USA Rare Earth Achieves First Production And Delivery Of Yttrium Oxide Samples From Its Demonstration Plant In Wheat Ridge, Colorado

This milestone positions USA Rare Earth as one of the only companies outside Asia with capabilities spanning the yttrium value chain from mining, through separation, to finished metal.

The samples were delivered to a major integrated defense, medical and specialty coatings company for use in preliminary testing and prototyping, marking a key milestone toward commercial qualification. The delivery extends USAR’s capabilities to yttrium production, a critical material used in thermal barriers and protective coatings for jet engines, the equipment used to manufacture semiconductors, and advanced ceramics, lasers, medical devices and defense systems. It remains one of the most supply-constrained heavy rare earth elements outside of China.

Yttrium is a critical material used in thermal barriers and protective coatings for jet engines, in the equipment used to manufacture semiconductors, and in advanced ceramics, lasers, medical devices and defense systems. Supply outside China is severely constrained, with recent Western prices for yttrium oxide more than 100 times the price in China, according to Argus.

The milestone extends the Company’s yttrium value chain upstream and complements its existing capabilities. Serra Verde, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, is the only scaled producer of yttrium outside China. Once online, the Company’s Round Top project is also expected to produce yttrium oxide. In April 2026, the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary Less Common Metals completed the first commercial pour of yttrium metal at 99% to 99.5% purity (2N–2N5) at its facility in Cheshire, United Kingdom, placing the Company among a limited number of producers of commercial-grade yttrium metal outside Asia. Together with oxide separation now demonstrated at Wheat Ridge, these capabilities connect yttrium production to finished metal within a single company.