Guides
Rare earth industry guides: from mine to magnet
The rare earth guides explain how a US rare earth project gets from rock to magnet, why the US cannot yet process most of its own rare earths and how to read the technical reports behind each project. They are written for readers who follow the news but not the chemistry, and every number carries its source.
Start with the mine-to-magnet guide for the five steps, then read the guide for the step you follow. Each one names the US companies at that step and links to their pages in this directory.
Verified through Oct 1, 2026
At a glance
- Start here
- The mine-to-magnet supply chain
- The chain
- Mining, separation, metals, magnets, recycling
- Reading reports
- Deposit types, project stages, resource estimates
- Guides
- 10Six on the chain, one on context, three on reading reports
- Steps from mine to magnet
- 5Mine, separate, metal, magnet, recycle
- US companies named
- 27Placed at their step
- Mines and projects mapped
- 14To a deposit type and a stage
What do the rare earth guides cover?
Ten guides cover the rare earth chain from mine to magnet, why the US cannot yet process most of its own rare earths and how to read project studies, resource estimates and deposit types. Each names the US companies at that step and links to their pages.
| Guide | The question it answers | Group | US names it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mine to magnet supply chain | Who does each step from mine to magnet in the US? | The chain | MP Materials, USA Rare Earth, Energy Fuels, Vulcan Elements |
| How rare earths are mined | How are rare earths mined? | The chain | Mountain Pass, Round Top, Halleck Creek, Brook Mine |
| How rare earths are separated | How are rare earths processed into single oxides? | The chain | MP Materials, Energy Fuels, Ucore, ReElement, Aclara |
| From oxide to metal and alloy | Why is making rare earth metal the US bottleneck? | The chain | MP Materials, Phoenix Tailings, REalloys, Vulcan Elements |
| How rare earth magnets are made | How are rare earth magnets made? | The chain | MP Materials, eVAC Magnetics, USA Rare Earth, Noveon, Arnold |
| Rare earth recycling in the US | Can rare earths be recycled, and who does it in the US? | The chain | Cyclic Materials, HyProMag USA, Noveon, ReElement |
| Why the US cannot process rare earths | Why can't the US process most of its own rare earths? | Why the US is behind | MP Materials, Energy Fuels, Lynas USA, Ucore |
| Types of US rare earth deposits | What types of rare earth deposits does the US have? | Reading the reports | Every tracked mine and project |
| How to read a project | What do exploration, PFS and DFS mean for a rare earth project? | Reading the reports | Halleck Creek, Round Top, Elk Creek, Bear Lodge |
| How to read resource estimates | What does TREO mean, and how do I read a resource estimate? | Reading the reports | Halleck Creek, Mountain Pass, Bokan Mountain |
What are the five steps from rare earth ore to a magnet?
Rare earths move through five steps: mining and concentrating, separating into single oxides, making metal and alloy, making magnets, and recycling. The US has operating plants at some of these steps, but most are small and several are still being built.
-
Ore is dug, crushed, ground and upgraded to a concentrate. Mountain Pass is the only active primary mine.
Output Concentrate, about 60% rare earth oxide
A US example
- Producing: Mountain Pass
-
2. Separating into single oxides
Chemistry splits the mixed concentrate into NdPr, dysprosium, terbium and others. Two US sites do this commercially.
Output Separated oxides
A US example
- Plant operating: White Mesa Mill
-
Oxides are reduced to metal and cast into the alloy magnets are made from. This is the thinnest step in the US.
Output Metal and magnet alloy
A US example
- Plant operating: Phoenix Tailings
-
Alloy powder is pressed in a magnetic field, sintered, machined, coated and magnetized.
Output Sintered NdFeB and samarium cobalt magnets
A US example
- Plant operating: eVAC Magnetics
-
Used magnets and scrap are processed back to magnet material or oxide. Volumes are small.
Output Recovered magnet material or oxide
A US example
- Plant operating: Cyclic Materials
Marker: ProducingPlant operating
13 profiled companies work at the first step, 6 at the second, 6 at the third, 7 at the fourth and 4 at the fifth; some work at more than one.
In what order should I read the guides?
Read the mine-to-magnet guide first for the five steps, then the guide for the step you follow. Read why the US cannot process rare earths for the context, and use the three reading guides when a company announces a study, a resource estimate or a deposit.
- The whole picture I want to understand the industry Read the mine-to-magnet guide, then mining, separation, metals, magnets and recycling in that order. Each ends by pointing to the next.
- The context I want to know why the US is behind Read why the US cannot process most of its own rare earths: capacity against demand and five obstacles, each with its evidence.
- Reading the news I follow company announcements Read how to read a project and how to read resource estimates, then use the deposit types guide to place a project.
How are the guides written and checked?
The guides follow primary sources where they exist: USGS and Department of Energy reports, SEC filings, securities regulators' rules and a 2026 peer-reviewed review of US production. Company figures are labeled company-reported, derived numbers say how they were derived, and nothing here is investment advice.
Each guide lists its sources and the date it was verified. The directory re-verifies pages every quarter and scans weekly for new events, and every change is in the updates log. How sources are ranked is on the sources page, and how facts are graded is in the methodology.
The guides explain how things work and what is reported. They do not forecast prices, rate companies or say what to buy.
Where should I go after the guides?
The directory pages carry the verified detail for each mine, project and company named in the guides.
- Rare earth mines in the USEvery US mine and project, with its status
- Rare earth companies in the USMiners, refiners, magnet makers and recyclers
- Deposits and plants mapWhere each mine and plant is
- Government support trackerFederal money behind each step
- Rare earth policyChina controls, defense rules and permitting
- Rare earth by US stateWhat each state has
Questions about the guides
What are the rare earth guides?
Ten explainers on the US rare earth industry: six on the chain from mine to magnet, one on why the US cannot yet process most of its own rare earths and three on how to read deposit types, project stages and resource estimates.
Do the guides give investment advice?
No. They explain how things work and what is reported. Tickers appear on company pages as facts, and the directory does not forecast prices, rate companies or say what to buy.
Where do the numbers in the guides come from?
From the USGS, the Department of Energy, SEC filings and technical reports, securities regulators and a 2026 peer-reviewed review of US production, then company releases. Each guide lists its sources, and company claims are labeled.
How current are the guides?
Each page shows the date its facts were verified. The directory re-verifies pages every quarter and scans weekly for new events, and the updates log records every change.
Which guide explains TREO?
The guide to reading resource estimates explains TREO, grade, measured, indicated and inferred resources and the JORC, NI 43-101 and S-K 1300 standards, with a calculator and a worked example.
Sources and verification
Each profile lists its sources, a confidence grade and a verification date. Order of authority: official records (SEC filings, agency documents), company documents and technical reports, research papers, then independent press. Syndicated copies and reference works are labeled and are never the only source for a number. Company-reported figures are labeled as such, and non-binding deals are labeled "letter of intent" or "conditional".
- OSTI review, Minerals Engineering 249 (Kashyap et al., 2026) Research paper
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 Official record
- USGS: The Principal Rare Earth Elements Deposits of the United States (Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5220) Official record
- Department of Energy: Rare Earth Permanent Magnets, Supply Chain Deep Dive Assessment (Feb 2022) Official record
- MP Materials 10-K for 2025 (SEC) Official record
- eCFR: 17 CFR 229.1300, the S-K 1300 definitions for mining registrants Official record
Tags show what kind of source each link is. How sources are ranked