The two rare earths behind the world's strongest permanent magnets — neodymium for EVs and wind, samarium-cobalt for high-temperature aerospace and defense.
Neodymium: Neodymium is irreplaceable in EV motors and wind turbines. China controls 85% of global rare earth processing, making supply security a top priority for the U.S. and allies.
Samarium: Samarium is critical for defense and aerospace applications requiring magnets that perform reliably at extreme temperatures where neodymium magnets would fail.
Neodymium: Neodymium is a rare earth element essential for neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets — the strongest magnets in the world. These magnets are used in every electric vehicle motor and wind turbine generator. Samarium: Samarium is a rare earth element used in samarium-cobalt (SmCo) magnets, which maintain their strength at extreme temperatures far better than neodymium magnets. SmCo magnets are critical for aerospace and defense applications.
As tracked by Critical Minerals HQ, Neodymium is currently $68 USD/kg and Samarium is $1.7 USD/kg. The two minerals are quoted in different units (USD/kg vs USD/kg), so see the live price panels above for the most recent figures.
Neither is "better" in absolute terms — each is engineered for different end-uses. Neodymium is primarily used for: NdFeB permanent magnets for EV motors, Wind turbine direct-drive generators, Defense guidance systems and sensors, Consumer electronics speakers and hard drives. Samarium is primarily used for: Samarium-cobalt high-temperature permanent magnets, Defense guidance systems and sensors, Aerospace motors and actuators, Nuclear reactor control applications. The right mineral depends on the application.
Neodymium and Samarium are quoted in different units (USD/kg vs USD/kg), so a direct numeric rarity comparison from spot price alone is indicative only. See the indexed 25-year chart on the live page for relative scarcity behavior.
Specific US import-reliance percentages are not in our on-file reference text for either Neodymium or Samarium. See the official USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries for the latest figures.
Neodymium top producers (USGS): China, United States, Myanmar, Australia. Samarium top producers: China, Russia, United States, Australia. The mineral whose first-listed producer accounts for a larger share of global output carries the greater supply-chain concentration risk.
Neodymium: Neodymium is irreplaceable in EV motors and wind turbines. China controls 85% of global rare earth processing, making supply security a top priority for the U.S. and allies. Samarium: Samarium is critical for defense and aerospace applications requiring magnets that perform reliably at extreme temperatures where neodymium magnets would fail.