According to the latest figures from the Chinese customs authorities, exports of dysprosium and terbium are increasing significantly again. However, the number of countries receiving these raw materials continues to decrease.
China once again exported more dysprosium and terbium in July. According to the customs authority, 1,400 kilograms of dysprosium went entirely to South Korea and 7,000 kilograms of terbium went half to South Korea and half to Japan. In June, only one kilogramme of dysprosium and 1,200 kilogrammes of terbium were exported - a consequence of the authorisation system in place since April for both metals. Despite the recent increases, exports remain well below the previous year's level. While export volumes have thus recovered somewhat, the circle of target countries has narrowed. By way of comparison, China supplied nine countries with terbium in the same period last year.
This repeats a pattern that has already been observed with gallium and germanium. Introduction of export restrictions deliveries collapsed, recovered only hesitantly and have remained at a low level ever since. The number of countries that received these two raw materials also fell, has declined.
Jan Giese, Senior Manager Minor Metals and Rare Earths, assesses the situation as follows:
"What we outlined in April when the export controls came into force has materialised: It will take at least two to three months before exports begin to normalise. This can now be observed with terbium. In addition to its use in magnets, this heavy rare earth also has civilian and therefore, from Beijing's point of view, non-critical applications, meaning that the corresponding applications have apparently been approved. Dysprosium, on the other hand, presents a different picture. Apart from magnet production, there are hardly any civilian applications, and this is precisely where supplies remain restricted. In general, it appears that China is more likely to authorise the export of rare earth magnets as their use is restricted to certain applications. The situation is more complicated for oxides such as dysprosium, as they could also be used in military applications after further processing."
Magnet exports also picking up
Dysprosium and terbium are considered key raw materials for high-tech applications, for example in semiconductor production or chemistry. However, they are most important in neodymium-iron-boron magnets (NdFeB). These are used in wind turbines and electric motors.
As with rare earths, the most important producer of these components is China, and a significant increase in exports can also be observed here in July. Exports rose by 75 per cent compared to the previous month of June. Germany was the largest buyer with 1,116 tonnes, accounting for almost a fifth of the total volume. The USA, South Korea, Vietnam and India followed in second to fifth place.
