SCARCEEARTH

SCARCEEARTH

Critical Minerals Intelligence

Commodity prices are hand-maintained; each card shows the date it was last checked. Stock quotes reflect previous close daily. Policy countdowns and export controls updated as events develop.

Hand-maintained prices, policy countdowns, export controls, and supply-chain risk for the minerals powering energy, defense, and AI infrastructure.

The materials the digital economy runs on are controlled by one country. These are the prices, the chokepoints, and the countdowns.

Hand-verifiedNewest price check Oct 11, 2026
36minerals tracked
7active export controls
78days to DFARS
03

Policy Countdown

Time remaining until key regulatory deadlines reshape demand and procurement.

Imminent
26
Days Remaining

China Rare-Earth Controls Suspension

Suspension of expanded export controls expires unless extended

November 10, 2026
Imminent
78
Days Remaining

DFARS 252.225-7052

U.S. domestic rare-earth requirement takes effect

January 1, 2027
Tracked
1,174
Days Remaining

EU Critical Raw Materials Act

Domestic production / refining targets due

January 1, 2030
01

Commodity Prices

Prices for 36 critical and precious minerals, each maintained by hand, with the date it was last checked shown on the card.

▶About this data

Every price on this site is maintained manually, and each card shows the date it was last checked — none is a live feed. Precious metals are the Kitco spot assessment; base metals are LME cash settlement prices as published by Westmetall; lithium is a Fastmarkets weekly assessment and uranium a CME UxC futures settlement. Rare earth and specialty mineral prices sourced from Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) domestic China industrial benchmark, converted to USD, and dated on each card. Praseodymium and neodymium oxide use Mysteel's China-domestic market price (SMM's tables for those two are subscription-gated), converted to USD excluding 13% VAT. Stock quotes reflect previous close via Finnhub. All prices are for informational purposes only.

Precious
4
Gold
XAU · USD/oz
— —
—
4,193.60
oz
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Silver
XAG · USD/oz
— —
—
60.70
oz
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Platinum
XPT · USD/oz
— —
—
1,685.00
oz
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Palladium
XPD · USD/oz
— —
—
1,132.00
oz
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Industrial
5
Copper
XCU · USD/lb
— —
—
6.66
lb
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Aluminum
ALU · USD/t
— —
—
3,055.50
t
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Zinc
ZNC · USD/t
— —
—
3,840.00
t
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Tin
TIN · USD/t
— —
—
52,900.00
t
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Iron Ore
IRON · USD/t
— —
—
97.06
t
date not recorded
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Battery
5
Lithium
LITHIUM · USD/t
— —
—
16,850.00
t
checked Oct 11, 2026
Deep Dive →
Cobalt
LCO · USD/t
— —
—
53,308.00
t
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Nickel
NI · USD/t
— —
—
15,545.00
t
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Manganese
MN · USD/t
— —
—
2,314.00
t
date not recorded
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Graphite
NA-GR · USD/t
— —
—
347.00
t
date not recorded
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Rare Earth
8
Neodymium
ND · USD/kg
— —
—
100.96
kg
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now

Nd oxide, SMM domestic China industrial benchmark. Not NdPr mixed oxide (upstream feedstock).

