panel above summarises the same trend.
Applications
| Application | Role | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Glass polishing | CeO2 polishing slurry | Dominant polish for LCD/OLED display cover glass, smartphone screens, optical lenses, hard-disk substrates |
| Auto catalyst (TWC) | CeO2/ZrO2 oxygen-storage component | Three-way catalytic converters for gasoline cars worldwide. Stores/releases oxygen to maintain stoichiometric AFR window |
| FCC catalysts | CeO2 additive in fluid catalytic cracking | Stabilises zeolite framework and metal trapping in refinery FCC units |
| Glass decolouriser / UV blocker | CeO2 additive in container and architectural glass | Removes Fe2+ green tint; absorbs UV in automotive and architectural glass |
| Mischmetal alloys | ~50% Ce in lighter flints and pyrophoric alloys | Standard mischmetal composition; Ce is the dominant light-RE component |
Market & Supply
Global CeO2 production
~80,000 t/year (REO basis)
China refined supply share
~85%
Most abundant REE
~50% of bastnaesite content
Other producers
USA, Australia, India, Russia
Export control
Not on MOFCOM list
Oxide bulk benchmark
$1.50–$3/kg (FOB China)
Polishing-grade slurry
$10–$30/kg
Metal retail (gram-scale)
$200–$1,200/kg
Verified Offers
Cerium is the cheapest and most abundant rare earth. Bulk CeO2 trades at single-digit dollars per kilogram, while gram-scale metal carries the usual retail premium for hand-portioning and Western distribution. The auto-rendered table shows tracked listings.
| Date | Form | Purity | USD/kg | Seller | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-15 | Oxide | 99.9% (3N) | $3 | Stanford Advanced Materials | US |
| 2026-03-15 | Oxide | 99.9% (3N) | $2 | Edgetech Industries | CN |
| 2026-03-15 | Oxide | 99.9% (3N) | $2 | ALB Materials | CN |
| 2026-04-04 | Metal | 99.9% (3N) | $18382 | Luciteria | US |
| 2026-04-04 | Oxide | 99.99% (4N) | $336 | leroy500 (eBay) | US |
| 2026-04-04 | Oxide | 85-99% | $86 | Various polishing sellers (eBay) | US |
| 2026-04-04 | Oxide | 85-99% | $28 | Various polishing sellers (eBay) | US |
| 2026-04-04 | Oxide | 99.9% (3N) | $3 | Star Earth Minerals (Alibaba) | IN |
| 2026-04-04 | Oxide | 99.95% | $2.4 | Changzhou Geoquin (Alibaba) | CN |
Important Notes
Not on the MOFCOM control list
Cerium is excluded from the No. 18/2025 medium/heavy REE control basket. Bulk CeO2 trades freely, though mixed-RE concentrate shipments may encounter classification scrutiny.
Co-production overhang
Ce is produced in massive surplus relative to its end-use demand because Nd/Pr economics drive the basket. The result is chronic Ce oversupply and very low oxide pricing — the inverse of the heavy-RE supply tightness.
Display polishing dependency
Every smartphone, tablet, monitor, and TV cover glass passes through CeO2 polishing. Substitution by colloidal silica is possible for some applications but adds CMP cycle time and cost.
Physical Properties [1]
Z: 58 · Ar: 140.116 u · ρ: 6.770 g/cm3 · Tm: 795 °C · Tb: 3,443 °CCrystal: fcc · Config: [Xe]4f15d16s2 · Ox. states: +3, +4
References
- Wolfram Alpha, “Cerium element.” wolframalpha.com.
- United States Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Rare Earths, January 2025.