How do China's new export restrictions on rare earths affect the supply of magnets?
Since 4 April 2025, new export restrictions for 7 metals classified as so-called rare earths have been in effect in China.
These metals are essential for the production of high-performance magnets such as neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB).
These regulations for certain rare earth metals and the magnets manufactured from them are affecting supply chains worldwide – with longer delivery times and rising costs as a direct consequence.
The export controls affect the following 7 elements:
These metals are crucial for magnets that must withstand extreme conditions such as high temperatures, severe corrosion, or mechanical stress.
- Samarium (Sm)
- Gadolinium (Gd)
- Terbium (Tb)
- Dysprosium (Dy)
- Lutetium (Lu)
- Scandium (Sc)
- Yttrium (Y)
These metals are crucial for magnets that must withstand extreme conditions such as high temperatures, severe corrosion, or mechanical stress.
Current Situation – As of July 2025
The export of magnets continues to be significantly hindered. Customs authorities are now also inspecting products that do not contain any of the seven elements listed above. All magnet alloys are subject to random testing, including, for example, ferrite magnets and neodymium magnets. In addition, testing laboratories in China are overloaded. This results in unpredictable delays in the export of magnets, as the entire shipment is held during testing. Export is only possible once the material tests and a test certificate are available. It is currently unclear when the situation will return to normal.Note on Custom-Made Products
Due to the current situation, the following regulations for custom-made products apply at supermagnete until further notice:- Custom-made products only for existing customers: At present, we only offer custom-made products to existing customers who have previously purchased the same item from us.
- No new custom-made orders: We are currently not accepting any new orders for custom-made products.
- Surcharge of 350 USD: A fee of 350 USD currently applies to each order for a custom-made product. This fee is included in the unit price and covers the export-related testing costs (including laboratory tests) as well as customs fees incurred in China.
As a customer, you should expect the following impacts
Longer delivery times
The delivery of individual magnets and magnetic end products may be delayed. Our purchasing team is working closely with manufacturers and logistics providers to keep these delays as minimal as possible.Availability
Due to restricted processing at Chinese customs offices, shortages of all magnet products may occur worldwide.In particular, the availability of magnets with high temperature resistance (over 80 °C), as well as a few special designs, such as countersunk magnets, is extremely limited at this time.
Price trend
Rising raw material and transportation costs, as well as newly introduced customs processing costs (e.g. material tests), may affect sales prices.We take this situation very seriously and are doing everything we can to minimise the impact on our customers.
We recommend that you consider this development in your planning and contact us at an early stage to ensure strategic stock management.
Thank you for your trust in supermagnete.
If you have any questions, our support team will be happy to assist you.
