Summary form only given. Early studies have shown that Zr goes into the 2:14:1 structure and replaces the rare earth atoms, and leads to an increase in the anisotropy field in R/sub 2/Fe/sub 14/B (R=Ce, Nd, Pr, Gd and Dy). This raises an interesting question: can Zr substitution improve the performance of R/sub 2/Fe/sub 14/B type magnets and reduce the raw material cost? Thus, the purpose of this work is to make such a study by investigating the effects of Zr substitution for rare earth on the magnetic properties and microstructure of melt-spun (Nd/sub 0.75/Pr/sub 0.25/)/sub 12.5-x/Zr/sub x/Fe/sub 82/B/sub 5.5/ (x=0-3) powder and magnets.