Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) officially launched the Copper grade A cathode premium, cif Rotterdam, USD/(tonne) on February 24th, 2026.
PriceFeb 11, 2026 10:00SMM will update its Alumina Monthly Cost Model from January 2026, incorporating VAT into bauxite costs and discontinuing certain regional indicators.
DataFeb 3, 2026 15:55Dear User, Greetings! To assist secondary aluminum enterprises in accurately grasping the regional supply-demand pattern within the domestic market, obtaining real-time spot aluminum scrap price information from core production areas, effectively reducing information barriers and communication costs in transaction processes, and further improving the price system and research dimensions of the secondary aluminum industry chain, SMM, after multiple rounds of market surveys and data accumulation, plans to revise the content of the original price points. The specific update arrangements are as follows for market reference. Explanation of Modifications to the Original Aluminum Scrap Price Points: The content changes for the following four price points—Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap (Foshan), Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap (Anhui), Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap (Changege), and Shredded Aluminum Cast Scrap (Foshan)—only involve supplementary modifications to the names, specifications, and definitions of the previous price points and do not affect the reference and viewing of corresponding historical prices. 1. Price Point Name: Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap (Foshan) revised to Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap Liquid Aluminum Price (Foshan) Specification: Water yield rate 90-93% revised to Water yield rate 90-93%, Copper >1.5% Definition: Transaction price, self pick-up price at goods yard revised to Liquid aluminum price, settled based on actual metal yield, guidance price for self pick-up at goods yards in the Foshan area. 2. Price Point Name: Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap (Anhui) revised to Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap Liquid Aluminum Price (Anhui) Specification: Water yield rate 90-93% revised to Water yield rate 90-93%, Copper >1.5% Definition: Transaction price, self pick-up price at goods yard revised to Liquid aluminum price, settled based on actual metal yield, guidance price for self pick-up at goods yards in the Anhui area. 3. Price Point Name: Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap (Changege) revised to Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap Liquid Aluminum Price (Changege) Specification: Water yield rate 90-93% revised to Water yield rate 90-93%, Copper >1.5% Definition: Transaction price, self pick-up price at goods yard revised to Liquid aluminum price, settled based on actual metal yield, guidance price for self pick-up at goods yards in the Changege area. 4. Price Point Name: Shredded Aluminum Cast Scrap (Foshan) revised to Shredded Aluminum Cast Scrap Liquid Aluminum Price (Foshan) Definition: Transaction price, self pick-up price at goods yard revised to Liquid aluminum price, settled based on actual metal yield, guidance price for self pick-up at goods yards in the Foshan area. Effective Time: The modifications to the aforementioned price points will be officially released starting November 12, 2025, and updated every working day. This revision aims to more accurately reflect market price levels through more refined grade classifications and provide market participants with more targeted decision-making references. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Chen Chichang at 021-51595820. SMM Aluminum Industry Research Team November 12, 2025
PriceNov 12, 2025 17:09Dear Useres, With the deep reshaping of the new energy industry chain, the strategic position of sulphur, a traditional bulk raw material, is undergoing a fundamental transformation. Historically, price fluctuations in sulphur-sulphuric acid primarily affected traditional industries such as phosphate fertilisers and titanium dioxide. However, as lithium iron phosphate (LFP) has become the mainstream cathode material for power batteries, the production of its core precursor, iron phosphate, heavily relies on high-purity phosphoric acid, which in turn uses sulphuric acid as its raw material. This enables price fluctuations in the sulphur-sulphuric acid chain to be directly and rapidly transmitted to the cost of LFP. Similarly, in areas such as nickel-cobalt smelting and precursor preparation, sulphuric acid is a key auxiliary material, and its price directly impacts the cost of products like battery-grade nickel sulphate and cobalt sulphate. The emergence of new demands: Sulphur itself, as a key sulphur source for lithium sulphide and sulphide solid-state electrolytes (such as LPSC), is seeing its material purity and supply stability begin to attract attention from cutting-edge battery technology R&D. As an authoritative information institution long dedicated to the non-ferrous metals and new energy materials sectors, SMM, after a period of consolidation and market surveys, plans to introduce new sulphur price points starting December 12, aiming to provide the market with more precise pricing anchors and price references. The specific new price points are as follows: Sulphur: Solid, Sulphur (S) content ≥99.0%, Price Description: Ex-factory price (buyer's self pick-up price), including 13% VAT. SMM New Energy Research Team December 04, 2025 Sulphur Price
