This week, Pr-Nd alloy prices generally fell first and then rose, and have now stabilized in the range of 980,000-1 million yuan/mt. This price fluctuation was mainly driven by the impact of news factors on market sentiment.
Mar 13, 2026 17:44This afternoon, quotations for Pr-Nd oxide further recovered, with current mainstream offers from suppliers concentrated in the range of 800,000-805,000 yuan/mt. Some plants disclosed that there had already been a small number of transactions for Pr-Nd oxide in the market at 802,000-803,000 yuan/mt, while the actual transaction price of Pr-Nd alloy was within the range of 990,000-1 million yuan/mt. In contrast, quotations in the medium-heavy rare earth market remained stable, with no significant fluctuations.
Mar 12, 2026 17:38[SMM Rare Earth Weekly Review: Rare Earth Prices Fell First, Then Rose; Pr-Nd, Dysprosium, and Terbium Saw Wide Swings] Due to the combined impact of market news and falling futures prices, suppliers in the Pr-Nd oxide market lacked confidence in the future market and proactively cut prices for shipments. However, upstream separation plants believed that the tight supply pattern of Pr-Nd oxide had not changed. Therefore, Pr-Nd oxide prices pulled back to 760,000-780,000 yuan/mt before rebounding to 790,000-800,000 yuan/mt.
Mar 12, 2026 15:42Driven by raised quotations from major metal enterprises, as of now, Pr-Nd alloy prices rebounded to 980,000-1 million yuan/mt, up 45,000 yuan/mt from Wednesday. Dysprosium-iron alloy prices closed at 1.42-1.44 million yuan/mt, while terbium metal closed at 7,800-7,840 yuan/kg, unchanged from Wednesday.
Mar 12, 2026 11:33[Die-Casting Zinc Alloy Operating Rate Continued to Rise, While Market Demand Was Still Awaiting Improvement] This week, die-casting zinc alloy enterprises in the market had basically resumed normal production, driving the operating rate higher. In terms of orders, orders in the Chinese market were mainly still in the stage of recovery and improvement, with demand performance relatively average, while some export orders remained weak......
Mar 13, 2026 16:21Among precious and rare metals, osmium is a niche yet irreplaceable material, overshadowed by gold, silver, platinum and palladium but critical for high-end industry and scientific research thanks to its unique physical and chemical properties. This report breaks down osmium’s core attributes, supply, applications and market traits to unveil the “densest natural metal”. I. Basic Profile: A Distinct Platinum Group Metal Osmium (Os, atomic number 76) is a Group Ⅷ transition metal and part of the platinum group metals (PGMs), extremely scarce in nature. It has no independent deposits, only extracted and purified via platinum ore smelting alongside platinum, iridium, ruthenium, rhodium and palladium, ruling out large-scale standalone mining. Its standout properties: unmatched density (22.59g/cm³ at 20℃, higher than gold and platinum), exceptional heat resistance (melting point 3033℃, boiling point over 5000℃), and high hardness & corrosion resistance (Mohs hardness 7). It is highly brittle with poor plasticity, mostly used in powder or alloy forms. Key Safety Warning: Osmium oxidizes to toxic, volatile osmium tetroxide (OsO₄) when heated above 100℃ in air. Full-process operations (smelting, storage, transport, processing) require inert gas protection, raising production and application thresholds. II. Supply Landscape: Extreme Scarcity & Monopolized Output Osmium is far rarer than gold and platinum, with a crustal abundance of just 0.001ppm, one of the lowest stable elements globally. Proven recoverable reserves are extremely limited and highly concentrated. Global output hinges entirely on platinum mining and smelting, staying at a tiny scale: annual global production is roughly 1 ton (data from International Platinum Group Metals Association), while China’s annual output is less than 100kg. South Africa and Russia dominate global osmium resources and smelting capacity, forming a highly monopolized, inelastic supply market. Tight supply-demand balance persists, supporting strong price resilience and volatility. III. Core Applications: High-End & Irreplaceable Scenarios Despite low production and narrow application scope, osmium is a rigid material for high-precision sectors with no low-cost substitutes, focusing on four key fields: Special Hard Alloys: Osmium-based alloys excel in hardness, wear and corrosion resistance, used for high-precision bearings (luxury watches, instruments), premium pen nibs, medical scalpels and high-end mechanical wear parts. Industrial Catalysis: Osmium and its compounds act as high-efficiency catalysts for fine chemical and organic synthesis (hydrogenation, oxidation), boosting process efficiency and product purity with stable low-volume demand. Scientific Research: Toxic osmium tetroxide is an irreplaceable stain for electron microscopy samples in materials and life sciences; high-purity osmium powder serves as a specialty lab consumable. Aerospace & Military: Leveraging high density and thermal stability, osmium is used for specialty high-temperature components, precision guidance parts and high-end electrical contacts, with high added value and growing demand amid industrial upgrading. IV. Core Market Traits Osmium is a niche PGM marked by extreme resource scarcity, monopolized inelastic supply, rigid high-end demand and total irreplaceability. Unlike bulk commodities, its market is driven by supply shifts, high-end industrial demand and compliance costs, with a small scale and low trading frequency, remaining a critical material for high-end industry and scientific research.
