Tb65
Terbium
Gram for gram, one of the most expensive industrial metals on Earth.
Terbium is among the scarcest and priciest rare earths. Its two anchor markets are green phosphors for displays and lighting, and — increasingly — high-performance NdFeB magnets, where terbium (often applied by grain-boundary diffusion) raises the temperature at which magnets retain coercivity. As magnet makers economize on dysprosium, terbium demand has climbed. Nearly all supply comes from southern Chinese and Myanmar ionic clays, giving terbium arguably the most fragile supply chain in the entire critical minerals complex.
Key Applications
- Grain-boundary diffusion additive in high-grade NdFeB magnets
- Green phosphors for displays and lighting
- Terfenol-D magnetostrictive alloys (sonar, actuators)
- Solid-state device dopants
Key Facts
- Atomic number
- 65
- Price rank
- Among costliest REEs
- Demand driver
- High-temp magnets
- Supply source
- Ionic clays (China/Myanmar)
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