New World Rare Earths study

World demand for rare earths is forecast to expand 7.1 percent per year to 180,000 metric tons in 2015. In dollar terms, sales are expected to more than triple from $3.0 billion in 2010 to $9.2 billion in 2015.

Consumption will be driven by increases in battery alloy, electronic product, motor vehicle and permanent magnet output. Market growth is expected to accelerate substantially from the 2005-2010 period, when demand in most nations was negatively impacted by substantial and unexpected reductions in Chinese exports beginning in 2009 that led to a sharp rise in rare earths prices. Neodymium and dysprosium are expected to post the fastest growth rates of any rare earth types, spurred by increased sales of heat-resistant NdFeB permanent magnets. However, cerium will remain the most widely used rare earth, accounting for almost one-third of the 2015 tonnage total. These and other trends are presented in World Rare Earths, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.

Information: World Rare Earths (published 07/2011, 270 pages) is available for $5900 from The Freedonia Group, Inc., 767 Beta Drive, Cleveland, OH 44143-2326. For further details, please contact Corinne Gangloff by phone 440.684.9600, fax 440.646.0484 or e-mail pr@freedoniagroup.com. Information may also be obtained through www.freedoniagroup.c