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.
01 · What to look for
What buyers actually need from an NdFeB supplier
For a procurement engineer, the hard part isn't finding a company that will sell you magnets. It's finding one you can actually qualify: one that holds spec at temperature, ships certified to your industry, prices honestly, and keeps shipping when tariffs and export rules move. A supplier worth shortlisting covers:
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 sharply (factory-verified: 75% less Dy), usually the largest single lever on landed magnet cost.
The best magnet supplier isn't the one with the longest grade list. It's the one that can prove the grade holds at your operating temperature, certify it to your industry, and keep the line fed when the supply chain moves.
02 · The List
China Magnet Manufacturers & Suppliers
Mainrich International
Est. 1994 · China-based, factory-direct supplier serving Western buyers
Factory-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 across the production network and in-house export licensing.
Best for: Accessible factory-direct partner for mid-size Western buyers; vetting, export licensing, and assemblies handled
Certifications: IATF 16949 (production network), in-house export licensing
2.JL MAG Rare-Earth
Est. 2008 · Ganzhou, Jiangxi
One 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.
3.Zhongke Sanhuan
Est. 1999 · Beijing
Major high-performance sintered-NdFeB producer (publicly listed); roots in the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Electronics, automotive, wind, medical.
4.Ningbo Yunsheng
Est. 1995 · Ningbo, Zhejiang
Large rare-earth permanent-magnet producer (~21,000 t/yr stated capacity), publicly listed; billet, machining, and surface treatment.
Shortlisting suppliers for a China program?
Send a drawing or a target spec and we'll quote the right grade or assembly, flagging any end-use restriction up front.
5.Yantai Zhenghai Magnetic
Est. 2000 · Yantai, Shandong
High-performance sintered NdFeB (publicly listed); also makes NEV drive motors and controls.
6.Earth-Panda Advanced Magnetic Material
Est. 2003 · Hefei, Anhui
Sintered and bonded NdFeB (also SmCo), publicly listed; serves automotive, wind, motors, instruments, and medical, and exports broadly.
7.Advanced Technology & Materials (AT&M)
Est. 1998 · Beijing
Among China's earliest sintered-NdFeB suppliers (publicly listed; CISRI lineage); a diversified advanced-materials group.
8.Baotou Tianhe Magnetics
Est. 2008 · Baotou, Inner Mongolia
Vertically integrated raw-material-to-magnet producer (reported >10,000 t/yr); NEV, wind, robotics, aerospace, electronics, appliances.
Need a second source that keeps the line moving?
Mainrich qualifies as a factory-direct commercial source with in-house export licensing, so a qualified order keeps shipping through tariff and export-control disruption.
9.Zhejiang Innuovo Magnetics
Est. 2003 · Dongyang, Zhejiang
Sintered and bonded NdFeB (Hengdian Group lineage); motors, automotive, and magnetic materials.
Suppliers are labelled by type so buyers can match a source to their end-use. Mainrich is listed first as our own recommendation for commercial-volume sourcing, and is labelled honestly as an international factory-direct supplier, not a domestic China producer. Company facts (location, founding year, certifications) reflect public information and may change, so verify current certifications directly with each supplier during qualification.
03 · Market
The State of China 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.
04 · Our Position
Where Mainrich Fits
International factory-direct
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 (factory-verified: 75% less Dy), finished magnet assemblies built to drawing, IATF 16949 quality verifiable at the network's named plants, 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.
FAQ · Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of the world's NdFeB magnets does China make?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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 far less Dy/Tb (factory-verified: 75% less Dy, no Br loss). 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.