China Rare Earth Industry Association Reports 258.8 Price Index as Western Heavy Rare Earth Prices Diverge

Highlights

• CREIA reported a 258.8 rare earth price index on October 26, with dysprosium oxide at $209–215/kg and terbium oxide at $950–959/kg inside China.
• REEx estimates ex-China dysprosium oxide at $2,500–5,500/kg and terbium oxide at $10,000–13,000/kg, reflecting severe scarcity outside the Chinese state-directed system.
• Serra Verde's U.S. government offtake agreement sets price floors of $575/kg for dysprosium and $2,050/kg for terbium, but these are contract-specific, not industry-wide benchmarks.
• S&P Global assessed North American dysprosium at $3,250/kg and terbium at $7,500/kg in September, confirming significant premiums over Chinese published prices.
• Western buyers face fragmented price discovery, export licensing barriers, and qualification requirements that make availability—not just price—the critical procurement challenge.