The X‑ray Fluorescence Spectrometric Method for Determination of Lanthanum, Cerium, Praseodymium, Neodymium, Samarium, and Niobium Contents in Iron Ores, initiated and applied by Baogang United Steel, has been approved for establishment by the National Standardization Administration.

This means that China now has a national standard for the determination of five key rare earth elements and niobium content in iron ore. It also enables Baogang United Steel to achieve full-chain testing standardization from rare earth-derived raw materials to finished products.

The company's researchers conduct an experiment. [Photo/Baotou news network]

Wang Yanqiu, a company representative, said, "Most chemical methods are used in the industry to determine the rare earth content in iron ore, but this can only measure the total amount of rare earths. The content of individual elements cannot be accurately determined due to spectral interference."

Though the X-ray fluorescence spectrometric method is suitable for detecting rare earth content in ores, there has been a lack of corresponding national standards. The standard led and formulated by Baogang directly addresses this pain point, enabling fast and accurate measurement of the contents. It also provides a more efficient and convenient testing method for the smelting of rare earth steel.

The approval of this new national standard has realized the full-process tracking of rare earth flow data — from iron ore inspection upon entry, precise control during smelting, to finished product verification before delivery.

This enables greater control over the quality of rare-earth steel raw materials at the source, ensures the stable quality of final products, and also provides key technical support for in-depth research on the mechanism of rare earths throughout the development cycle of rare-earth steel.