Key Takeaways
- ◆China produces an estimated 90% of the world's NdFeB magnets, so sourcing in commercial volume almost always means sourcing from or through China.
- ◆Since April 2025, China requires export licences (MOFCOM) for magnets containing the heavy rare earths dysprosium and terbium — i.e. most high-coercivity SH/UH/EH grades. Confirm your supplier holds current licences.
- ◆The most important distinction is manufacturer vs. trading company: it changes your risk on quality, IP, lead time, and export-licence reliability. Know which one you are dealing with.
- ◆Verify certifications (ISO 9001 baseline, IATF 16949 for automotive) against the registrar, in the supplier's own legal name — not a third party's.
- ◆A vetted factory-direct supplier gives you a direct line to the production line, its own export licence, and accountability that an opaque trading layer cannot.
Sourcing neodymium (NdFeB) magnets in volume means, in practice, sourcing from China — it makes the large majority of the world's supply. The useful question is not whether to source from China but how to pick and vet a supplier. This guide lists the major Chinese producers for context, then gives the practical checklist that actually protects a buyer: manufacturer versus trading company, certifications to verify, export-licence reliability under the 2025 rules, and quality due diligence.
The State of U.S. NdFeB Supply
China produces an estimated 90% of the world's finished NdFeB magnets and controls most of the upstream rare-earth refining that feeds them, so there is no large-volume sintered-NdFeB supply base outside China today. The most consequential recent change is export control: since April 2025, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) requires a per-shipment export licence for seven rare-earth elements and for finished items — including NdFeB magnets — that contain them. In practice this captures most high-coercivity grades, because they rely on dysprosium and terbium. Licences have been quoted at up to roughly 45 working days, so a supplier's track record of obtaining them is now part of supply reliability, not just paperwork. The practical takeaway for a Western buyer: sourcing from China is normal and necessary, but supplier vetting and export-licence awareness matter more than ever.
Magnet Manufacturers & Suppliers — China Market
| Company | Location | Type | Best for | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JL MAG Rare-EarthEst. 2008One of China's largest high-performance sintered-NdFeB producers (~20,000+ t/yr finished magnets); publicly listed in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Reported EV and clean-energy supply. | Ganzhou, Jiangxi | Domestic NdFeB producer | Very-high-volume EV and clean-energy magnets | — |
| Mainrich InternationalEst. 1994Factory-direct sintered NdFeB grades N30-N58 through the AH high-temperature series, GBD magnets, and finished, magnetized magnet assemblies built to drawing — with IATF 16949 quality and in-house export licensing. | China-based — factory-direct supplier serving Western buyers | Factory-direct supplier | Accessible factory-direct partner for mid-size Western buyers; vetting, export licensing, and assemblies handled | IATF 16949, in-house export licensing |
| Zhongke SanhuanEst. 1999Major high-performance sintered-NdFeB producer (publicly listed); roots in the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Electronics, automotive, wind, medical. | Beijing | Domestic NdFeB producer | High-performance NdFeB at scale | — |
| Ningbo YunshengEst. 1995Large rare-earth permanent-magnet producer (~21,000 t/yr stated capacity), publicly listed; billet, machining, and surface treatment. | Ningbo, Zhejiang | Domestic NdFeB producer | Large-volume rare-earth magnets | — |
| Yantai Zhenghai MagneticEst. 2000High-performance sintered NdFeB (publicly listed); also makes NEV drive motors and controls. | Yantai, Shandong | Domestic NdFeB producer | NEV-motor-grade NdFeB | — |
| Earth-Panda Advanced Magnetic MaterialEst. 2003Sintered and bonded NdFeB (also SmCo), publicly listed; serves automotive, wind, motors, instruments, and medical, and exports broadly. | Hefei, Anhui | Domestic NdFeB producer | Sintered + bonded NdFeB, broad export | — |
| Advanced Technology & Materials (AT&M)Est. 1998Among China's earliest sintered-NdFeB suppliers (publicly listed; CISRI lineage); a diversified advanced-materials group. | Beijing | Domestic NdFeB producer | R&D-heavy, established producer | — |
| Baotou Tianhe MagneticsEst. 2008Vertically integrated raw-material-to-magnet producer (reported >10,000 t/yr); NEV, wind, robotics, aerospace, electronics, appliances. | Baotou, Inner Mongolia | Domestic NdFeB producer | Vertically integrated supply | — |
| Zhejiang Innuovo MagneticsEst. 2003Sintered and bonded NdFeB (Hengdian Group lineage); motors, automotive, and magnetic materials. | Dongyang, Zhejiang | Domestic NdFeB producer | Motor and automotive magnets | — |
Suppliers are labelled by type in the Type column so buyers can match a source to their end-use. Company facts (location, founding year, certifications) reflect public information and may change — verify current certifications directly with each supplier during qualification.
