Rare Earths: Worldwide Markets, Applications, Technologies

Report Highlights

The global market for rare earths increased from 111.5 thousand metric tons of equivalent rare earth oxides (REO) in 2009 to 141.3 thousand metric tons in 2010, and is estimated to reach 158.2 thousand metric tons by the end of 2011. Consequently, the total market for rare earths is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 10.3% through 2016, leading to the consumption of nearly 258 billion tons of REO in 2016.

Report Scope

This study provides an updated review of rare earth materials, sources, pricing, and production processes, and identifies current and emerging applications for these materials.

BCC Research determines the current market status of rare earths, defines trends, and presents growth forecasts over the next 5 years. Supply and sourcing issues, including the latest developments, are also discussed.

BCC Research analyzes the rare earth industry on a worldwide basis from the standpoint of both manufacturing and consumption, and provides profiles of leading industry players.

A detailed U.S. patent analysis provides further insight regarding market and technological developments.

More specifically, BCC’s market analysis is divided into seven parts.

In the first part, a historical review of rare earths is provided, including an outline of recent events. In this section, current and emerging applications for these materials are also identified and divided by sector (e.g., metallurgical/mechanical, chemical, energy, and electronics).

In the second part, the latest process developments and improvements related to rare earth production are outlined, followed by a summary of global production by country.

The third part of the report provides a detailed analysis of the geographical distribution of rare earth sources, discussing the major rare earth mining activities in each country, including supplying an updated assessment of world reserves, a status report on the most important mining projects, and global production forecasts.

Past, present and future price trends are presented and discussed in the fourth section.

The fifth part of the report entails a global market analysis of rare earths. Global consumption of rare earths (in metric tons) are presented by industry/application and by element, with actual data referring to the years 2009 and 2010, and estimated data for 2011. Global rare earth revenues (data in millions of dollars) by industry are also provided.

This section also offers a presentation of market growth trends based on industry growth and technological trends. Projected consumption for rare earths is reported with forecast CAGRs (compound annual growth rates) for the period 2011 through 2016. For permanent magnets, the market numbers include production data for both sintered and bonded Neo magnets.

In the sixth part, covering global industry structure, the report provides a complete list of rare earth suppliers with a description of their products. The analysis includes a description of the geographical distribution of these firms and an evaluation of production versus consumption for rare earths, always from a geographical standpoint. Detailed company profiles of the top industry players are also provided.

The seventh and final section includes an extensive analysis of U.S. patents, with a summary of patents related to rare earth materials, processes, and applications, issued during the period 2009 through 2011. Patent analysis is performed by region, country, assignee, patent category, application, and material type.

Analyst Credentials

Margareth Gagliardi, Chief Research Analyst in Advanced Materials for BCC Research, has more than 30 years of experience in the field of advanced materials, specializing in ceramic formulations, materials processing, and new product development. After receiving her degrees in Chemical and Ceramic Engineering, she worked in both manufacturing and R&D holding senior management positions within U.S. and European firms producing electronic, mechanical, chemical, and structural components.

She is currently focusing on market intelligence and advanced technologies analysis for organizations and research institutions that operate within a range of high-tech industries.