PriceDec 15, 2025 10:18Dear User, Greetings! The PV industry is currently accelerating its transition to N-type technology, with TOPCon modules emerging as a core product in major global markets due to their superior power density. Meanwhile, against the backdrop of increasingly complex global trade conditions and fluctuating international logistics costs, the market is demanding greater transparency in pricing information. Standalone FOB prices can no longer adequately meet the needs of upstream and downstream players in the industry chain for accurately calculating overseas landing costs. As CIF prices more directly reflect the actual competitiveness of products in target markets, their importance as a basis for trade settlement and a tool for risk hedging has become increasingly prominent. To better understand the actual CIF market conditions for module exports to Southeast Asia and help enterprises reduce transaction risks and costs amid complex trade dynamics, SMM, after a period of market observation and surveys, plans to officially add the following product prices starting January 23, 2026, as references for market transactions: TOPCon Module-182mm-CIF Malaysia TOPCon Module-210mm-CIF Malaysia TOPCon Module-210R-CIF Malaysia The published prices are all CIF prices for major ports in Malaysia. Specific specifications and descriptions are as follows: Price Point Names: TOPCon Module-182mm-CIF Malaysia TOPCon Module-210mm-CIF Malaysia TOPCon Module-210R-CIF Malaysia Price Description: Price Type: CIF Major Ports in Malaysia Tax Standard: Tax-excluded Definition: CIF Price for Major Ports in Malaysia Unit: $/W Leading Brands: LONGi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Jinko Solar Co., Ltd., Trinasolar Co., Ltd., JA Solar Co., Ltd., CSI Solar, CHINT Group Co., Ltd., etc. Minimum Trading Volume: 10 MW Delivery Period: Within 3 months Release Time: Every Friday at 11:00 AM Beijing Time Payment Terms: Cash, and other payment methods standardized to cash SMM PV Research Team January 13, 2026
PriceJan 13, 2026 09:38In recent years, Guinea has played a pivotal role in the global bauxite market, standing as the world's largest bauxite producer. In 2024, the country exported 1.23 billion tons of bauxite, with approximately 90% destined for China, making it the most critical source of bauxite imports for China. The remainder was exported to regions such as India (3%) and Europe (1%). Against the backdrop of tight shipping capacity and the significant impact of freight and bunker adjustment costs on landed costs, SMM is responding to the strong focus from industry chain participants on FOB prices for Guinean bauxite. To more accurately reflect the intrinsic value of bauxite and refocus market attention from CIF prices (which include freight) to FOB prices themselves, SMM has decided to: Commencing November 7, 2025, SMM will officially launch one new price: Guinea Bauxite FOB (Al2O3: 45%, SiO2: 3%, FOB Guinea, $/dmt) Details of this price point are as follows: Shanghai Metals Market Aluminum Research Departmen 6th November, 2025
PriceNov 6, 2025 10:49Dear User, Currently, lithium carbonate prices are experiencing significant fluctuations, leading to markedly increased cost volatility for lithium metal, for which lithium carbonate serves as the primary raw material. To more promptly and accurately reflect market conditions for lithium metal, SMM plans to increase the publication frequency of prices for both industrial-grade lithium metal and battery-grade lithium metal from weekly updates to daily updates . The updates will be released at 12:00 PM Beijing Time on each working day for market reference: 1. Battery-grade lithium metal, Specification: Li≥99.9% 2. Industrial-grade lithium metal, Specification: Li≥99% We welcome more relevant enterprises across the industry chain to participate and support SMM in better serving new energy industry chain-related companies. Wang Cong 021-51666838 wangcong@smm.cn Feng Disheng 021-51666714 fengdisheng@smm.cn Wang Zihan 021-51666914 wangzihan@smm.cn Zhang Jing 021-51666878 faithzhang@smm.cn SMM New Energy Research Team January 8, 2026
