# Cerium Price per kg (United States)

As of October 2026, the US benchmark price of cerium is $2.10 per kg contained.

Source: https://www.stockatomics.com/commodities/cerium-price-us
Category: Critical Minerals (https://www.stockatomics.com/commodities/critical-minerals)
Lists: US Critical Minerals List, EU Critical Raw Materials Act

## Key figures

| Figure | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Price per kg contained | $2.10 |
| Price type | Stockatomics monthly benchmark |
| Price month | October 2026 |
| 1-month change | - |
| 6-month change | - |
| 1-year change | +40.9% |
| 5-year change | - |
| 12-month high | $2.10 |
| 12-month low | $2.10 |
| Last updated | 18 October 2026 |

## Price summary

In the past year the monthly price has moved between $2.10 and $2.10. Measured over the past year, cerium is +40.9%.

## Cerium monthly prices

USD per kg contained, newest first.

| Month | Price | Change |
| --- | --- | --- |
| October 2026 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| September 2026 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| August 2026 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| July 2026 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| June 2026 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| May 2026 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| April 2026 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| March 2026 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| February 2026 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| January 2026 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| December 2025 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| November 2025 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| October 2025 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| September 2025 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| August 2025 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| July 2025 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| June 2025 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| May 2025 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| April 2025 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| March 2025 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| February 2025 | $2.10 | 0.0% |
| January 2025 | $2.10 | +40.9% |
| December 2024 | $1.49 | 0.0% |
| November 2024 | $1.49 | 0.0% |
| October 2024 | $1.49 | 0.0% |
| September 2024 | $1.49 | 0.0% |
| August 2024 | $1.49 | 0.0% |
| July 2024 | $1.49 | 0.0% |
| June 2024 | $1.49 | 0.0% |
| May 2024 | $1.49 | 0.0% |
| April 2024 | $1.49 | 0.0% |
| March 2024 | $1.49 | 0.0% |
| February 2024 | $1.49 | 0.0% |
| January 2024 | $1.49 | +17.3% |
| December 2023 | $1.27 | 0.0% |
| November 2023 | $1.27 | 0.0% |
| October 2023 | $1.27 | 0.0% |
| September 2023 | $1.27 | 0.0% |
| August 2023 | $1.27 | 0.0% |
| July 2023 | $1.27 | 0.0% |
| June 2023 | $1.27 | 0.0% |
| May 2023 | $1.27 | 0.0% |
| April 2023 | $1.27 | 0.0% |
| March 2023 | $1.27 | 0.0% |
| February 2023 | $1.27 | 0.0% |
| January 2023 | $1.27 | −28.7% |
| December 2022 | $1.78 | 0.0% |
| November 2022 | $1.78 | 0.0% |
| October 2022 | $1.78 | 0.0% |
| September 2022 | $1.78 | 0.0% |
| August 2022 | $1.78 | 0.0% |
| July 2022 | $1.78 | 0.0% |
| June 2022 | $1.78 | 0.0% |
| May 2022 | $1.78 | 0.0% |
| April 2022 | $1.78 | 0.0% |
| March 2022 | $1.78 | 0.0% |
| February 2022 | $1.78 | 0.0% |
| January 2022 | $1.78 | −5.8% |
| December 2021 | $1.89 | 0.0% |
| November 2021 | $1.89 | 0.0% |
| October 2021 | $1.89 | 0.0% |
| September 2021 | $1.89 | 0.0% |
| August 2021 | $1.89 | 0.0% |
| July 2021 | $1.89 | 0.0% |
| June 2021 | $1.89 | 0.0% |
| May 2021 | $1.89 | 0.0% |
| April 2021 | $1.89 | 0.0% |
| March 2021 | $1.89 | 0.0% |
| February 2021 | $1.89 | 0.0% |
| January 2021 | $1.89 | - |

## What cerium is used for

Cerium (Ce) is the most abundant rare earth, and much of it is used as **cerium oxide polishing powder**, which gives glass, screens, lenses and silicon wafers their flawless finish. It is also a workhorse of **catalysis**: in car catalytic converters it stores and releases oxygen, and in oil refining it helps crack heavy crude into petrol. Because it comes out of the ground with neodymium and praseodymium, cerium is often in surplus.

### Other uses

- Glass decolourising and UV-blocking glass
- Lighter flints, through the alloy mischmetal
- Steel and aluminum alloy additive
- Self-cleaning oven linings

## Cerium supply and demand factors

Cerium is the rare earth most often in **surplus**: it makes up a large part of every light rare earth ore, so producers separate more than the market needs while chasing the more valuable neodymium and praseodymium. Its price is therefore set less by its own demand than by how much magnet metal the industry is producing. Polishing powders and catalysts give it a steady floor.

### What moves the price

- Rare earth mining quotas and output in China
- Magnet-driven separation volumes
- Glass polishing and catalyst demand
- Stockpiling and export policy

## Cerium price history

Cerium's price history is a lesson in rare earth bubbles. In 2011, when China slashed its export quotas, cerium oxide prices rocketed, then collapsed once supply returned and users cut back. Since then cerium has mostly been in surplus, a by-product of the hunt for magnet rare earths.

As of October 2026, the Stockatomics benchmark price is $2.10 per kg contained.

## Where cerium is produced

**China** mines and separates most of the world's cerium, alongside other light rare earths. The **United States**, **Australia** and Myanmar mine rare earth concentrate, with separation outside China growing but still small.

## Why cerium is a critical mineral

Cerium is on the **US critical minerals list**, and the light rare earths, cerium among them, are on the **EU critical raw materials list**. Separation, rather than mining, is the bottleneck, and it is concentrated in China.

## How the cerium benchmark price is calculated

Stockatomics publishes a US benchmark price for cerium in US dollars per kg contained, reading as of October 2026. The price is quoted per kg of oxide, the form in which separated rare earths are usually sold, not for a mixed rare earth concentrate. US trade in cerium is thin, so its price moves less often than those of the higher-volume minerals.

### Converting the price

- Cerium oxide contains about 81% cerium, so a kilogram of oxide carries about 0.81 kg of cerium

## FAQ

### What is the price of cerium per kg today?

As of October 2026, the US benchmark price of cerium is $2.10 per kg contained. Stockatomics updates it every month.

### Is cerium a rare earth?

Yes. It is the most abundant rare earth element, part of the light rare earth group.

### Why is cerium cheap compared with other rare earths?

Every light rare earth ore contains a lot of cerium, so producers separate more of it than the market needs while chasing neodymium and praseodymium.

### What is cerium used for?

Polishing glass and screens, catalytic converters, oil refining catalysts and glass decolourising.

### How is the cerium benchmark price calculated?

The Stockatomics benchmark for cerium is a monthly US price in US dollars per kg contained, published every month and current as of October 2026.

## Related commodities

- [Lithium price per kg](https://www.stockatomics.com/commodities/lithium-price-us): $89.62 per kg contained
- [Copper price per kg](https://www.stockatomics.com/commodities/copper-price-us): $13.92 per kg contained
- [Cobalt price per kg](https://www.stockatomics.com/commodities/cobalt-price-us): $56.81 per kg contained
- [Nickel price per kg](https://www.stockatomics.com/commodities/nickel-price-us): $17.24 per kg contained
- [Graphite price per kg](https://www.stockatomics.com/commodities/graphite-price-us): $1.17 per kg graphite
- [Gallium price per kg](https://www.stockatomics.com/commodities/gallium-price-us): $1,530 per kg contained

## Sources

- U.S. trade data: the monthly cerium price.
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): the US critical minerals list.
- Company filings: the listed companies and their roles.

Last updated 18 October 2026.