Samarium Price Today: Metal Benchmark & Market Outlook

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

The samarium price stands at $9,854.01 per tonne — equivalent to $9.85 per kilogram — for samarium metal on the Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) industrial benchmark as of 3 September 2026, up 0.5% from $9,803.07/tonne ($9.80/kg) at the August benchmark. The VAT-excluded, delivered-to-works China price ranged from $9,722.62 to $9,985.40 per tonne ($9.72–$9.99/kg) intraday on 3 September. Samarium prices are among the most geopolitically sensitive in the rare earth complex: China controls all of the world’s commercially usable samarium production, and the 2025 Chinese export licensing restrictions on samarium — alongside other rare earth metals — have introduced procurement risks for Western defence and aerospace manufacturers that the SMM domestic benchmark does not fully capture.

Samarium is a light-to-mid lanthanide rare earth element, more abundant in the Earth’s crust than tin or indium, but with supply almost entirely controlled by Chinese processing operations in Baotou. Its primary industrial application — samarium-cobalt (SmCo) permanent magnets — gives it strategic significance disproportionate to its commodity price, particularly in defence platforms where SmCo magnets are preferred over neodymium magnets for their ability to retain magnetisation at temperatures above 700°C. For background on samarium’s properties and applications, see the samarium overview.

Current Samarium Price

The samarium price market splits between the metal benchmark tracked by SMM and samarium oxide, the chemical intermediate used in non-magnet applications. Annual global production is estimated at approximately 700 tonnes — substantially higher than most other heavy rare earths — but effective Western supply is constrained by China’s dominance of the refining and separation infrastructure. The table below reflects current pricing across key market tiers.

The retail per-gram price (~$8.75/g = ~$8,750/kg) versus the industrial benchmark ($9.85/kg) illustrates the scale of the small-lot premium in samarium, driven by high-purity refining, packaging, and distribution costs for non-industrial quantities. Industrial SmCo magnet manufacturers contract directly at bulk metal rates close to the SMM benchmark.

Samarium Price History

Samarium’s price history is defined by China’s consolidation of the global supply chain and the 2011 export quota crisis. Unlike the magnet rare earths dysprosium and neodymium — which have seen structurally higher prices driven by EV demand — samarium has remained in a relatively low price range since post-quota normalisation, reflecting its higher global abundance and the maturity of its primary SmCo magnet market.

What Is Driving Samarium Prices

Samarium demand is dominated by samarium-cobalt permanent magnets, which come in two principal grades: SmCo₅ and Sm₂Co₁₇. SmCo magnets have permanent magnetisation second only to neodymium magnets, but critically retain their magnetic properties at temperatures above 700°C — far beyond the 300–400°C limit of neodymium magnets. This thermal stability makes SmCo magnets the preferred choice for defence applications, aerospace systems, and high-temperature industrial equipment where neodymium magnets would fail.

The defence dimension is material. A single F-35 fighter jet contains approximately 50 pounds (23kg) of samarium-cobalt magnets. Modern aircraft, precision-guided missiles, and naval systems depend on SmCo magnets for actuators, motors, and sensors that must function reliably under extreme thermal conditions. This creates a defence procurement dependency on samarium that Western governments are actively seeking to address — and that China’s 2025 export restrictions have brought into sharp focus. For the full context of China’s export control strategy, see the China rare earth export controls guide.

Secondary demand streams include samarium-153 radiopharmaceuticals — the isotope Sm-153, chelated as samarium lexidronam (Quadramet), is used to treat bone pain from metastatic cancers including lung, prostate, breast, and osteosarcoma. Samarium-149 is also a significant neutron absorber in nuclear reactor control rods. USGS Rare Earths Statistics estimates global samarium production at approximately 700 tonnes per year, with world resources estimated at two million tonnes concentrated in China, the United States, Brazil, India, Sri Lanka, and Australia.

The Geopolitics of Samarium Supply

Samarium’s supply situation is among the most concentrated of any critical material. Western militaries relied on a single samarium production plant in La Rochelle, France from the 1970s until its closure in 1994. Since then, refining has consolidated entirely in Baotou, China. A US government effort to re-establish domestic samarium production via the Mountain Pass facility ultimately failed. As of 2025, China produces all of the world’s commercially usable samarium.

China’s 2025 export licensing regime, which placed strict limits on samarium exports as part of the broader rare earth trade dispute, directly threatens Western defence supply chains in a way that other rare earth restrictions do not. SmCo magnets cannot be substituted with neodymium magnets in high-temperature applications — there is no drop-in replacement. The Biden administration signed two contracts for US samarium production facilities, but neither materialised. Western governments and defence contractors are now actively pursuing samarium supply chain solutions, including recycling of SmCo magnets from end-of-life defence equipment and development of alternative separation capacity. For broader supply chain context, see the China rare earth overview and the top rare earth producing countries guide.

Samarium Price Outlook

The near-term samarium price outlook has stabilised, with the metal benchmark up a modest 0.5% in September after August’s 11.1% pullback and July’s 12.8% gain — a sign the metal may be settling after two volatile months. The SMM domestic benchmark reflects Chinese market conditions; Western buyers sourcing outside China face a structural premium from export licensing costs and lead times that the benchmark does not capture. Defence procurement urgency — driven by the F-35 and broader military modernisation programmes — provides a demand floor that is largely price-inelastic despite the month-on-month volatility.

Medium-term upside risk is significant. If Chinese export restrictions tighten further or licensing approvals slow materially, Western defence manufacturers face samarium shortages with no near-term alternative supply source. SmCo magnet recycling programmes — recovering samarium from end-of-life defence equipment — are being accelerated in the US and UK, but cannot replace primary supply at the required scale within any near-term planning horizon. The samarium market is structurally more exposed to supply disruption than the better-publicised neodymium and dysprosium markets, given the complete absence of Western primary production. For comparison with the magnet rare earth pricing structure, see the dysprosium price page and the broader rare earth elements guide.

Samarium Price Per Gram, Ounce and Pound

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

Samarium Price in GBP, EUR and Other Currencies

Currency conversions from the SMM USD benchmark into GBP, EUR, AUD, JPY, and CAD are shown below. Figures are calculated using approximate exchange rates at the time of the most recent update and are for reference only.

Prices are calculated from the SMM industrial benchmark and updated monthly. For samarium oxide and retail prices, see the Current Samarium Price table above.

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