Heavy Rare EarthSymbol: Er
Erbium
Used in optical fiber amplifiers and medical lasers.
Assessed Benchmark
$890.00
kgSource: Assessment
24HFlat
YTDUp 7.3%
Criticality Assessment & Strategic Uses
Erbium is designated as a critical mineral due to its high economic importance across modern technical applications and potential supply-chain concentration risks.
Primary Industrial End-UsesPower electronics, specialized alloys, defense systems, infrastructure networks.
USGS StatusClassified under Energy Act Section 7002 quantitative risk framework.
Supply Chain & Processing Bottlenecks
Like many strategic commodities, the primary vulnerability for Erbium lies in processing and chemical refining concentration rather than raw extraction alone.
IEA 2026 Supply Insight
Refining capacity diversification for Erbium remains constrained by technical know-how requirements, long capital deployment cycles, and environmental permitting timelines.
Classification Matrix
- Category Group
- technology
- Subcategory
- Heavy Rare Earth
- System Tag Alignment
- opticslasers
Explore Related Frameworks
Compare how Erbium is prioritized across national critical mineral strategies.
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