Samarium
Samarium powers magnets that survive jet-engine heat. What it is, who controls it, and why the Pentagon counts it.
Last updated: October 2026
Samarium is a silvery-white rare-earth metal used where magnets must keep working at extreme temperatures. It is recovered from bastnaesite and monazite ores, and from uranium byproduct streams. In the USGS 2025 critical-minerals assessment, samarium carried a probability-weighted GDP impact of nearly $4.5 billion: the highest among rare earths. China applied export controls to samarium in April 2025.
| # | Country | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 69% - 270,000 t REO (2025) |
| 2 | United States | 13% - 51,000 t |
| 3 | Australia | 7% - 29,000 t |
| 4 | Myanmar | 6% - 22,000 t (heavy-REE clays) |
| 5 | Thailand | 4,800 t |
| 6 | Madagascar | 2,700 t |
| 7 | India | 2,900 t |
| 8 | Russia | 2,600 t |
| 9 | Brazil | 2,000 t |
| 10 | Nigeria | 1,500 t |
Total rare-earth mine production, all elements combined, 2025 (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026). USGS does not publish per-element production shares.
Samarium is a silvery-white rare-earth metal used where magnets must keep working at extreme temperatures. It is recovered from bastnaesite and monazite ores, and from uranium byproduct streams.
Samarium-cobalt (SmCo) permanent magnets for defence and aerospace (jet engines, missiles, satellites), nuclear reactor control rods, lasers and catalysts.
China, with about 69% of world rare-earth mine production (270,000 t of about 390,000 t REO in 2025, USGS). Per-element samarium shares are not published.
For rare earths overall, China accounts for about 69% of mine production (USGS) and up to about 91% of refining and separation (IEA). In the USGS 2025 critical-minerals assessment, samarium carried a probability-weighted GDP impact of nearly $4.5 billion: the highest among rare earths.
Extreme. China applied export controls to samarium in April 2025. SmCo magnets are used in US defence systems with no drop-in substitute: they keep working at temperatures where NdFeB magnets fail. The United States is 100% import-reliant for rare-earth compounds and metals.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 - Rare Earths (U.S. Geological Survey)
- USGS 2025 Critical Minerals Assessment (U.S. Geological Survey)
- IEA Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025 (International Energy Agency)
Samarium is the magnet metal of jet engines, missiles and satellites. China applied export controls in April 2025. The USGS put samarium's probability-weighted GDP impact at nearly $4.5 billion, the highest among rare earths, because SmCo magnets work where NdFeB magnets fail.
What is samarium?
Samarium is a silvery-white rare-earth metal used where magnets must keep working at extreme temperatures. It is recovered from bastnaesite and monazite ores, and from uranium byproduct streams.
What is samarium used for?
Samarium-cobalt (SmCo) permanent magnets for defence and aerospace (jet engines, missiles, satellites), nuclear reactor control rods, lasers and catalysts.
Which country produces the most samarium?
China, with about 69% of world rare-earth mine production (270,000 t of about 390,000 t REO in 2025, USGS). Per-element samarium shares are not published.