The minerals behind batteries, magnets and the power grid, and the supply chains that bring them to market. We cover individual elements, prices and the policies that shape who produces what. Start with what critical minerals are, then explore the rare earth elements and key metals such as neodymium.
China’s rare earth export controls are back on the calendar. In November 2025, Beijing suspended a sweeping package of new controls for one year, until November 10, 2026. In September 2026 the wider US–China trade truce was extended to January 10, 2027, but China has not yet published a legal notice moving the rare earth…
Neodymium is the rare earth that makes the strongest magnets possible. Here is what it is, what it is used for, where it comes from and what it costs.
Terbium is one of the rarest rare earths. A fraction of a percent keeps neodymium magnets working when they get hot. Here is what it is used for, where it comes from and why it costs so much more outside China.
A cerium magnet is a neodymium magnet in which part of the neodymium has been replaced with cerium, the cheapest and most plentiful rare earth. It is not a new magnet family so much as a cost-cutting recipe for the existing one, and it has quietly become one of the biggest product lines in China’s…
Cerium is the most abundant rare earth and the hardest to sell. Here is what it is used for, how cerium oxide polishes glass, and why every new magnet mine makes a cerium surplus.
Praseodymium is the “green twin” of neodymium and makes up about a quarter of the rare earths in most strong magnets. Here is what it does, where it comes from, and who produces it.
Dysprosium (Dy) is the heavy rare earth that keeps EV and wind turbine magnets working when they get hot. Here is what it does, why its supply is so fragile, and how magnet makers are learning to use less of it, or none at all.
There are 17 rare earth elements, and despite the name most are not rare. Here is the complete list, what each one does, why they are so hard to separate, and why China’s dominance matters.
What makes a mineral “critical”, the full US list of 60 critical minerals, how the EU list differs, and why lithium, nickel, copper and rare earths matter for clean energy.