Mar 13, 2026 17:32Dear User, Greetings! In recent years, the rare earth-NdFeB magnetic material industry chain has been continuously developing. During the process of refining its industry chain, SMM identified that the existing NdFeB-related data in the original terminal could no longer meet market demands. Therefore, after multiple rounds of surveys and verification, SMM has revised and expanded its original NdFeB data. The specific adjustments are as follows: NdFeB Production: 1. Discontinued 1 data point, namely the Monthly NdFeB Magnet Output by Manufacturer. The discontinued data location: Rare Earth - Rare Earth Production – NdFeB Magnet. 2. Added 5 data points, respectively [National Monthly Total Production], [Monthly Total Production of Sample Enterprises], [Monthly Production of Top-Tier Enterprises], [Monthly Production of Mid-Tier Enterprises], [Production Volume of Marginal Enterprises per Month]. The above data locations are all under Rare Earth - Rare Earth Production – NdFeB Magnet. 3. The above data are all updated monthly, with the update date being the last working day of each month, and the data dimension being the current month's data. 4. The data start date is January 2025. NdFeB Operating Rate: 1. Added five data points: [National Average Operating Rate], [Average Operating Rate of Sampled Enterprises in the Current Month], [Operating Rate of Top-Tier Enterprises in the Current Month], [Operating Rate of Mid-Tier Enterprises in the Current Month], [Operating Rate of Marginal Enterprises in the Current Month]. 2. The above data are located under Rare Earths - Rare Earth Operating Rate – NdFeB Magnet. 3. These data are updated monthly, with the update date being the last working day of each month, reflecting the current month's data. 4. The data series begins in January 2025. NdFeB Capacity 1. Added new category: Rare Earth - Rare Earth Capacity 2. Added four data points: [Quarterly Total NdFeB Capacity in China], [Quarterly NdFeB Capacity of National Top-Tier Enterprises], [Quarterly NdFeB Capacity of Mid-Tier Enterprises Nationwide], [Quarterly NdFeB Capacity of Small-Scale Enterprises Nationwide] 3. Location of the above data: Added new category: Rare Earth - Rare Earth Capacity 4. The above data is updated quarterly, with the update date being the last working day of the final month of each quarter. The data dimension reflects the current quarter. 5. The data start date is March 2025. NdFeB Supply-Demand Balance 1. Discontinued 3 data series: [SMM NdFeB Supply-Demand Balance: Supply], [SMM NdFeB Supply-Demand Balance: Consumption], [SMM NdFeB Supply-Demand Balance: Supply-Demand Balance] 2. Added 3 data series: [SMM NdFeB Supply-Demand Balance: National Total Supply], [SMM NdFeB Supply-Demand Balance: National Total Consumption], [SMM NdFeB Supply-Demand Balance: National Total Supply-Demand Balance] 3. Data location: Rare Earth - Supply-Demand Balance - NdFeB 4. These data series are updated monthly on the last business day of each month, reflecting the previous month's data (e.g., July data updated on August 29). 5. Data coverage starts from January 2025. Pr-Nd Alloy Supply-Demand Balance 1. Added a new classification for Pr-Nd alloy supply-demand balance 2. Added three datasets: [SMM Pr-Nd Alloy Supply-Demand Balance: Supply], [SMM Pr-Nd Alloy Supply-Demand Balance: Consumption], [SMM Pr-Nd Alloy Supply-Demand Balance: Supply-Demand Balance] 3. Data location: Rare Earth - Supply & Demand Analysis - Pr-Nd Alloy 4. The above data is updated monthly, with the update date set as the last working day of each month, reflecting the current month's data 5. The data series starts from January 2025 NdFeB Production and Operating Rate Forecast 1. Discontinued two data series: [Production - Forecast] and [Operating rate - Forecast]. 2. These will be replaced by two alternative data series: [NdFeB - Monthly production schedule expectation] and [NdFeB - Monthly operating rate expectation]. The above data adjustments will officially take effect on September 10, 2025. Users can then query the aforementioned data in the SMM data terminal. For any inquiries, please contact the SMM Rare Earth Research Team. SMM Rare Earth Research Team Shi Xin Contact: shixin@smm.cn
