Nanostructured Nd 9.5 Fe 84− x B 6.5 Ta x (x=0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2) ribbons composed of Nd 2 Fe 14 B and α-Fe phases with a high coercivity and maximum energy product are fabricated by direct melt spinning. The effects of Ta addition on the structures and magnetic properties of melt-spun Nd 9.5 Fe 84− x B 6.5 Ta x (x=0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2) ribbons have been investigated. Compared with addition-free ribbons, small addition of Ta is found to reduce the grain sizes of the samples and improve their magnetic properties due to a strong exchange coupling between the Nd 2 Fe 14 B hard phase and α-Fe soft phase. A coercive field of 750kA/m and a maximum energy product of 158kJ/m 3 in melt-spun Nd 9.5 Fe 82.5 B 6.5 Ta 1.5 ribbons are obtained at room temperature.