PriceJan 8, 2026 16:47Dear User, Greetings! With the rapid development and continuous technological iterations in the solid-state battery industry, solid-state batteries have garnered increasing attention. As indispensable key materials for solid-state batteries, the market demand for sulfide electrolytes and oxide electrolytes is also surging accordingly. The quality of pentaphosphorus pentasulfide and lithium bromide, important raw materials for sulfide electrolytes, plays a significant role in influencing sulfide electrolytes. In the realm of oxide electrolytes, the application status of LLZO (lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide) in the semi-solid and solid-state battery markets is gradually rising. SMM is committed to supporting upstream and downstream enterprises in the solid-state battery industry chain, helping them gain comprehensive insights into the market dynamics of solid-state battery electrolytes. By providing real-time and accurate spot cargo and price information, we assist enterprises in effectively reducing risks and costs in market transactions, enhancing their core competitiveness and market adaptability. Simultaneously, SMM actively delves into research on the solid-state battery industry chain, striving to build a more transparent, fair, and efficient market environment for the industry through deepened industry analysis and continuous improvement of the knowledge system. After a period of consolidation and market surveys, SMM plans to introduce two important raw materials for sulfide electrolytes in solid-state batteries—pentaphosphorus pentasulfide and lithium bromide—along with a new price point for oxide electrolyte LLZO, starting from January 28. Details are as follows: Pentaphosphorus pentasulfide: P2S5 content ≥99.9%, Lithium bromide: LiBr content ≥99.9% Oxide electrolyte LLZO: powder, D50 ≤1μm. Price note: The above three product price points are all delivery-to-factory prices, inclusive of 13% VAT. Shanghai Metals Market New Energy Research Team January 24, 2026
PriceJan 24, 2026 22:26To Our Valued Users, Hello! As a key intermediate product in the lithium industry chain, lithium sulfate serves as a primary raw material for producing core lithium salts such as battery-grade lithium carbonate and battery-grade lithium hydroxide. Its supply and pricing directly impact the cost of downstream lithium battery materials and overall market operations. Currently, the lithium sulfate market lacks open and transparent representative price benchmarks, with international trade and procurement pricing largely reliant on bilateral negotiations, leading to issues such as information asymmetry and delays in price transmission. With lithium sulfate production from relevant African lithium producers, represented by the Zimbabwe region, commencing and gradually entering the market, SMM has developed and is now launching the "Africa Lithium Sulfate (CIF China) Price" to promote the standardization and transparency of African lithium sulfate pricing and enhance the efficiency of industrial chain collaboration. This initiative aims to objectively reflect the market conditions of African lithium sulfate arriving at major Chinese ports, providing a reliable price benchmark for producers, traders, downstream enterprises, and financial institutions, thereby supporting the standardized development and price discovery of the global lithium resource market. Release time:2026.Jan.22 The price will be updated every business day at 12:00 Beijing Time for market reference. Product Name: Africa Lithium Sulfate (CIF China) Quality Standard: Li₂SO₄·H₂O content ≥ 80% Definition: CIF major Chinese ports Unit: USD/ton Minimum Transaction Volume: 60 tons Delivery Period: 2 months Release Time: Every business day at 12:00 Beijing Time Payment Terms: Letter of Credit (L/C), Telegraphic Transfer (T/T), or Documents Against Payment (D/P). Other payment terms are subject to negotiation. We welcome more relevant enterprises across the industrial chain to participate and support SMM in better serving the new energy industry. Shirley Wang 021-51666838 wangcong@smm.cn Thomas Feng 021-51666714 fengdisheng@smm.cn Sylvia Wang 021-51666914 wangzihan@smm.cn Jessica Wang 021-51595902 wangjie@smm.cn Faith Zhang 021-51666878 faithzhang@smm.cn Shanghai Metals Market New Energy Research Team January 20, 2026
PriceJan 20, 2026 18:48SMM Clarification Statement SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "SMM" or "the Company"), as a professional spot market price reporting agency and information provider, has recently noticed the circulation of false information regarding the fairness of SMM's price assessment. To avoid market misunderstandings, maintain a healthy and transparent market environment, and protect the Company's legitimate rights and interests, SMM hereby makes the following solemn clarification and statement: I. The Difference Between Spot Prices and Futures Prices is a Normal Reflection of Market Mechanisms According to basic economic principles, spot prices reflect the immediate supply-demand relationship and deliverable transaction conditions of the underlying asset, while futures prices reflect market expectations for future supply and demand, including factors such as capital cost and carrying costs. Both follow the principle of "convergence at maturity," meaning that futures prices gradually converge towards spot prices as the contract expiration date approaches. Therefore, during the life of the contract, the difference between spot prices and futures prices, especially with far-month contracts, is a normal phenomenon under the market