Holmium Price Today: Oxide Benchmark & Market Outlook

Last updated: 3 September 2026 · Updated monthly · Source: Shanghai Metals Market (SMM)

The holmium price stands at $85,072.95 per tonne — equivalent to $85.07 per kilogram — for holmium oxide on the Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) industrial benchmark as of 3 September 2026, up 7.14% from $79,404.86/tonne ($79.40/kg) at the August benchmark. The VAT-excluded, delivered-to-works China price ranged from $84,744.48 to $85,401.42 per tonne ($84.74–$85.40/kg) intraday on 3 September. SMM tracks holmium oxide as the primary benchmark; holmium-iron alloy, the direct industrial form for magnet applications, currently trades at $96,503.60/tonne ($96.50/kg) on a separate SMM contract, up 7.55% month-on-month.

Holmium is a heavy lanthanide rare earth element with a combination of physical properties that sets it apart from the broader rare earth complex. It holds the highest magnetic moment of any naturally occurring element at 10.6 μB, and possesses the highest magnetic permeability and magnetic saturation of any element — properties that make it the material of choice for pole pieces in the world’s strongest static magnets. Global annual production is estimated at approximately 10 tonnes, placing holmium among the lowest-volume commercially traded rare earths. For background on holmium’s properties and applications, see the holmium overview.

Current Holmium Price

Holmium pricing varies by form and end-use tier. SMM tracks two holmium contracts — oxide and holmium-iron alloy — and the spread between them has continued to widen this month, consistent with the trend since July. Retail and research-grade metal prices carry a substantial premium over the industrial oxide benchmark. The table below reflects current pricing across key market tiers.

Western retail prices carry a substantial premium over both SMM benchmarks due to high-purity refining, small-lot packaging, and distribution costs. Buyers sourcing for magnet pole piece applications typically contract on the HoFe alloy specification; those sourcing for laser crystal growth or optical calibration standards use the oxide.

Holmium Price History

Holmium prices followed the heavy rare earth complex through the 2011 Chinese export quota crisis before normalising at significantly lower levels post-2013. Unlike dysprosium and terbium — whose prices have remained structurally elevated by magnet demand growth — holmium’s narrower application base has produced more range-bound pricing since the post-quota correction. Its extremely low production volume means price data has historically been sparse and less frequently published than higher-volume heavy rare earths.

What Is Driving Holmium Prices

Holmium demand is concentrated in a small number of technically demanding applications. Its extraordinary magnetic properties — the highest magnetic moment and magnetic saturation of any element — make it the preferred material for pole pieces in high-field electromagnets and magnetic flux concentrators. Research facilities operating superconducting magnets above 10 Tesla routinely use holmium pole pieces to extend the effective field strength beyond what the superconducting coils alone achieve. It is also used in the manufacture of certain permanent magnets where its addition modifies magnetic properties in specific high-performance formulations.

Solid-state laser applications are the second major demand stream. Holmium-doped yttrium iron garnet (Ho:YIG) and holmium-doped yttrium lithium fluoride crystals emit at 2.1 micrometres — a wavelength with strong water absorption that makes holmium lasers highly effective in soft tissue surgical procedures. Medical uses include kidney stone fragmentation, prostate enucleation, and orthopaedic applications. The 2.1 micrometre wavelength also serves atmospheric sensing and range-finding applications in defence platforms.

Holmium’s high neutron absorption cross-section makes it a burnable poison in nuclear reactor control — consumed over the reactor fuel cycle rather than recovered, providing a repeating demand stream independent of industrial commodity cycles. Optical calibration standards using holmium oxide solutions are established reference materials for spectrophotometer calibration across the 200–900 nm spectral range, representing consistent demand from analytical instrumentation manufacturers. USGS Rare Earths Statistics does not publish a standalone global holmium production figure, tracking it within the broader heavy rare earth complex.

Holmium-166 and the Medical Demand Signal

Holmium-166 (Ho-166) is a radioactive isotope produced by neutron irradiation of holmium-165 — the only naturally occurring stable holmium isotope. Ho-166 has a half-life of approximately 26.8 hours and emits both beta particles and gamma rays, making it suitable for targeted radioembolisation therapy. Clinical applications include treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) using holmium-166 poly(L-lactic acid) microspheres, which can be administered with personalised dosimetry. Ho-166 is also under investigation for targeted cancer therapies across additional indications.

Like lutetium-177 in the lutetium market, the Ho-166 medical application does not consume large commodity volumes — treatments are measured in milligrams — but it drives demand for high-purity holmium feedstock and MRI contrast agent applications where holmium enhances imaging. As Ho-166 therapy receives broader regulatory approval, feedstock demand will grow on a trajectory that is pharmaceutical in character and largely price-insensitive relative to the industrial oxide market.

Western Holmium Supply Development

No dedicated Western holmium production facility currently operates at commercial scale. Holmium constitutes approximately 1.5% of the rare earth oxide content of southern Chinese ionic clay deposits, and would be recovered as a co-product from HREE separation circuits at projects advancing in North America, Australia, and Europe. At 10 tonnes per year estimated global production, holmium’s supply base cannot meaningfully expand without a corresponding increase in total HREE processing throughput.

China is the dominant producer, recovering holmium from ionic clay deposits in Jiangxi, Fujian, and Guangdong provinces as part of heavy rare earth separation circuits. For the broader supply context, see the top rare earth producing countries and the China rare earth overview.

Holmium Price Outlook

The near-term holmium price outlook has firmed again, with the oxide benchmark up 7.14% into September after August’s 3.96% pullback and July’s 18.1% surge — a choppy but net-upward pattern over the past three updates. Chinese export licensing controls sustain a structural procurement premium for Western buyers accessing industrial material outside China’s domestic market.

Medium-term outlook is modestly constructive. Nuclear energy expansion — with new reactor builds accelerating across Asia, Europe, and North America — adds a structural burnable poison demand increment that grows on a multi-year horizon. Ho-166 radioembolisation therapy, if it follows a similar regulatory approval trajectory to Lu-177 targeted therapies, would add a pharmaceutical demand stream for enriched holmium feedstock that is independent of commodity price sensitivity. For comparison with adjacent heavy rare earth price structures, see the erbium price page and the broader rare earth elements guide. The magnet application comparison with dysprosium illustrates how differently holmium’s specialised demand profile prices relative to high-volume magnet rare earths.

Holmium Price Per Gram, Ounce and Pound

The conversion table below is calculated from the SMM holmium oxide industrial benchmark and updated monthly. The SMM benchmark is quoted per tonne; per-kilogram and smaller unit conversions are shown for reference.

Holmium Price in GBP, EUR and Other Currencies

Currency conversions are calculated from the SMM industrial benchmark using approximate exchange rates at the time of publication and are for reference only. For live rates, consult your preferred currency provider.

Prices are calculated from the SMM industrial benchmark and updated monthly. For holmium-iron alloy and retail metal prices, see the Current Holmium Price table above.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Prices are subject to change without notice.