Prices as of

About this site

Methodology and sources

Four rules govern every number: one named price series, one date, one source for each context figure, and one data file behind every page.

Last reviewed 28 October 2026

1. The price series

Prices are private-investor reference prices for physical metal in US dollars per kilogram, as of 27 October 2026. They are metal prices, not oxide prices, and they are not an exchange or benchmark price. Full detail is on price sources and update schedule.

2. Calculated values

  • Per gram, per troy ounce, per pound, per tonne: the kilogram price divided or multiplied by the unit factor (1 kg = 1,000 g = 32.1507 troy ounces = 2.2046 lb).
  • Price on 1 January and in January 2020: back-calculated from the stated percentage change, so they carry the rounding of the source percentage. Pages label them "derived".
  • Ratios and comparisons (for example, reference price against a USGS annual average) are calculated from the figures shown on the page.

3. Benchmarks and supply data

Context figures come from the U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 (published February 2026, covering 2025 estimates), which in turn cites Argus Media, Asian Metal, Fastmarkets and the US Census Bureau for prices. We quote USGS values as printed and say when a table and its text disagree (the 2025 indium price is one example). USGS prices are annual averages for a defined form, purity and location, so they are context for the reference price, not a like-for-like comparison.

4. Government announcements

Chinese export-control dates and announcement numbers come from Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announcements as reported by Fastmarkets, law-firm notes and USGS. Where a date comes from secondary reporting only, the page says so. Check the original MOFCOM text before acting on a date.

5. How pages are built

Every price on the site, including the headline sentence, tables, charts, calculator, embed preview and structured data, is generated from one data file with one date. A price cannot differ between the title, the first sentence and the table.

Limits

  • The reference price can differ materially from wholesale benchmarks. On several pages it is a multiple of the latest USGS annual average.
  • Heavy rare earth production is not published by element, so we do not show it.
  • Prices can stay unchanged for weeks or months. The date on each page is the date the price last changed.

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