#69 Tm

Thulium

Heavy Rare Earth Monitored

Surgical lasers, S-band telecom amplifiers, portable X-ray sources. Regulated under China's 2025 export controls with current licence suspension.

Main trade forms
Oxide (Tm₂O₃), Metal
Available from
CN, AU, MY
Purity range
99.5%–99.99%
Last update: 2026-03-30
14 records
Retail Reference
$1796/kg
Metal 99.9% (3N) · 1.0 kg
MSE Supplies · US · 2026-03
Retail Premium: 9.9×
Bulk Benchmark
$180/kg
Oxide 99.9% (3N)
Ganzhou Zhanhai · FOB · 2026-03

Applications

ApplicationRoleSignificance
Thulium fiber lasers (TFL) 1.94 µm emission for soft-tissue ablation; BPH/prostate surgery (ThuLEP, ThuVARP) Fastest-growing surgical laser modality; preferred over Ho:YAG for smaller fibre diameter and superior vapourisation efficiency [8][9]
Tm:YAG and Tm:YSGG lasers 2.01 µm eye-safe IR; military rangefinding, laser designators, covert illumination NATO and allied defence procurement; eye-safe wavelength avoids retinal hazard under field conditions [10]
Thulium-doped fibre amplifiers (TDFAs) Optical gain in the S-band (1,460–1,530 nm); extends usable telecom spectrum beyond C- and L-band Critical enabler for future wideband wavelength-division multiplexing; no established substitute at this wavelength [11]
Thulium-170 portable X-ray sources β−/γ emitter (84 keV); industrial radiography, field weld inspection, portable medical imaging Reactor-produced; requires stable 169Tm metal as neutron-activation target; thulium’s monoisotopic nature ensures clean activation products [12]
Nuclear medicine & research Tm-170 intravitreal injections (ocular oncology); Tm-167 cardiac imaging; physics research targets Niche but clinically active; demand underpins need for high-purity (≥4N) Tm metal with certified isotopic composition [12]

Market & Supply

Global Tm₂O₃ output ~200–300 t/y (estimated) [13]
China refined supply share >99% [13][14]
Illegal-mining share of CN output 80.7% (2011–2020 cumulative) [15]
Oxide FOB, direct sellers ~$180/kg Tm₂O₃ (25 kg MOQ, Mar 2026) [16]
3N metal, Western retail (1 kg) ~$1,796/kg [17]
4N metal, Western retail (5 g) ~$54,200/kg [18]
4N premium over 3N metal ~30× — driven by vacuum sublimation step [18]
Retail-to-bulk premium ~10× (metal retail vs. oxide benchmark) [17][16]

Non-Chinese supply pipeline

ProjectLocationProductStatus
Lynas Rare Earths Kuantan, Malaysia Heavy REE separation (Tm planned) First non-CN HREE producer, May 2025; Tm quantities minimal [19]
Iluka Resources (Eneabba) Western Australia Mixed HREE incl. Tm Refinery commissioning expected 2026; Tm not yet listed separately [19]
Energy Fuels (White Mesa) Utah, US RE concentrate from monazite HREE separation pre-commercial; Tm not yet isolated [20]

No project currently produces commercial separated thulium outside China. Thulium’s very low natural abundance (~0.52 ppm crustal average) places it among the last heavy REEs to be extracted at any new facility.

