Light Rare Earth Elements (LREE)

The 7 light rare earth elements - Scandium, Lanthanum, Cerium, Praseodymium, Neodymium, Promethium, and Samarium - are defined by their lower atomic mass and are among the most abundant rare earths in the Earth’s crust. LREEs are primarily sourced from carbonatite and bastnäsite deposits and dominate global rare earth production by volume.

View Heavy Rare Earths (HREE) →•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

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

Yttrium

Atomic Number: 39

Symbol: Y

Rare Earth Element

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

Europium

Atomic Number: 63

Symbol: Eu

Rare Earth Element

Gadolinium

Atomic Number: 64

Symbol: Gd

Rare Earth Element

Terbium

Atomic Number: 65

Symbol: Tb

Rare Earth Element

Dysprosium

Atomic Number: 66

Symbol: Dy

Rare Earth Element

Holmium

Atomic Number: 67

Symbol: Ho

Rare Earth Element

Erbium

Atomic Number: 68

Symbol: Er

Rare Earth Element

Thulium

Atomic Number: 69

Symbol: Tm

Rare Earth Element

Ytterbium

Atomic Number: 70

Symbol: Yb

Rare Earth Element

Lutetium

Atomic Number: 71

Symbol: Lu

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

Carbonatite deposits (e.g., Mountain Pass, Mt Weld) and bastnäsite mineral sands are the dominant sources of LREE-rich ore.

Market Share

LREEs account for roughly 85 - 90% of total rare earth production by mass. Cerium and Lanthanum alone make up the majority.

Key Applications

NdFeB permanent magnets (Nd, Pr), catalytic converters (Ce), optical glass (La), and high-temperature magnets (Sm) drive demand.

LREE Elements

Name	Symbol	Atomic #	Primary Use	Crustal Abundance	Geological Scarcity	Supply Risk	Primary Economic Driver
Scandium	Sc	21	High-performance aluminum alloys (Aerospace), Solid oxide fuel cells	16-22 ppm	Low	Medium	Aerospace alloys & fuel cells
Lanthanum	La	57	Catalysts (refining), Camera lenses, Battery alloys (NiMH)	30-35 ppm	Low	Medium	EV batteries & oil refining
Cerium	Ce	58	Catalytic converters, Glass polishing/decoloring, UV filters	60-68 ppm	Low	Low	Glass polishing & catalysts
Praseodymium	Pr	59	High-power permanent magnets (NdFeB), Green glass colorant	8-9 ppm	Medium	High	High-strength magnets
Neodymium	Nd	60	The strongest permanent magnets (NdFeB), Lasers, Electric motors	27-33 ppm	Low	High	Permanent magnets (EVs/Wind)
Promethium	Pm	61	Betavoltaic nuclear batteries, Industrial thickness gauges, Radioluminescent light sources	~0	Total	N/A	Lab research (radioactive)
Samarium	Sm	62	High-temperature, specialty magnets, Neutron absorbers (Nuclear)	6-7 ppm	Medium	Medium	Defence (missile guidance)

Compare with Heavy Rare Earths

HREEs are scarcer, higher-value, and critical for high-temperature magnet performance in EVs and wind turbines.

View HREE →