Hertha Metals Becomes First U.S. Company to Achieve 99.95% Pure Iron for Neodymium Magnets: Magnet-Grade Iron Can Now Be Produced Domestically

    Texas-based Hertha Metals has produced high-purity iron at 99.95 percent (3N5) using fully domestic US inputs. That is a first for the U.S. High-purity iron makes up 70% by weight of neodymium magnets used in EVs, wind turbines, and defense systems. This comes just in time as the U.S. is set to ban Chinese-origin magnets from use in the U.S. defense industry, beginning at the start of 2027. The U.S. imports 90% of its high-purity iron, most of it from China.  

     According to Interesting Engineering:

“High-purity iron is one of the least visible materials behind the magnets that power everything from electric vehicles to defense systems, and today almost none of it is made in America,” said Laureen Meroueh, CEO and founder of Hertha Metals. “We’ve now demonstrated that we can produce magnet-grade iron domestically, creating a new pathway to build a domestic supply chain.”

     The process does not use coal or coke to make the high-purity iron in multiple steps. Hertha Metals’ process involves a single pyrometallurgical step.

“Typical ultra-pure iron production requires multi-step electrolytic refining, but Hertha achieves 99.95 percent (3N5) purity in a single continuous pyrometallurgical step with minimal post-processing.”

“The pyrometallurgical process removes oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and metallic impurities in a single continuous step at a lower cost.”

     The company proved its process in a one-ton-per-day demonstration pilot project. It is groundbreaking for a new commercial-scale facility later this year.

     As noted below, the process runs on natural gas, which makes it much cleaner than coal-based iron processing. It can also run on hydrogen, further reducing emissions.

“The upcoming Chalyx facility will be able to scale initial commercial capacity to approximately 9,000–10,000 metric tons per year, with long-term goals targeting 500,000 tons annually.”

“As per the company, it’s flexible-fuel furnace can process low-purity ores (<60%), iron ore fines, and millscale waste, unlocking vast domestic reserves while slashing raw material costs.”

“Operating on abundant natural gas, the system is 30 percent more energy-efficient than standard steelmaking and cuts emissions by at least 50 percent. It can also transition to clean hydrogen with zero hardware modifications, enabling up to a 98 percent reduction in total emissions.”

     The company also plans to expand its basic steelmaking process that can potentially produce steel of many grades from a wider variety of inputs, utilizing natural gas or hydrogen rather than coal, and can do it cheaper and with fewer emissions. It can produce high-performance low-carbon steel alloys as well as high-purity iron.

  

 

References:

 

Hertha Metals reaches 99.95% iron purity for US-based rare-earth magnet production. Mrigakshi Dixit. Interesting Engineering. August 18, 2026. Hertha Metals reaches 99.95% iron purity for US-based rare-earth magnet production

Forging the Future of Steel. Hertha Metals. Hertha Metals | Forging the Future of Steel

Hertha Metals Unveils Breakthrough Process to Accelerate American-Made Steel and High-Purity Iron Production. Hertha Metals. July 22, 2025. Hertha Metals Unveils Breakthrough Process to Accelerate American-Made Steel and High-Purity Iron Production - Hertha Metals