How to Choose a Magnet Supplier
Manufacturer vs. trading company
A factory-direct manufacturer will give a live video factory tour, lists magnet manufacturing in its business-licence scope, and holds certs and export licences in its own name. A trading company adds an opaque layer that raises quality, IP, and lead-time risk. Know which you are dealing with.
Export licence (MOFCOM)
For any grade containing dysprosium or terbium (most SH/UH/EH), confirm in writing that the supplier holds a current MOFCOM export licence and get realistic licence lead times — they can run up to ~45 working days and have stalled shipments that lacked them.
Certifications — verify, don't just collect
ISO 9001 is the baseline; IATF 16949 is mandatory for automotive. Verify each certificate number against the issuing registrar's database and match the legal entity name to your contract — fake or third-party certs circulate.
Quality verification
Request the measured B-H demagnetization curve, Br / Hcj / (BH)max, coating type and salt-spray hours, and dimensional tolerances — and validate first-article parts against them, ideally with a third-party pre-shipment inspection.
IP protection
Use an NNN agreement (non-disclosure, non-use, non-circumvention) under Chinese law before sharing proprietary designs, and avoid sending full design packages to brokers.
Cost and GBD
On high-temperature grades, grain-boundary diffusion (GBD) holds coercivity while cutting dysprosium/terbium content 30-50% — usually the largest single lever on landed magnet cost.
Where Mainrich Fits
Mainrich International is a China-based, factory-direct NdFeB supplier — the accessible partner this guide describes. The largest Chinese producers mostly serve very-high-volume OEMs; a mid-size Western buyer needs a responsive factory-direct source that handles the things on the checklist above. Mainrich offers the full grade range (N30-N58 through AH), GBD that cuts dysprosium/terbium cost 30-50%, finished magnet assemblies built to drawing, IATF 16949 quality verifiable in our own name, and in-house export licensing so a qualified order keeps shipping through the 2025 controls. The honest role we ask for is the vetted factory-direct source you can actually work with.
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of the world's NdFeB magnets does China make?
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China produces an estimated 90% of the world's finished NdFeB magnets and controls most of the upstream rare-earth refining that feeds magnet plants. Non-Chinese capacity in the US, EU, and Japan exists but is a small fraction of global output and is still scaling, so sourcing in commercial volume in 2026 means, in practice, sourcing from or through China.
What are China's rare-earth export controls, and do they affect magnets?
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Yes. Since April 2025, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) requires a per-shipment export licence for seven rare-earth elements and for finished products that contain them — including NdFeB magnets. In practice this captures most high-coercivity grades, which rely on dysprosium and terbium. Confirm your supplier holds current export licences for the grades you need and build the licence lead time (up to ~45 working days) into your schedule.
How do I tell a real manufacturer from a trading company in China?
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A factory-direct manufacturer will give a live, time-stamped video factory tour of its lines, lists magnet manufacturing (not just trade) in its business-licence scope, holds ISO/IATF certificates and export licences in its own legal name, and discusses metallurgy fluently. A trading company often shows generic footage, has a 'sales/trade' licence scope, and relies on a third party's certs and licences. Both can work, but the trading layer adds quality, IP, and lead-time risk you need to price in.
What certifications should a Chinese magnet supplier have?
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ISO 9001 as a baseline quality system, and IATF 16949 if the magnet goes into an automotive (including EV) supply chain — ISO 9001 alone is not sufficient for automotive parts. Verify each certificate number against the issuing registrar's database, and check that the legal entity on the certificate matches the entity on your invoice and contract.
What is GBD and why does it lower magnet cost?
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Grain-boundary diffusion (GBD) diffuses heavy rare earths (dysprosium and terbium) along the grain boundaries of a sintered NdFeB magnet rather than throughout the bulk, achieving the same high-temperature coercivity with 30-50% less Dy/Tb. Because those heavy rare earths are the most expensive and supply-constrained inputs, GBD directly lowers cost.
Sourcing NdFeB for a China program?
Send a drawing or a target specification. Our engineering team will quote the correct grade or assembly with real design margin, and flag any end-use restrictions up front. Human response within 1 business day; pricing within 2.