Metal Offers

DatePurity$/kgQtySellerCountryCategoryNotes
2026-0399.9% (3N)1,75010 kg Chinese Direct Seller CNBulkEXW Jiangxi; 10 kg MOQ; corroborated by multiple sources [21]
2026-0399.9% (3N)1,7961 kg MSE Supplies USRetail ref.Metal ingot; lowest verified Western retail price [17]
2026-0399.9% (3N)2,67031.1 g RWMM USRetail1 troy oz; serialised bullion, assay certificate [22]
2026-0399.9% (3N)3,3005 g PEGUYS USRetailMetal chunk [23]
2026-0399.9% (3N)17,6001 g Alfa Aesar / Thermo Fisher USLab-gradeDendritic pieces, certified [24]
2026-0399.9% (3N)19,0001 g Chemsavers USLab-grade1 g lot; extreme unit premium [25]
2026-0399.99% (4N)54,2005 g Smart-Elements ATLab-gradeVacuum-sublimed; 4N requires separate purification step [18]
2026-0399.99% (4N)71,0001 g Smart-Elements ATLab-grade1 g sublimed; unit premium over 5 g lot [18]
—variousquote— American Elements USIndustrialAll forms incl. sputtering targets; RFQ only [26]
—≥99.9%quote— Stanford Advanced Materials USIndustrialIngot, foil, rod, powder [27]
—variousquote— Edgetech Industries US/CNIndustrialMetal, sputtering targets, foil [28]

Oxide Offers (Tm2O3)

DatePurity$/kgQtySellerCountryCategoryNotes
2026-0399.9% (3N)18025 kg Ganzhou Zhanhai CNBenchmark ref.FOB Shenzhen; 25 kg MOQ; ISO 9001 certified [16]
2026-0399.9% (3N)4,319100 g MSE Supplies USLab-gradeTm₂O₃ powder [17]
2026-0399.9% (3N)49,5651 g Alfa Aesar / Thermo Fisher USLab-grade1 g lot; extreme unit premium [24]
2026-0399.99% (4N)68,9901 g Chemsavers USLab-grade1 g lot; 4N Tm₂O₃ [25]
—variousquote— American Elements USIndustrialOxide and salts; RFQ only [26]
—≥99.9%quote— Stanford Advanced Materials USIndustrialOxide powder; RFQ [27]

Important Notes

November 2026 deadline China’s October 2025 thulium export controls (No. 57/2025) are suspended until 10 November 2026. The regulation is legally intact and can reactivate without new legislation [6]. If reinstated, it covers all forms of metallic thulium, alloys, sputtering targets, crystal materials, and all Tm oxides and compounds. Unlike the April 2025 restrictions, no Western supply chain has yet been rebuilt to account for this risk.
4N purity ceiling: the vacuum sublimation step Industrial vacuum metallothermic reduction of Tm₂O₃ yields metal at 99.5–99.9% (2N5–3N). Achieving 4N (99.99%) requires a separate vacuum sublimation purification step, made possible by thulium’s uniquely low boiling point among lanthanides (1,950 °C, compared to >3,000 °C for most others). The step is energy-intensive, low-yield, and performed by only a handful of specialised producers worldwide. The result is a ~30× price premium for 4N over bulk 3N metal, and a hard practical ceiling on available purity for volume buyers [18][29].
Supply fragility: illegal mining dominance A 2024 study (Zhang et al., Journal of Industrial Ecology) estimated that 80.7% of China’s cumulative thulium production from 2011 to 2020 originated from illegal mining operations [15]. This structural dependence on informal supply chains means the traceability and quota requirements introduced under the 2024 Rare Earth Management Regulations may be difficult to enforce—and that rigorous application could cause significant supply disruption without any change to export control status.
TFL laser demand: a rapidly growing structural driver Thulium fiber lasers (1.94 µm) have rapidly displaced Ho:YAG as the preferred modality for endoscopic urological surgery in leading centres, driven by smaller operating fibre diameter, superior soft-tissue vapourisation efficiency, and compatibility with single-use flexible scopes. This shift is recent (post-2020) and represents a structurally new demand vector beyond the traditional Tm-170 X-ray source application [8][9]. Sustained clinical adoption could tighten the small global supply of high-purity thulium metal faster than supply projections anticipate.
Physical Properties [30]
Z: 69 · Ar: 168.934 u · ρ: 9.32 g/cm3 · Tm: 1,545 °C · Tb: 1,950 °C (lowest boiling point of all lanthanides)
Crystal: hcp · Config: [Xe]4f136s2 · Ox. states: +3 · One stable isotope: 169Tm (100% natural abundance)

