#57
La
Lanthanum Price
Light Rare Earth
Used in catalysts, optics, and battery electrodes.
Last update: 2026-04-04
8 records
8 records
Retail Reference
$15230/kg
Metal
· 6 g
engineeredlab (eBay)
· US
· 2026-04-04
Bulk Benchmark
—
No commodity benchmark available
Applications
| Application | Role | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| FCC catalysts | La-exchanged zeolite Y in fluid catalytic cracking | ~30% of La demand. Standard catalyst for converting heavy oil to gasoline in every major refinery worldwide |
| NiMH batteries | Mischmetal (La/Ce/Pr/Nd) in AB5 hydrogen-storage alloys | Hybrid-electric vehicle traction batteries (Toyota Prius), portable electronics |
| Optical glass | La2O3 in high-refractive-index camera lens glass | Premium DSLR/mirrorless camera lenses, smartphone camera modules, microscopes |
| Lighter flints | Mischmetal pyrophoric alloy | Spark-producing alloy for cigarette lighters and fire-starters |
| Carbon arc lighting | La-doped carbon electrodes | Studio cinema projector arc lamps; legacy use |
Market & Supply
Global La2O3 production
~50,000 t/year (REO basis)
China refined supply share
~85%
Other producers
USA (Mountain Pass), Australia (Mt Weld)
Co-production
Bastnaesite, monazite (with Ce/Pr/Nd)
Export control
Not on MOFCOM list
Oxide bulk benchmark
$2–$4/kg (FOB China)
Oxide retail (1 kg)
$30–$60/kg
Metal retail (gram-scale)
$300–$1,500/kg
Verified Offers
Lanthanum is one of the cheapest rare earths in the bulk market because it is a high-volume co-product of bastnaesite/monazite separation. The auto-rendered table shows tracked retail 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 | 99.5% | $21148 | Luciteria | US |
| 2026-04-04 | Metal | 99.9% | $18310 | joenicks (eBay) | US |
| 2026-04-04 | Metal | $15230 | engineeredlab (eBay) | US | |
| 2026-04-04 | Oxide | 99.9% (3N) | $450 | leroy500 (eBay) | US |
| 2026-04-04 | Oxide | 99.9% (3N) | $920 | chemstore2017 (eBay) | US |
Important Notes
Not on the MOFCOM control list
Lanthanum is one of the light rare earths excluded from the No. 18/2025 medium/heavy REE control basket. La trades freely under standard customs procedures, though shipments containing mixed-RE concentrates may still encounter classification scrutiny.
FCC catalyst demand floor
Refinery FCC unit demand for La-zeolite catalysts establishes a global price floor independent of magnet/EV demand swings. La supply — like Ce — is structurally co-produced with Nd/Pr, so chronic oversupply persists when magnet demand drives the basket.
NiMH legacy decline
Hybrid-electric NiMH battery demand for mischmetal is structurally declining as Toyota and others migrate hybrid platforms to lithium-ion chemistries. Offsetting growth is muted.
Physical Properties [1]
Z: 57 · Ar: 138.905 u · ρ: 6.162 g/cm3 · Tm: 920 °C · Tb: 3,464 °CCrystal: dhcp · Config: [Xe]5d16s2 · Ox. states: +3
References
- Wolfram Alpha, “Lanthanum element.” wolframalpha.com.
- United States Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Rare Earths, January 2025.