SMM has now officially launched the new SMM: Supply-Demand Balance of Nickel Matte: Monthly data point based on extensive market surveys.
DataMar 17, 2026 14:52SMM officially released SMM: Sulfuric Acid Demand: Total: Annual data, with China as the data region.
DataMar 17, 2026 15:22SMM will launch two new price points for Indonesia 316L stainless steel, "Indonesia 316L/NO.1 Coil Mill Edge" and "Indonesia 316L/2B Coil Mill Edge," effective March 13, 2026.
PriceMar 11, 2026 18:14Dear User, As a key intermediate product in the lithium industry chain, lithium sulfate serves as a primary raw material for producing core lithium chemicals such as battery-grade lithium carbonate and battery-grade lithium hydroxide. Its supply and price influence the costs of downstream lithium battery materials and market operations. Currently, the lithium sulfate market lacks open and transparent representative price references. International trade and procurement pricing largely rely on bilateral negotiations, leading to issues such as information asymmetry and delayed price transmission. With lithium sulfate production from African lithium producers, represented by the Zimbabwe region, commencing and gradually entering the market, SMM has compiled and launched the " Africa Lithium Sulfate (CIF China) Price " to promote standardized and transparent pricing for African lithium sulfate and enhance the efficiency of the industry chain. This price aims to objectively reflect the market conditions of African lithium sulfate arriving at main Chinese ports. It will provide a reliable price benchmark for producers, traders, downstream enterprises, and financial institutions, supporting the standardized development and price discovery of the global lithium resources market. SMM's "Africa Lithium Sulfate (CIF China)" was officially launched today (January 21, 2026) . Details are as follows: Africa Lithium Sulfate (CIF China), Specification: Li₂SO₄·H₂O content ≥80% Product Name: Africa Lithium Sulfate (CIF China) Quality Standard: Li₂SO₄·H₂O content ≥80% Definition: CIF main Chinese ports Unit: $/mt Minimum Trading Volume: 60 mt Delivery Period: 2 months Release Time: Weekdays, 12:00 Beijing Time Payment Terms: Letter of credit, telegraphic transfer, or documents against payment other payment terms require separate negotiation. Welcome more relevant enterprises in the industry chain to participate and support SMM in better serving new energy industry chain enterprises. Shirley Wang 021-5166-6838 wangcong@smm.cn Thomas Feng 021-5166-6714 fengdisheng@smm.cn Sylvia Wang 021-5166-6914 wangzihan@smm.cn Jessica Wang 021-5159-5902 wangjie@smm.cn Faith Zhang 021-5166-6878 faithzhang@smm.cn Shanghai Metals Market New Energy Research Team January 21, 2026
PriceJan 21, 2026 15:19To 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 18:48Dear Users, Greetings! In recent years, as the global new energy vehicle industry entered a large-scale retirement period and resource security strategies were upgraded, China's lithium battery recycling market continued to expand rapidly. In August this year, China officially began allowing the import and export of black mass, and it is expected that more black mass meeting quality requirements will enter China in the future. Against this backdrop, the value and pricing mechanism of overseas black mass in the Chinese market are attracting close attention from both upstream and downstream segments of the industry chain. In response to market changes, addressing the industry's practical needs for evaluating the value of recycled raw materials, and promoting the establishment of a more open and fair pricing benchmark in the lithium battery recycling sector, the Shanghai Metals Market (SMM), after in-depth market surveys and discussions has decided: On January 9, 2026, SMM will officially launch new weekly price for lithium battery recycling. The newly added price are as follow: 1. SMM Battery Black Mass, NCM/NCA, % payable of SMM's Nickle sulphate, FOB Malaysia, 9% < Ni < 20% 2. SMM Battery Black Mass, NCM/NCA, % payable of SMM's Cobalt sulphate, FOB Malaysia, Specification: 5% < Co < 10% 3. SMM Battery Black Mass, NCM/NCA, % payable of SMM's Lithium Carbonate, FOB Malaysia, Specification: 3% < Li < 3.5% Details of this price point are as follows: Description: SMM Battery Black Mass, NCM/NCA, % Payable of SMM's Nickel Sulphate, FOB Malaysia, 9% < Ni < 20% SMM Battery Black Mass, NCM/NCA, % Payable of SMM's Cobalt Sulphate, FOB Malaysia, 5% < Co < 10% SMM Battery Black Mass, NCM/NCA, % Payable of SMM's Lithium Sulphate, FOB Malaysia, 3% < Li < 3.5% Quality: Ni 9%-20%, Co 5%-10%, Li 3%-3.5% Quantity: Minimum 30 tonnes Definition: FOB Malaysia main ports Timing: 1-2 Months Unit: % Payment Terms: 50% Payment in advance T/T in USD , other payment terms normalized Pulication: Weekly, Friday 12pm Beijing time Relevant companies from the New Energy Industry Chain are welcomed to participate and support SMM in better serving the New Energy Industry Companies. Relevant companies from the New Energy Industry Chain are welcomed to participate and support SMM in better serving the New Energy Industry Companies. Shirley Wang 021-51666838 wangcong@smm.cn Thomas Feng 021-51666714 marui@smm.cn Freya Lin 021-51666902 linziya@smm.cn Rayna Lei 021-20707873 leiyue@smm.cn Melanie Choy (Malaysia) +6012-4926909 melanie.choy@smm.cn Shanghai Metals Market New Energy Research Team November 26, 2025
