GlobeNewswire·Nov 9, 2026, 4:06 PM ET

USA Rare Earth Delivers First Yttrium Oxide Samples from Wheat Ridge Demonstration Facility

USA Rare Earth delivered yttrium oxide samples to a major defense, medical & specialty coatings company for preliminary testing & prototyping.
The delivery marks the first production from the company's 24/7 continuous solvent extraction demonstration plant in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.
USA Rare Earth is positioned as one of the few companies outside Asia with demonstrated capabilities spanning the entire yttrium value chain from mining through separation to finished metal.
Yttrium is a critical, supply-constrained material used in jet engine thermal barriers, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, lasers, medical devices & defense systems.
Western prices for yttrium oxide currently exceed Chinese prices by more than 100 times due to severe supply constraints outside China.
The milestone complements existing capabilities from subsidiary Serra Verde, the only scaled producer of yttrium outside China.
Subsidiary Less Common Metals completed the first commercial pour of 99% to 99.5% purity yttrium metal in Cheshire, UK in April 2026.
The Wheat Ridge facility has operated the yttrium circuit for over 1,600 hours & generates data to refine the design of a planned consolidated separation plant.
Future production of yttrium oxide is also expected from the company's Round Top project in Texas once online.
USA Rare Earth is building a fully integrated rare earth value chain across the US, Brazil & the UK to support aerospace, defense, semiconductor & other critical sectors.