#65
Tb
Terbium
Heavy Rare Earth
Restricted
Critical for NdFeB magnet coercivity at high temperatures. Three-tier pricing: CN domestic, FOB China, Western retail.
Last update: 2026-03-22
11 records
11 records
Retail Reference
$4680/kg
Metal 99.9% (3N)
· 10 g
PEGUYS
· US
· 2026-03
Bulk Benchmark
—
No commodity benchmark available
Applications
| Application | Role | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent magnets | NdFeB coercivity dopant for high-temperature operation | Dominant demand driver; critical for EV traction motors, wind turbines [3] |
| Green phosphors | Tb3+ green emission at 545 nm | Primary green emitter in fluorescent lamps, LEDs, display phosphors |
| Magneto-optical devices | TGG crystals for Faraday rotators | Optical isolators for high-power laser systems [3] |
| Defence & sonar | Terfenol-D (Tb0.3Dy0.7Fe2) | Giant magnetostrictive alloy for naval sonar transducers [3] |
| Solid-state devices | Dopant in CaF2, SrMoO4, and other hosts | Semiconductor and laser applications |
Market & Supply
Global production
~400–450 tonnes/year [3]
Projected demand (2028)
~700 tonnes/year [3]
Dy+Tb deficit (2035 est.)
~2,920 tonnes oxide [7]
China heavy REE dependency (2030)
~91% (down from 99% in 2024) [6]
Export control
MOFCOM No. 18/2025 [2]
Controls effective
4 April 2025
Chinese domestic oxide (March 2026)
~$804/kg [3]
FOB China oxide (March 2026)
~$1,182/kg (+47%) [3]
Oxide price history (Tb4O7)
| Period | Domestic China | FOB China | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late 2024 | $600–700/kg | $980–1,100/kg | Pre-controls baseline [3] |
| April 2025 | Dipped initially | Spiked sharply | MOFCOM controls take effect [2] |
| July 2025 | $730–795/kg | Elevated | Halted exports reduced domestic demand |
| December 2025 | ~$700/kg | ~$1,057/kg | Post-suspension stabilisation (IMARC) [7] |
| March 2026 | ~$804/kg | ~$1,182/kg | +15% year-to-date; two-tier gap persists [3] |
European spot prices have reached 3–6× Chinese domestic levels [3]. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence projects the domestic-to-export gap will widen from 4.4× in 2025 to 8.3× by 2027 [6].
Non-Chinese supply pipeline
| Company | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Lynas Rare Earths | Western Australia / Malaysia | First commercial separated Tb oxide, June 2025; 26 tonnes Dy+Tb in Q4 2025; target 50 t/year Tb [6] |
| MP Materials | Mountain Pass, California, United States | Heavy REE separation commissioning mid-2026; requires external feedstock [6] |
| Neo Performance Materials | Sillamae, Estonia | Europe’s first Dy/Tb oxide production line operational [6] |
| Australian Strategic Materials | New South Wales, Australia | First commercial Tb/Dy sale July 2025 [6] |
| ReElement Technologies | United States | Recycled REE recovery demonstrated at $25–35/kg, 99.5%+ purity [6] |
Despite these developments, the West will still depend on China for an estimated 91% of heavy rare earth needs by 2030 [6].
Metal Offers
Most online element retailers have either sold out of terbium metal entirely or raised prices sharply since mid-2025. By Q3 2025, some dealers temporarily halted sales to private investors to prioritise industrial customers [5].
| Date | Purity | $/kg | Qty | Seller | Country | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03 | 99.9% | 4,680 | 10 g | PEGUYS | US | Retail | Metal turnings, glass vial; in stock |
| 2026-03 | 99.9% | 7,800 | 2 g | PEGUYS | US | Retail | Metal turnings, element bottle; in stock |
| 2026-03 | 99.9%+ | 6,490–6,850 | 82.19 g | Smart-Elements | AT | Retail | Density cube 10 cm3; in stock |
| 2026-03 | 99.95% | 13,800 | 10 g | Smart-Elements | AT | Retail | Metal in ampoule under argon; in stock (81 units) |
| 2026-03 | 99.5% | 22,150 | 31.1 g | RWMM | US | Retail | Serialised bullion ingot; in stock |
| 2026-03 | 99.95% | 27,460 | 100 g | Smart-Elements | AT | Retail | Metal pieces under argon; in stock |
| 2026-03 | various | 4,029 | — | Strategic Metals Invest | DE | Retail | Investment/retail platform; includes storage [5] |
| 2026-03 | 99.9% | 2,090 | 10 kg | China Direct Seller | CN | Wholesale | Dual-use licence required; ~2–3 months [2][3] |
| 2026-03 | various | 1,450–2,050 | 1 kg | Shanghai Epoch (Made-in-China) | CN | Wholesale | Export compliance applies [3] |
PEGUYS offers the lowest per-gram retail pricing at $4.68/g for the 10 g vial. All PEGUYS prices include a stated 15% United States tariff surcharge. Smart-Elements offers volume discounts plus a 10% discount code [4]. Luciteria is almost entirely sold out across all terbium products [5].
