Dear industry chain colleagues,
Global lithium resources, processing capacity, and end-use demand are distributed across different regions. Lithium ore therefore needs to pass through port loading, ocean transportation, and destination-port arrival before entering the refining and battery material production stages. Lithium ore shipment volume is consequently an important leading indicator connecting overseas mine production with downstream raw material supply.
In recent years, amid the continued development of the new energy vehicle and energy storage industries, lithium mining projects worldwide have expanded and new production capacity has gradually come online, further diversifying global lithium supply. Meanwhile, mine maintenance, project ramp-ups, weather conditions, port operations, vessel schedules, and international trade policies may all affect shipment schedules and volumes.
Compared with port arrivals and inventories, shipment data can reflect changes in overseas mine supply at an earlier stage, providing forward-looking indications of future import arrivals, domestic raw material availability, and inventory movements.
To further enhance transparency across the global lithium supply chain and help market participants track changes in overseas lithium supply in a timely manner, SMM (Shanghai Metals Market) will officially launch the SMM Global Spodumene Shipment Volume Data on August 7, 2026.
I. Data Point Name
- Global Spodumene Shipment Volume
- Global Spodumene Shipment Volumes to China
II. Release Frequency and Schedule
- Update frequency: Weekly
- Release time: Every Friday at 15:00 (with the first release on August 7, 2026)
The release of this data will help upstream and downstream enterprises across the industry chain stay informed of global spodumene shipment volumes and trends. It will provide an objective basis for tracking shipment schedules in major producing regions and assessing future port arrivals, imported spodumene supply, port inventories, and raw material supply-and-demand dynamics.
Should you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us at any time.
SMM New Energy Research Team
July 28, 2026