Deep Dive →
Dysprosium
DYS · USD/kg
— —
—
233.68
kg
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
~$930/kg
Private-investor retail · strategicmetalsinvest Aug 21 · export control spread
Deep Dive →
Terbium
TERBIUM · USD/kg
— —
—
864.00
kg
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
~$4,029/kg
Private-investor retail, small-lot · vs $864.10/kg SMM domestic oxide (ex-VAT, Sept 30) · strategicmetalsinvest Aug 21 · export control spread
Deep Dive →
Yttrium
YTTRIUM · USD/kg
— —
—
34.89
kg
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
$1,175–1,200+/kg
Ex-China Western · no named assessment series · not comparable to domestic metal · export control spread
Deep Dive →
Praseodymium
PRASEODYMIUM · USD/kg
— —
—
101.62
kg
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
NdPr $97.78/kg
NdPr mixed oxide SMM-RE-OX-001 · Oct 2026 · export control spread · export control spread
Deep Dive →
Scandium
SCANDIUM · USD/kg
— —
—
3,093.79
kg
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
~$9,700/kg
Western retail, April 2026 assessment · export control spread · export control spread
Deep Dive →
Lanthanum
LTH · USD/kg
— —
—
2.87
kg
date not recorded
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Samarium
SAMARIUM · USD/kg
— —
—
9.87
kg
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
Energy
2
Vanadium
VANADIUM · USD/lb
— —
—
5.35
lb
date not recorded
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Uranium
URANIUM · USD/lb
— —
—
89.48
lb
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Specialty
12
Tungsten
TUNGSTEN · USD/mtu
— —
—
784.40
mtu
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
~$2,900/mtu
APT CIF Rotterdam · vs $784/mtu China domestic ex-VAT · SMM Oct 8 2026 · export control spread
Deep Dive →
Molybdenum
MO · USD/lb
— —
—
33.30
lb
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Titanium
TITANIUM · USD/kg
— —
—
7.75
kg
date not recorded
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Magnesium
MG · USD/t
— —
—
2,240.00
t
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Antimony
ANTIMONY · USD/t
— —
—
13,296.72
t
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
~$51,800/t
Western spot · export control spread
Deep Dive →
Bismuth
BMTH · USD/kg
— —
—
16.97
kg
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
~$67/kg
Private-investor retail · strategicmetalsinvest Jul 22 · vs $20/kg SMM domestic · export control spread
Deep Dive →
Hafnium
HAF · USD/kg
— —
—
12,508.20
kg
date not recorded
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Rhenium
RHENIUM · USD/kg
— —
—
5,759.72
kg
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Gallium
GALLIUM · USD/kg
— —
—
230.08
kg
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
Deep Dive →
Germanium
GER · USD/kg
— —
—
3,603.24
kg
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
~$8,598/kg
Private-investor retail · strategicmetalsinvest Aug 7 · export control spread
Deep Dive →
Indium
INDIUM · USD/kg
— —
—
694.20
kg
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
~$972/kg
Private-investor retail · strategicmetalsinvest Jul 16 · domestic and Western industrial converged · export control spread
Deep Dive →
Tellurium
TE · USD/kg
— —
—
105.58
kg
checked Oct 11, 2026
Jan '23 – now
~$243/kg
Private-investor retail · strategicmetalsinvest, date unconfirmed · vs $121/kg SMM domestic · export control spread
Deep Dive →
The Week in Minerals

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02

Equity Watchlist — Critical Minerals

Public miners, processors, and explorers grouped by exposure. Prices as of previous close — updated daily via Finnhub.

04

Export Restriction Tracker

Current trade controls on critical mineral flows. Severity reflects estimated impact on global supply.

JurisdictionMeasureStatusSeverity
ChinaGallium & Germanium export restrictionsActiveSevere
ChinaGraphite export controlsActiveHigh
ChinaRare-earth processing controlsActiveHigh
USAAntimony import restrictionsActiveModerate
IndonesiaNickel ore export banActiveModerate
ChinaMineral Resources Law — Implementation Regulations

36 minerals in national strategic catalog confirmed. Dynamic list mechanism — additions possible with 14 days notice. Foreign mining investment now subject to national security review.

79 articles, 8 chapters. Signed by Premier Li Qiang May 20, 2026. Gives Beijing authority to set total mineral output quotas, conduct security reviews on foreign mining investment, and establish formal physical, capacity, and in-ground strategic reserves.

Active

Active — June 15, 2026

Severe
ChinaSolvent extraction reagent export controls — P507, P204, N235, C272. Process chemicals required to operate every commercial-scale rare earth separation plant outside China. C272 extends controls into battery metals processing.

Rare earth separation reagents (all REE supply chains); battery metals processing via C272

Controls implemented by MoFCOM November 2025. Currently suspended until November 10, 2026 — not lifted, paused. Can be reactivated at any time for any destination. A fully constructed separation facility cannot operate without ongoing extractant supply if controls resume.

Pending

Suspended · expires Nov 10, 2026

Severe
ChinaOutbound Investment Regulations (National Order No. 837)

Critical minerals broadly (integrates export controls into outbound investment framework)

Issued May 5, published June 1. Integrates export control restrictions into outbound investment activity. Creates legal basis for countermeasures against foreign entities. Directly relevant to mining sector supply chain relationships.

Active

takes effect July 1, 2026

Severe
05

Supply Chain Risk

Single-country or single-region concentration across each link in the critical-minerals chain.

