Lutetium (Lu)

Atomic Number: 71 • Group: HREE

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174.967

Lutetium

HREE

Primary Uses

PET scan detectors (medical imaging), Catalysts (refining)

Scarcity & Economic Profile

Crustal Abundance

0.5-0.8 ppm

Primary Economic Driver

Cancer therapy & PET scans

Geological Scarcity

LowMediumHighExtremeTotal

Supply Risk

N/ALowMediumHighExtreme

Primary Mining Countries

China

Primary Processing Countries

China

Sources - Crustal Abundance

Rudnick, R. L., & Gao, S. (2003). Composition of the Continental Crust. Treatise on Geochemistry, 3, 1-64.
Taylor, S. R., & McLennan, S. M. (1985). The Continental Crust: Its Composition and Evolution. Blackwell Scientific Publications.
Wedepohl, K. H. (1995). The composition of the continental crust. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 59(7), 1217-1232.
U.S. Geological Survey. (2026). Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026. U.S. Department of the Interior.

Short Description

Lutetium orthosilicate crystals are the gold standard for PET scan detectors, offering superior sensitivity and image resolution for cancer diagnosis and medical research. As the heaviest and rarest stable rare earth element, lutetium also finds use in petroleum cracking catalysts and specialized alloys.

Found In Ore Types

Xenotime

Mining Projects

Projects targeting ore types that contain Lu.

Browns Range

Northern MineralsAustralia

DevelopmentStage 2/4

Policy & Regulatory Updates

1 article mentioning Lutetium

Apr 2026
The Invisible Wall: Decoding China's 2026 Licensing Regime
China's updated Export Licensing Management Goods Catalogue reached full implementation on April 4, 2026, moving mid-to-heavy rare earth elements into a restrictive, case-by-case licensing regime - and a suspended "0.1% Rule" that threatens to ensnare foreign-made goods containing Chinese-origin rare earths expires November 10, 2026.

View all Lutetium policy updates →