References

  1. IMARC Group, “Thulium Prices 2026: Market Outlook and Price Analysis,” Feb–Mar 2026. imarcgroup.com.
  2. BusinessAnalytiq, “Thulium Oxide Price Index,” Mar 2026. businessanalytiq.com.
  3. MOFCOM/GAC, Announcement No. 18/2025, “Export Control of Medium and Heavy Rare Earth Related Items,” 4 Apr 2025. english.mofcom.gov.cn.
  4. SFA (Oxford), “China’s Rare Earth Export Controls and Their Impact on Global Supply Chains,” Oct 2025. sfa-oxford.com.
  5. F. Gao, “China Implements New Export Controls on Rare Earth Tech,” 9 Oct 2025. fredgao.com.
  6. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, “China Suspends Export Controls on Certain Critical Minerals and Related Items,” Nov 2025. pillsburylaw.com.
  7. State Council of the PRC, “Regulations on the Management of Rare Earths,” promulgated 26 Apr 2024, effective 1 Oct 2024. See IEA summary: iea.org.
  8. Chiron M. F. et al., “Thulium Fiber Laser vs Holmium:YAG for Urolithiasis: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” European Urology Focus, 2022. europeanurologyfocus.com.
  9. Enikeev D. et al., “Thulium Fiber Laser: The Key Emerging Technology for Endoscopic Urology,” World J Urol 38, 2020. link.springer.com.
  10. SY Coleman & RJ Reeves, “Eye-Safe Rare-Earth Lasers for Military Applications,” Defence Science Journal, 2019.
  11. Zervas M.N. & Codemard C.A., “High Power Fiber Lasers: A Review,” IEEE JSTQE 20(5), 2014. ieeexplore.ieee.org.
  12. IAEA, “Production of Thulium-170 for Industrial Radiography,” Technical Report, 1996. iaea.org.
  13. USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, “Rare Earths,” Jan 2025. pubs.usgs.gov.
  14. Global Policy Watch, “Heavy Rare Earth Elements: Rising Supply Chain Risks and Emerging Policy Responses,” Feb 2026. globalpolicywatch.com.
  15. Zhang B. et al., “Shadow Supply Chains: Illegal Rare Earth Mining in China and Its Market Consequences,” Journal of Industrial Ecology, Wiley, 2024. onlinelibrary.wiley.com.
  16. Ganzhou Zhanhai New Material Co. (ISO 9001), direct quote, March 2026. 25 kg MOQ, Tm₂O₃ 99.9%, FOB Shenzhen.
  17. MSE Supplies LLC. Thulium metal 99.9%, 1 kg; and Tm₂O₃ product listings, Mar 2026.
  18. Smart-Elements GmbH, Vienna. Tm metal 99.99% (4N) product listings, Mar 2026.
  19. Investing News Network, “Lynas Becomes First Heavy Rare Earths Producer Outside China,” May 2025. investingnews.com.
  20. CSIS, “Developing Rare Earth Processing Hubs Outside China,” 2026. csis.org.
  21. Chinese direct-seller RFQ, corroborated via Alibaba B2B and industry contacts, Mar 2026. EXW Jiangxi; 10 kg MOQ.
  22. Rare World Metals Mint (RWMM). Tm metal 1 troy oz listing, Mar 2026.
  23. PEGUYS LLC. Tm metal 5 g listing, Mar 2026.
  24. Thermo Fisher Scientific / Alfa Aesar. Tm metal dendritic pieces and Tm₂O₃ listings, Mar 2026.
  25. Chemsavers Inc. Tm metal and Tm₂O₃ listings, Mar 2026.
  26. American Elements. Tm metal and compound product pages.
  27. Stanford Advanced Materials. Tm metal and oxide.
  28. Edgetech Industries. Tm metal, foil, and sputtering target listings.
  29. Gschneidner K.A. & Eyring L. (eds.), Handbook on the Physics and Chemistry of Rare Earths, Vol. 11. Elsevier, 1988. Ch. on Tm purification and sublimation.
  30. Wolfram Alpha, “Thulium element.” wolframalpha.com.