DataSep 8, 2025 18:51Dear users, On August 29, 2025, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardization Administration of China jointly issued the "Secondary Lead Ingot (GB/T 21181-2025)" (hereinafter referred to as the "new national standard"), which will officially take effect on March 1, 2026. Compared to the "Secondary Lead and Lead Alloy Ingot (GB/T 21181-2017)" (hereinafter referred to as the "old national standard"), the new national standard revised the scope. It changed from "This standard applies to secondary lead and its alloy ingots produced by smelting and processing using lead-containing scrap as raw material, mainly used in batteries, alloys, chemical industry, and other fields" to "This document applies to secondary lead ingots produced by pyrometallurgical smelting and processing using waste lead-acid batteries and recycled lead and lead alloy materials as raw materials, mainly used in lead-acid batteries, alloys, chemical industry, and other fields." Regarding secondary lead grades, the ZSPb99.994 and ZSPb99.992 secondary lead ingot grades were deleted the ZSPb99.990, ZSPb99.986, and ZSPb99.983 secondary lead ingot grades were added. Details are as follows: With the development and changes in the secondary lead industry, the actual production and use of secondary lead in the market in recent years have already diverged significantly from the old national standard. In addition to changes in the main element lead content, the bismuth (Bi) content has also undergone substantial changes. According to SMM's understanding of major producers and users of secondary lead, the distribution by bismuth content usage is as follows: enterprises using bismuth content ≤0.008% account for about 15% those using ≤0.012% account for about 60% and those using ≤0.015% account for about 25%. Furthermore, based on its price assessment methodology, SMM solicited market suggestions on the specifications for the secondary refined lead price. Market feedback recommended that the price collection standard for SMM's secondary refined lead price reference the new national standard for secondary lead, with grade ZSPb99.99 accounting for 24%, grade ZSPb99.986 for 66%, and grade ZSPb99.983 for 10%. Considering that the current actual usage in the secondary lead market covers the three grades specified in the new national standard for secondary lead, SMM will define the specifications for the national and regional prices of secondary refined lead as ZSPb99.983-99.99%, based on real market transaction conditions. The new standard will be officially implemented from January 1, 2026, serving as the reference standard for SMM's price assessments. During this period, SMM will continue to collect suggestions and feedback from all parties, closely follow changes in the lead industry chain market, and identify and optimize SMM prices to better serve the industry! For any questions regarding prices, please contact lead analyst Wenming Xia at 021-51666839. SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. Lead and Zinc Research Division December 25, 2025
PriceDec 25, 2025 09:41SMM is delisting 11 price points for various automotive steels, effective February 6, 2026, due to market changes.
PriceJan 26, 2026 19:33