Blacksburg magnet manufacturing facility has broken ground in South Carolina, advancing a major project for domestic rare earth manufacturing.
The $1.2 billion construction project will establish an 800,000-square-foot production complex in Cherokee County.
The facility will manufacture permanent magnets and rare earth metals for strategic American industries.
It will also strengthen domestic supply chains that currently depend heavily on overseas sources.
Blacksburg magnet manufacturing facility advances construction
The project occupies approximately 124 acres within Bailey Industrial Park in Blacksburg.
USA Rare Earth selected the location after assessing nearly 275 potential sites nationwide.
South Carolina offered advanced manufacturing skills, reliable power and strong transportation infrastructure.
The site also provides access to customers, suppliers and the Interstate 85 corridor.
The facility will target annual production of 6,400 metric tons of sintered NdFeB permanent magnets.
It will also produce 5,000 metric tons of strip-cast rare earth metals and alloys annually.
Commissioning is targeted to begin in 2028, following construction and equipment installation.
The construction will create approximately 490 high-skill, high-wage manufacturing positions in South Carolina’s Upstate.
Meanwhile, USA Rare Earth will contribute $250,000 toward Spartanburg Community College’s new SPARK Center.
The center will connect workforce development, education and economic development across Cherokee County.
Blacksburg magnet manufacturing facility targets integrated production
The project forms part of USA Rare Earth’s broader mine-to-magnet strategy across several facilities.
That strategy covers mining, processing, separation, metal production, alloy manufacturing and permanent magnet production.
The company operates or develops assets across the United States, Brazil, France and the United Kingdom.
The Blacksburg facility will complement USA Rare Earth’s magnet manufacturing operation in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Stillwater commissioned its first commercial production line in March 2026.
Together, the two US operations could provide 10,000 metric tons of annual NdFeB magnet capacity.
The company also completed its combination with Serra Verde Group in September 2026.
Serra Verde operates a rare earth mining and processing operation in Goiás, Brazil.
The combination strengthens USA Rare Earth’s access to upstream heavy rare earth production outside Asia.
Blacksburg magnet manufacturing facility strengthens US supply chains
Rare earth magnets support defense, aerospace, semiconductor, energy, mobility and healthcare applications.
They also serve robotics, physical artificial intelligence and other advanced manufacturing sectors.
The United States remains dependent on foreign sources for significant rare earth materials and manufacturing capabilities.
Consequently, the South Carolina project aims to expand America’s domestic capacity for critical magnet production.
The construction also adds manufacturing infrastructure to the country’s broader critical-minerals strategy.
USA Rare Earth’s approach links upstream resources with downstream manufacturing rather than relying on isolated facilities.
Clark Construction Group and Frampton Construction are delivering the project through their joint venture.
Trammell Crow Company serves as developer for the facility.
McMillan Pazdan Smith serves as project architect alongside three engineering firms.
Chang Robotics provides advanced manufacturing, automation and robotics expertise.
The Blacksburg magnet manufacturing facility is part of a broader expansion of US rare earth infrastructure. In Missouri, US Strategic Metals and Ionic Rare Earths USA are planning a $100 million magnet recycling plant near Fredericktown. The proposed facility will recover rare earth materials from NdFeB and samarium-cobalt magnets and manufacturing scrap.
Unlike the South Carolina project, the Missouri development will focus on recycling rather than primary magnet manufacturing. The partners plan to integrate the facility into a wider critical minerals processing campus.
The two developments therefore represent complementary approaches to strengthening US magnet supply chains. While USA Rare Earth is expanding domestic NdFeB magnet manufacturing in South Carolina, the Missouri project aims to recover rare earths from existing magnet materials.
Project Fact Sheet
Project: Blacksburg rare earth metal and magnet manufacturing facility.
Investment: Approximately $1.2 billion.
Location: Bailey Industrial Park, Blacksburg, Cherokee County, South Carolina.
Site area: Approximately 124 acres.
Building area: Approximately 800,000 square feet.
Magnet output: 6,400 metric tons of sintered NdFeB permanent magnets annually.
Metals output: 5,000 metric tons of strip-cast metal and alloy annually.
Employment: Approximately 490 high-skill, high-wage manufacturing jobs.
Construction status: Groundbreaking completed in September 2026.
Commissioning target: 2028.
Domestic magnet capacity: Up to 10,000 metric tons annually with Stillwater expansion.
Workforce investment: $250,000 contribution to Spartanburg Community College’s SPARK Center.
Project Team
Owner: USA Rare Earth.
Developer: Trammell Crow Company.
Design-builder: Clark Construction Group and Frampton Construction through their joint venture.
Project architect: McMillan Pazdan Smith.
Structural and engineering support: Bennett & Pless.
Civil engineering support: Thomas & Hutton.
Engineering services: Salas O’Brien.
Automation and robotics: Chang Robotics.
Workforce development partner: Spartanburg Community College.
Federal funding partner: US Department of Commerce.
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