Highlights

• Ganzhou-based Qiandong Rare Earth Group led ISO 5976:2025, establishing a global standard for measuring loss on ignition—a key quality metric affecting rare earth pricing and trade settlement.
• Standards-setting has become strategic leverage: defining how quality is measured shapes compliance costs, market access, and competitive advantage beyond mining capacity alone.
• Ganzhou's leadership in 8 international, 133 national, and 108 industry standards reflects deliberate infrastructure for rule-making in global rare earth supply chains.

---

This Rare Earth Exchanges (REEx) brief examines a newly issued international rare earth standard led by a Ganzhou-based producer and explains why standards—not just mines—are becoming a decisive source of global supply-chain power. We assess what is factual, what is strategic signaling, and why this development matters for investors and Western manufacturers.

What Was Announced—and Why It Matters

On February 3, 2026, the Ganzhou Municipal Market Supervision Administration (opens in a new tab) announced the formal release of ISO 5976:2025, “Rare earth products—Determination of loss on ignition—Gravimetric method.” The standard was led by Qiandong Rare Earth Group and published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) following international committee approval.

This marks a meaningful milestone: a Ganzhou-based company has successfully led the development of an international standard governing a key quality metric in rare earth products. Loss on ignition (LOI) directly affects product purity, pricing, and trade settlement. A unified global method reduces ambiguity—and quietly shifts influence toward the standard-setter.

What’s Verifiably Solid

The technical pathway is credible. The standard was proposed in 2021, developed over four years, and reportedly validated through multiple rounds of testing with domestic and international institutions. Qiandong Rare Earth’s earlier participation in ISO rare-earth terminology standards (ISO 22444-1 and ISO 22444-2) is documented and reflects sustained engagement, not a one-off effort.

The outcome is a globally harmonized testing method for LOI—a non-trivial step that standardizes how buyers and sellers assess quality across borders.

The Strategic Subtext Investors Should Notice

Standards are leverage. By defining how quality is measured, the standard-setter shapes who comply easily and who bear adjustment costs. For producers already aligned with the method, compliance is straightforward; for others, it can be costly, slow, or exclusionary.

Ganzhou’s broader record reinforces this trajectory.

The city reports leadership or participation in 8 international, 133 national, and 108 industry standards, alongside dedicated platforms for metrology, testing, and certification in tungsten and rare earths. This is not accidental—it is infrastructure for rule-making.

POV Westward

Western discussions often focus on mining and processing capacity. This announcement highlights a quieter reality: global trade increasingly follows standards. As rare earth supply chains tighten—especially for magnets, batteries, and defense applications—control over testing, certification, and quality definitions can influence market access as much as tonnage.

For investors and manufacturers outside Asia, ISO 5976 is a reminder that the competitive battlefield includes laboratories and committees, not just pits and plants.

Source: Ganzhou Municipal Market Supervision Administration, Feb. 3, 2026

Disclosure: This item is translated and summarized from state-affiliated regional government media. All claims should be independently verified.