Samarium Price per kg (United States)

Over the past 12 months it has ranged from $3.27 to $3.27 per kg contained.

Over one year the price has changed +40.3%.

Samarium (Sm) is used mostly in samarium-cobalt magnets, which hold their strength at very high temperatures and resist corrosion and demagnetisation. That makes them the magnet of choice in defence and aerospace: guided munitions, aircraft actuators, satellites and high-performance sensors. Samarium-153 is also used in medicine to ease the pain of bone cancer.

Other uses

• Neutron absorbers in nuclear reactors
• Infrared-absorbing glass
• Catalysts in chemical production
• Lasers and optical materials

Samarium is a by-product of rare earth separation, mostly in China, and its market is small. Demand is concentrated in samarium-cobalt magnets for defence and aerospace, where reliability at high temperatures matters more than cost. China's export controls on samarium have raised concerns about Western defence supply chains.

What moves the price

• Chinese export controls
• Defence and aerospace procurement
• Cobalt prices, which affect samarium-cobalt magnet costs
• New separation capacity outside China

Samarium was a low-priced by-product for years, with surplus supply from rare earth separation. China's 2025 export controls on samarium have raised its strategic profile, given its role in defence magnets.

As of October 2026, the Stockatomics benchmark price is $3.27 per kg contained.

Samarium is separated from rare earth ores, mostly in China, as part of the medium rare earth stream. Small amounts are separated elsewhere, and new projects in the US, Europe and Australia aim to add supply outside China.

Samarium is on the US critical minerals list, and the light rare earths are on the EU critical raw materials list. High-temperature magnets in defence systems depend on it, separated supply is concentrated in China, and China has placed it under export control.

Stockatomics publishes a US benchmark price for samarium in US dollars per kg contained, reading as of October 2026. The price is quoted per kg of oxide, not for a finished magnet. US trade in samarium is thin, so its price moves less often than those of the higher-volume minerals.

Converting the price

• Samarium oxide contains about 86% samarium