Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREE)

The 10 heavy rare earth elements - Yttrium, Europium, Gadolinium, Terbium, Dysprosium, Holmium, Erbium, Thulium, Ytterbium, and Lutetium - are defined by their higher atomic mass and are far scarcer than light rare earths. HREEs are primarily sourced from ionic clay deposits (mainly southern China and Brazil) and are disproportionately critical for high-performance magnets used in EVs and wind turbines.

View Light Rare Earths (LREE) →•All 17 Elements →•Supply Chain Map →

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Hydrogen

Atomic Number: 1

Symbol: H

Helium

Atomic Number: 2

Symbol: He

Lithium

Atomic Number: 3

Symbol: Li

Beryllium

Atomic Number: 4

Symbol: Be

Boron

Atomic Number: 5

Symbol: B

Carbon

Atomic Number: 6

Symbol: C

Nitrogen

Atomic Number: 7

Symbol: N

Oxygen

Atomic Number: 8

Symbol: O

Fluorine

Atomic Number: 9

Symbol: F

Neon

Atomic Number: 10

Symbol: Ne

Sodium

Atomic Number: 11

Symbol: Na

Magnesium

Atomic Number: 12

Symbol: Mg

Aluminium

Atomic Number: 13

Symbol: Al

Silicon

Atomic Number: 14

Symbol: Si

Phosphorus

Atomic Number: 15

Symbol: P

Sulfur

Atomic Number: 16

Symbol: S

Chlorine

Atomic Number: 17

Symbol: Cl

Argon

Atomic Number: 18

Symbol: Ar

Potassium

Atomic Number: 19

Symbol: K

Calcium

Atomic Number: 20

Symbol: Ca

Scandium

Atomic Number: 21

Symbol: Sc

Rare Earth Element

Titanium

Atomic Number: 22

Symbol: Ti

Vanadium

Atomic Number: 23

Symbol: V

Chromium

Atomic Number: 24

Symbol: Cr

Manganese

Atomic Number: 25

Symbol: Mn

Iron

Atomic Number: 26

Symbol: Fe

Cobalt

Atomic Number: 27

Symbol: Co

Nickel

Atomic Number: 28

Symbol: Ni

Copper

Atomic Number: 29

Symbol: Cu

Zinc

Atomic Number: 30

Symbol: Zn

Gallium

Atomic Number: 31

Symbol: Ga

Germanium

Atomic Number: 32

Symbol: Ge

Arsenic

Atomic Number: 33

Symbol: As

Selenium

Atomic Number: 34

Symbol: Se

Bromine

Atomic Number: 35

Symbol: Br

Krypton

Atomic Number: 36

Symbol: Kr

Rubidium

Atomic Number: 37

Symbol: Rb

Strontium

Atomic Number: 38

Symbol: Sr

Zirconium

Atomic Number: 40

Symbol: Zr

Niobium

Atomic Number: 41

Symbol: Nb

Molybdenum

Atomic Number: 42

Symbol: Mo

Technetium

Atomic Number: 43

Symbol: Tc

Ruthenium

Atomic Number: 44

Symbol: Ru

Rhodium

Atomic Number: 45

Symbol: Rh

Palladium

Atomic Number: 46

Symbol: Pd

Silver

Atomic Number: 47

Symbol: Ag

Cadmium

Atomic Number: 48

Symbol: Cd

Indium

Atomic Number: 49

Symbol: In

Tin

Atomic Number: 50

Symbol: Sn

Antimony

Atomic Number: 51

Symbol: Sb

Tellurium

Atomic Number: 52

Symbol: Te

Iodine

Atomic Number: 53

Symbol: I

Xenon

Atomic Number: 54

Symbol: Xe

Caesium

Atomic Number: 55

Symbol: Cs

Barium

Atomic Number: 56

Symbol: Ba

Hafnium

Atomic Number: 72

Symbol: Hf

Tantalum

Atomic Number: 73

Symbol: Ta

Tungsten

Atomic Number: 74

Symbol: W

Rhenium

Atomic Number: 75

Symbol: Re

Osmium

Atomic Number: 76

Symbol: Os

Iridium

Atomic Number: 77

Symbol: Ir

Platinum

Atomic Number: 78

Symbol: Pt

Gold

Atomic Number: 79

Symbol: Au

Mercury

Atomic Number: 80

Symbol: Hg

Thallium

Atomic Number: 81

Symbol: Tl

Lead

Atomic Number: 82

Symbol: Pb

Bismuth

Atomic Number: 83

Symbol: Bi

Polonium

Atomic Number: 84

Symbol: Po

Astatine

Atomic Number: 85

Symbol: At

Radon

Atomic Number: 86

Symbol: Rn

Francium

Atomic Number: 87

Symbol: Fr

Radium

Atomic Number: 88

Symbol: Ra

104

Rutherfordium

Atomic Number: 104

Symbol: Rf

105

Dubnium

Atomic Number: 105

Symbol: Db

106

Seaborgium

Atomic Number: 106

Symbol: Sg

107

Bohrium

Atomic Number: 107

Symbol: Bh

108

Hassium

Atomic Number: 108

Symbol: Hs

109

Meitnerium

