The rare earth that isn’t rare — and barely has a market of its own.
Lanthanum is the most abundant rare-earth element by mine output, produced as an unavoidable co-product whenever bastnaesite or monazite ore is processed for neodymium, praseodymium, and other higher-value rare earths. That abundance keeps its price among the lowest of any rare-earth oxide — commodity-cheap rather than strategically scarce. Its largest use is as a catalyst in petroleum refining, where lanthanum-exchanged zeolites help crack heavy crude into lighter, more valuable fuels.
Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Lanthanum
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Isotope reference
Lanthanum-139 (¹³⁹La) is the stable, dominant natural lanthanum isotope. CIAAW lists it at 0.9991119(71) (about 99.91119%) and NIST lists the isotope mass as 138.906346 u.
| Isotope | Natural abundance | Half-life / status |
|---|---|---|
| ¹³⁸La | 0.08881(71)% | 1.06(4) × 10¹¹ years |
| ¹³⁹La | 99.91119(71)% | Stable |
CIAAW amount-fraction uncertainties are shown in parentheses where reported. “Stable” means no radioactive half-life is assigned in this table.
Natural lanthanum also contains a small fraction of radioactive La-138. The stable-isotope statement here applies to La-139 only, not to every naturally occurring lanthanum atom or to every separated or activated material.
Stable La-139 does not establish that a lanthanum compound, powder, nanopowder, or isotope preparation is harmless. Chemical and radiological assessments remain separate.
Supplier documentation
The linked document is for a specific lanthanum(III) oxide nanopowder product, not for isolated La-139. The sub-100 nm particle specification is material to exposure assessment and should not be generalized to other lanthanum products.
Use the linked SDS for this named nanopowder and confirm the current particle-size distribution, packaging, and local requirements before handling.
An SDS is product-, supplier-, grade-, particle-size-, and form-specific. It is not a substitute for radiological review or for the current documentation supplied with a particular isotope or lot.
Lanthanum oxide, 99.5% minimum, free on board • As of 2025 average
The USGS-reported average declined from $1.51/kg in 2021 to $0.96/kg in 2023, then stabilized near $0.97–$1.00/kg in 2024–2025. Because lanthanum is produced alongside NdPr regardless of its own demand, it remains in a structurally low-price market.
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Rare Earths (February 2026)
The primary traded form and a feedstock for catalysts, optical glass, and other lanthanum compounds.
A soluble precursor used in catalyst preparation and materials research.
A cerium-lanthanum alloy used in lighter flints and other pyrophoric applications.
Direct Answers
Lanthanum’s largest use is as a catalyst in petroleum refining, particularly in fluid catalytic cracking units that break heavy crude into lighter fuels. It is also used in NiMH batteries, optical glass, and mischmetal alloys.
Yes. Lanthanum is a lanthanide and one of the 17 elements classified as rare earths. Despite the name, it is the most abundant rare earth by production volume rather than a scarce one.
The USGS reported a 2025 average of $1.00/kg for lanthanum oxide at 99.5% minimum purity, free on board. This is historical context rather than a live quote.