pricing mechanism. II. Historical Data Proves the Rationality of the Price Spread Structure To objectively present the facts, SMM has made a price spread analysis chart based on publicly available market data: The chart clearly shows that from September 2023 to 2025, the monthly price spread between the SMM battery-grade lithium carbonate average price and the GFEX lithium carbonate futures contract prices fluctuated between positive and negative territory, always remaining within a reasonable range, and exhibited a significant convergence trend as the contract expiration date approached. This fully aligns with the market rule of futures and spot price convergence. Comparing a certain periods' futures prices (especially those of far-month most-traded contracts) with spot assessment prices and concluding that there is a "consistent significant deviation" is fundamentally flawed in methodology and can easily mislead market judgment. Any behavior that selectively highlights short-term trends in the price spread without considering the broader context is partial and irresponsible, failing to reflect the overall market situation. III. Recent Market Risk Control Measures Recently, to maintain the stable operation of the lithium carbonate futures market and prevent potential risks, the Guangzhou Futures Exchange, in accordance with its risk management rules, issued multiple notifications consecutively between November and December 2025, implementing a series of risk control measures for relevant contracts, including adjustments to transaction fee standards and trading limits. These measures represent the exchange's commitment to fulfill its self-regulatory duties in accordance with the law during specific market periods, aiming to promote the steady development of the market. IV. The Emergence, Nature, and Harm of False Information It is noteworthy that during this sensitive period, when the aforementioned risk control measures were being intensively implemented, a significant amount of false information began circulating on the Internet. While such information varies in content, it shares an identical core narrative: False claims have been made that SMM’s prices "consistently and significantly deviate from fair value and futures prices" and that "there are illegal benefit-related connections with certain institutions". These claims are entirely groundless. The timing and manner of their dissemination indicate that their purpose is not professional discussion but rather an attempt to exert improper pressure on SMM by confusing the price logic of spot and futures markets, interfere with the neutrality of spot price assessments, and consequently potentially mislead market expectations and disrupt the normal relationship between futures and spot prices. SMM hereby solemnly declares that SMM is always committed to price discovery in the spot market, does not participate in any futures market trading operations, and resolutely maintains market order. V. The Compliance, Neutrality, and Supervision Mechanisms of SMM's Price Assessment As a professional market price assessment agency, SMM always adheres to the principles of neutrality, objectivity, and fairness. SMM's price assessment methodology strictly follows the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) "Principles for Financial Benchmarks" and is subject to audits by independent third-party audit firms. In terms of internal governance, SMM has established a comprehensive firewall system to ensure that personnel and management involved in the price assessment process do not hold any related futures or spot positions, thereby eliminating conflicts of interest at an institutional level. SMM also has no history of any penalties from securities regulatory authorities for violations. We consistently maintain an open attitude towards market supervision based on facts. VI. Appeal to the Public SMM strongly condemns the recent malicious fabrication and dissemination of false information in the market, which damages SMM's commercial reputation and attempts to disrupt the order of the futures and spot markets, and has initiated legal proceedings to protect its rights. Currently, SMM is comprehensively and continuously collecting and preserving evidence related to the infringements. For suspected infringing acts, the Company will take all legal measures, including but not limited to reporting to relevant regulatory authorities and filing complaints with relevant online platforms, to resolutely pursue the legal liability of the infringing parties. SMM reserves the right to pursue all legal consequences against the relevant responsible parties. We once again call on all market participants to enhance their legal awareness and professional discernment capabilities, obtain information from authoritative channels, analyze the market rationally, resolutely resist and refuse to spread any unverified and unfounded rumors, and jointly maintain a fair, orderly, and healthy development environment for the industry chain. SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. Dec 26, 2025
Dec 26, 2025 17:30