Atomic Number: 109

Symbol: Mt

110

Darmstadtium

Atomic Number: 110

Symbol: Ds

111

Roentgenium

Atomic Number: 111

Symbol: Rg

112

Copernicium

Atomic Number: 112

Symbol: Cn

113

Nihonium

Atomic Number: 113

Symbol: Nh

114

Flerovium

Atomic Number: 114

Symbol: Fl

115

Moscovium

Atomic Number: 115

Symbol: Mc

116

Livermorium

Atomic Number: 116

Symbol: Lv

117

Tennessine

Atomic Number: 117

Symbol: Ts

118

Oganesson

Atomic Number: 118

Symbol: Og

Lanthanum

Atomic Number: 57

Symbol: La

Rare Earth Element

Cerium

Atomic Number: 58

Symbol: Ce

Rare Earth Element

Praseodymium

Atomic Number: 59

Symbol: Pr

Rare Earth Element

Neodymium

Atomic Number: 60

Symbol: Nd

Rare Earth Element

Promethium

Atomic Number: 61

Symbol: Pm

Rare Earth Element

Samarium

Atomic Number: 62

Symbol: Sm

Rare Earth Element

Actinium

Atomic Number: 89

Symbol: Ac

Actinide

Thorium

Atomic Number: 90

Symbol: Th

Actinide

Protactinium

Atomic Number: 91

Symbol: Pa

Actinide

Uranium

Atomic Number: 92

Symbol: U

Actinide

Neptunium

Atomic Number: 93

Symbol: Np

Actinide

Plutonium

Atomic Number: 94

Symbol: Pu

Actinide

Americium

Atomic Number: 95

Symbol: Am

Actinide

Curium

Atomic Number: 96

Symbol: Cm

Actinide

Berkelium

Atomic Number: 97

Symbol: Bk

Actinide

Californium

Atomic Number: 98

Symbol: Cf

Actinide

Einsteinium

Atomic Number: 99

Symbol: Es

Actinide

100

Fermium

Atomic Number: 100

Symbol: Fm

Actinide

101

Mendelevium

Atomic Number: 101

Symbol: Md

Actinide

102

Nobelium

Atomic Number: 102

Symbol: No

Actinide

103

Lawrencium

Atomic Number: 103

Symbol: Lr

Actinide

Primary Sources

Ionic adsorption clay deposits in southern China dominate global HREE supply. Brazil (Serra Verde), Australia (Mt Weld xenotime zones), and deep-sea muds are emerging sources.

Supply Risk

HREEs represent <10% of rare earth production by mass but command a much higher price premium. China controls over 85% of refined HREE supply, creating significant geopolitical concentration risk.

Critical Applications

Dysprosium and Terbium enable NdFeB magnets to operate at high temperatures (EVs, wind turbines). Yttrium underpins phosphors and ceramics; Gadolinium is essential for MRI imaging.

HREE Elements

Name	Symbol	Atomic #	Primary Use	Crustal Abundance	Geological Scarcity	Supply Risk	Primary Economic Driver
Yttrium	Y	39	Red phosphors for displays (LEDs, LCDs), Ceramics, Lasers	28-33 ppm	Low	Medium	LEDs, lasers, and ceramics
Europium	Eu	63	Red/Blue phosphors (displays), Security inks, LED lighting	1.1-2.1 ppm	High	Medium	Phosphors (Screens/TVs)
Gadolinium	Gd	64	MRI contrast agents, Neutron capture (Nuclear), Magnetostriction	5-6 ppm	Medium	Low	Medical imaging (MRI)
Terbium	Tb	65	Green phosphors, Magnetostrictive alloys (e.g., T-b-D), Sensors	0.9-1.1 ppm	High	Extreme	Green phosphors & magnets
Dysprosium	Dy	66	High-temp performance in magnets (crucial for EVs/Wind), Control rods	4-5 ppm	Medium	Extreme	Heat-resistant magnets
Holmium	Ho	67	Specialized lasers, Magnet-pole pieces (magnetic flux concentrators)	1.2-1.4 ppm	High	Low	Specialty medical lasers
Erbium	Er	68	Fiber optics, Amplifiers (EDFA), Special metallurgical alloys	3.0-3.8 ppm	High	Low	Fiber optic cables
Thulium	Tm	69	Portable X-ray machines, Metal halide lamps	0.4-0.5 ppm	Extreme	Low	High-tech medical lasers
Ytterbium	Yb	70	Fiber lasers (high-power industrial), Atomic clocks	2.8-3.3 ppm	High	Low	Portable X-ray machines
Lutetium	Lu	71	PET scan detectors (medical imaging), Catalysts (refining)	0.5-0.8 ppm	Extreme	Medium	Cancer therapy & PET scans

Compare with Light Rare Earths

LREEs are more abundant and lower-cost, but still critical for magnets, catalysts, and optical applications.

View LREE →