Oxide Offers (Tb4O7)
Tb4O7 (tetraterbium heptaoxide) is the dominant commercial form and global pricing benchmark. Price reporting agencies — Argus, Fastmarkets, Shanghai Metals Market — anchor assessments to 99.99% (4N) purity. On 19 March 2026, Fastmarkets launched a new global benchmark (MB-TB-0004) for terbium oxide 99.99% CIP global [8].
| Date | Purity | $/kg | Qty | Seller | Country | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03 | 99.99% | 804 | bulk | SMM domestic (China) | CN | Benchmark | Domestic reference [3] |
| 2026-03 | 99.99% | 1,182 | bulk | SMM FOB China | CN | Benchmark | Export price, +47% premium [3] |
| 2026-03 | 99.995% | 5,970 | 500 g | MSE Supplies (eBay) | US | Lab-grade | 4N5 grade; best mid-range $/g [4] |
| 2026-03 | 99.99% TREO | 17,340 | 50 g | Smart-Elements | AT | Retail | Mid-quantity; better per-gram economics [4] |
| 2026-03 | 99.99% | 40,600 | 5 g | Chemsavers | US | Lab-grade | Lab retail [4] |
The massive spread between laboratory retail ($29–44/g) and industrial bulk ($0.80–1.18/g) reflects packaging, handling, purity verification, and dealer margins [3].
Gallery
Tb metal — ampoule under argon
Tb4O7 powder
Important Notes
Phase 1 export controls in force
MOFCOM Announcement No. 18/2025 controls all terbium forms across 33 HS codes [2]. Chinese rare earth magnet exports fell roughly 75% in April–May 2025; the two-tier pricing structure has become entrenched [3].
Three-tier pricing
Chinese domestic (~$804/kg oxide), FOB China export (~$1,182/kg oxide, ~$2,000+/kg metal), and Western retail/investment ($4,000+/kg) [3]. The gap is projected to widen to 8.3× by 2027 [6].
Supply deficit
Global production (~400–450 tonnes/year) falls short of projected demand (~700 tonnes by 2028) [3]. CRU forecasts a combined Dy+Tb oxide deficit of ~2,920 tonnes by 2035 [7]. Near-total sellout at retail element dealers and removal of public pricing by scientific suppliers signal tight supply [3].
Physical Properties [1]
Z: 65 · Ar: 158.925 u · ρ: 8.23 g/cm3 · Tm: 1,356 °C · Tb: 3,230 °CCrystal: hcp · Config: [Xe]4f96s2 · Ox. states: +3, +4
References
- Wolfram Alpha, “Terbium element.” wolframalpha.com.
- Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, Announcement No. 18 of 2025, “Export Control of Medium and Heavy Rare Earth Related Items,” 4 April 2025. See also: Argus Media; Global Trade Alert; Clark Hill PLC analysis of October 2025 suspension.
- Compiled from: Rare-earth-mining.com, Crux Investor, Strategic Metals Invest, IMARC Group, Fastmarkets, Shanghai Metals Market, BusinessAnalytiq, and Made-in-China.com supplier listings, various dates 2025–2026.
- Retail supplier pricing verified March 2026: Chemsavers, Smart-Elements GmbH (smart-elements.com), MSE Supplies LLC (msesupplies.com), Sigma-Aldrich, eBay marketplace sellers.
- Strategic Metals Invest, retail and investment-grade terbium pricing and supply reports, 2025–2026. Luciteria stock depletion observed March 2026.
- Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, heavy rare earth supply dependency projections, 2025. Lynas Rare Earths quarterly reports; MP Materials, Neo Performance Materials, and Australian Strategic Materials corporate announcements, 2025–2026.
- CRU Group, “Dysprosium and Terbium Oxide Supply-Demand Forecast to 2035.” See also: MINING.COM; Seltene Erden; DiscoveryAlert; SFA (Oxford).
- Fastmarkets, “Launch of terbium oxide 99.99% CIP global benchmark (MB-TB-0004),” 19 March 2026.
- RWMM (Rare World Metals Mint). rwmm.com. PEGUYS: peguys.com.