PriceDec 29, 2025 18:56Dear 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 Users, Greetings! On December 12, 2025, SMM will officially launch new weekly price points for lithium battery recycling. The newly added price points are as follow: 1. SMM Black Mass, NCM/NCA, % payable of SMM's Nickle sulphate, FOB Malaysia, Specification: 18% < Ni < 40% 2. SMM Black Mass, NCM/NCA, % payable of SMM's Cobalt sulphate, FOB Malaysia, Specification: 5% < Co < 18% 3. SMM Black Mass, NCM/NCA, % payable of SMM's Lithium sulphate, FOB Malaysia, Specification: 5.5% < Li < 6.5% The price will be updated and maintained every Friday at 12:00 PM. Relevant companies from the New Energy Industry Chain are welcomed to participate and support SMM in better serving the New Energy Industry Companies. Shirley Wang 021-51666838 wangcong@smm.cn Maria Ma 021-51595780 marui@smm.cn Freya Lin 021-51666902 linziya@smm.cn Rayna Lei 021-20707873 leiyue@smm.cn Melanie Choy (Malaysia) +6012-4926909 melanie.choy@smm.cn Shanghai Metals Market New Energy Research Team December 2, 2025
PriceDec 2, 2025 17:22Indonesia holds over 60% of the world's nickel reserves and plays a central role in nickel resource supply and processing. In 2023, Indonesia achieved a breakthrough in refined nickel exports, increasing from zero to substantial volumes, with exports reaching 43,600 mt in 2024. New refined nickel projects are currently under construction, and Indonesia's refined nickel capacity is expected to increase to 180,000 mt by 2026. Future exports are anticipated to expand further, making Indonesia's refined nickel price trends significantly influential in the global nickel market. To actively respond to changes in the Indonesian refined nickel market, meet the urgent needs of users for Indonesian refined nickel FOB prices, and enhance market information transparency, SMM has decided: Starting from September 19, 2025, to publish the‘SMM Indonesia Refined Nickel, FOB Indonesia, USD/tonne’price Price details are as follows: Description: SMM Indonesia Refined Nickel, FOB Indonesia, USD/tonne Quality: Ni 99.80% min Definition: FOB Indonesia main ports Unit: USD/tonne Quantity: Min 30 tonnes Timing: 1-3 months Payment Terms: L/C/TT at sight in USD , or other payment terms normalized Publication: Weekly, Friday 10:30 AM Jakarta Time
PriceSep 11, 2025 16:48In the past two years, the proportion of nickel ore exported from the Philippines to Indonesia has surged from less than 3% in 2023 to approximately 20% in 2024. This year, Indonesia’s domestic nickel ore supply is tightening under the dual pressures of progressively stricter government controls over nickel resources and prolonged rainy seasons. Consequently, exports of nickel ore from the Philippines to Indonesia are expected to increase further. Against this backdrop, the valuation and pricing mechanisms for Philippine nickel ore in the Indonesian market are drawing close attention from participants across the supply chain. To proactively address market shifts, meet the pressing need for price discovery of Philippine nickel ore on a CIF Indonesia basis, and enhance market transparency, SMM has decided: Commencing August 15, 2025, SMM will officially launch two new price: SMM the Philippines 1.3% Laterite Nickel Ore, CIF Indonesia, USD/wmt SMM the Philippines 1.4% Laterite Nickel Ore, CIF Indonesia, USD/wmt Details of this price point are as follows: Description: SMM the Philippines 1.3% Laterite Nickel Ore, CIF Indonesia, USD/wmt Quality: Nickel ore 1.3% Ni, 15-25% Fe, water content 33-35% Quantity: Minimum 50000 tonnes Definition: CIF Indoneisa main ports Brand Listing: CNC、NAC,etc Timing: 1-2 Months Unit: USD/wmt Payment Terms: L/C/TT at sight in USD , other payment terms normalized Pulication: Daily, by 12am Beijing Time Description: SMM the Philippines 1.4% Laterite Nickel Ore, CIF Indonesia, USD/wmt Quality: Nickel ore 1.4% Ni, 15-25% Fe, water content 33-35% Quantity: Minimum 50000 tonnes Definition: CIF Indoneisa main ports Brand Listing: CNC、NAC,etc Timing: 1-2 Months Unit: USD/wmt Payment Terms: L/C/TT at sight in USD , other payment terms normalized Pulication: Daily, by 12am Beijing Time SMM Nickel Industry Research Department August 8, 2025
PriceAug 8, 2025 16:19