Rare Earth Processing

Heavy & light REEs processed almost entirely inside China.

Critical
China controlled90%

Lithium Refining

Refining capacity concentration despite distributed mining.

High
China controlled65%

Cobalt Supply

Single-country mining exposure with ESG complications.

High
DRC sourced70%

Gallium / Germanium

Export licensing active; thin substitution options.

Critical
China controlled80%

Graphite Anode

Synthetic & spherical anode processing largely China-only.

Critical
China controlled95%

Nickel Processing

Indonesia's HPAL build-out shifts global pricing.

Moderate
Indonesia dominant50%

Tungsten Supply

Domestic China APT ~$784/mtu vs Rotterdam CIF ~$2,900/mtu — a ~3.7x price divergence reflecting export control decoupling. Almonty's Sangdong mine (South Korea) commissioned Phase 1 in March 2026, designed to supply ~40% of Western demand at full capacity. Source: Almonty Industries press release March 16, 2026; SMM Jul 2026; Fastmarkets.

Critical
China controlled88%

Yttrium Refining

Scarcity is industrial, not geological — ore is distributed globally but ~99% of refining is China-based. Domestic price ~$38/kg; international CIF $270–320/kg after April 2025 export controls. Peak quotes over $1,500/kg. Widest export-control-driven price split on this site.

Critical
China controlled99%

Sulfuric Acid

Dual chokepoint — the Mahshahr petrochemical complex in Iran (one of the largest sulfur export hubs on the Persian Gulf) was struck by Israeli airstrikes on June 8–9, 2026. The Hormuz closure cuts what moves. The Mahshahr strike cuts what gets made. Two simultaneous chokepoints on the same supply chain.

Critical
Persian Gulf sourced45%

Tungsten Hexafluoride (WF6)

Kanto Denka and Central Glass permanently halted WF6 production July 1, 2026. Japan controlled 25% of global WF6 — the critical CVD precursor for memory chips and 3nm+ logic. No alternative source identified after five months of stockpile drawdown. China's tungsten export controls reduced high-purity tungsten powder shipments to Japan to near zero in early 2026.

Critical
China controlled75%

REE Solvent Extraction Reagents

China's MoFCOM implemented export controls on P507, P204, N235, and C272 solvent extraction reagents in November 2025 — the process chemicals required to operate every commercial-scale rare earth separation plant outside China. Currently suspended until November 10, 2026. Controls can be reactivated at any time for any destination.

Critical
China controlled80%
06

The Reagent Layer

Processing chemicals that make the supply chain work

Sulfuric Acid
H₂SO₄
$90/t
Jul '22 – now

The solvent that dissolves ore into metal. Nearly half the world's traded sulfur comes from the Persian Gulf.

Deep Dive →
Hydrofluoric Acid
HF
$1,770/t
Jul '22 – now

No chip can be fabricated without it. China controls 62% of the fluorspar feedstock that makes it.

Deep Dive →
Sodium Cyanide
NaCN
$1,780/t
Jul '22 – now

The chemical that extracts 90% of the world's gold. China makes 40–45% of global supply.

Deep Dive →
Solvent Extraction Reagents
D2EHPA · PC88A · Cyanex 272
Contract-Negotiated

The organic chemicals that separate neodymium from praseodymium. China runs 85–91% of global rare earth separation capacity.

Deep Dive →
Oxalic Acid
C₂H₂O₄
$420/t
Jul '22 – now

The final precipitation step in rare earth processing. Consumed every cycle, sourced 70% from China, absent from most supply chain risk maps.

Deep Dive →
Tungsten Hexafluoride
WF₆
$267/kg
Jul '22 – now

Japan's two WF6 producers permanently halted July 1, 2026 — removing 25% of global high-end capacity. The CVD precursor gas advanced chips require has no confirmed replacement at commercial scale.

Deep Dive →
Helium
He
Contract-Negotiated

China export ban Jul 10 2026 — Ras Laffan offline since Mar 2026. Noble gas required for semiconductor EUV lithography, wafer cooling, CVD/ALD purge cycles, and MRI superconducting magnets.

Deep Dive →
06

Latest Intelligence

Keyword-filtered headlines from nine industry and defense sources. Only articles relevant to critical minerals, export controls, and strategic supply chains surface here.