USA Rare Earth Plans $1.2B South Carolina Plant with 490 Jobs and 6,400 tpa Capacity
USAR•USA Rare Earth will invest $1.2 billion to build a magnet manufacturing and refined metals facility in Cherokee County, South Carolina, creating about 490 skilled jobs. The Blacksburg plant will produce 6,400 tpa of neodymium-iron-boron magnets and 5,000 tpa of strip-cast metals, complementing its Stillwater site and targeting a 2028 commissioning.
1. Project Details and Capacity
USA Rare Earth will allocate $1.2 billion to construct a magnet manufacturing and refined metals facility at Bailey Industrial Park in Blacksburg, South Carolina. The plant is designed for annual outputs of 6,400 tpa of sintered neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnets and 5,000 tpa of strip-cast rare earth metals and alloys, and will generate approximately 490 skilled positions.
2. Integration with Existing Operations
This Blacksburg facility will complement the company’s first commercial production line in Stillwater, Oklahoma, which began operations in March 2026. Together, the two plants form the core of USA Rare Earth’s integrated mine-to-magnet value chain, with additional projects in Texas, Colorado, Brazil, the UK and France, and aim to reach 10,000 tpa capacity each for magnets and heavy rare earth metals.
3. Timeline, Financing and Incentives
Engineering and equipment procurement are already underway, with site work set to start in the coming months and commissioning planned for 2028. The location was chosen after evaluating grants, tax incentives, affordable power, skilled workforce availability and proximity to defense and aerospace clients, aligning with anticipated government financing to support sectors such as defense, aerospace, semiconductors and medical technology.
