March 13 News: Northern ports: South African high-grade ore, 32.5-35.4 yuan/mtu, prices up WoW from last Friday; South African semi-carbonate, 38.9-39.4 yuan/mtu, prices up WoW from last Friday; Gabon ore, 44.3-44.9 yuan/mtu, prices up WoW from last Friday; 46% Australian lumps, 44.9-45.4 yuan/mtu, prices up WoW from last Friday. South China ports: South African high-grade ore, 33-33.5 yuan/mtu, prices flat WoW from last Friday; South African semi-carbonate, 35.9-36.4 yuan/mtu, prices up WoW from last Friday; Gabon ore, 42-42.5 yuan/mtu, prices flat WoW from last Friday; 46% Australian lumps, 43.4-43.9 yuan/mtu, prices flat WoW from last Friday.

This week, China’s domestic manganese-based battery materials market has shown a differentiated operation trend. The price of battery-grade manganese tetroxide has slightly declined, the price of electrolytic manganese dioxide has slightly increased, and lithium manganate has maintained a weak balance of supply and demand.

In contrast to the typical price declines seen during the traditional spring festival low season from January to February in previous years, China’s domestic manganese sulfate market has recently staged an independent rally of “strong performance amid the off-season”, with prices rising steadily along the way.

This week, China's manganese-based battery materials market showed a differentiated operating trend: battery-grade Mn3O4 prices dropped back slightly, EMD prices edged up slightly, and LMO remained in a weak balance amid the tug-of-war between sellers and buyers. Although the three major products showed different trends, all were supported by the cost side. Overall, the market was mainly stable in the short term, with limited room for wild swings, as the industry gradually transitioned from the post-holiday resumption period to a phase of steady operations......

On March 10, to accelerate the comprehensive utilization of electrolytic manganese residue, the Department of Energy Conservation and Comprehensive Utilization of the MIIT held a symposium in Beijing on March 9. The meeting noted that proper utilization of this complex residue is crucial for the high-quality development of the electrolytic manganese industry and regional green growth. The MIIT will conduct in-depth industry research, improve policy and standard systems, and promote advanced technologies to enhance utilization levels.

On March 10, GEM Co., Ltd. disclosed during an investor exchange event that the company has been strategically positioned in the solid-state battery field for some time. Since 2019, it has been developing high-nickel ternary cathode materials and lithium-rich manganese-based cathode materials specifically for solid-state batteries. Currently, shipments of these material systems have reached ton-level quantities.

This week, ternary cathode precursor prices were broadly stable. Raw materials, nickel sulphate prices edged up today, while cobalt sulphate prices and manganese sulphate prices held steady. Discounts, for March orders, as raw material prices were expected to rise to some extent, some producers recently showed willingness to raise nickel discounts. Long-term contracts, as downstream orders remained unclear, acceptance of higher discounts did not improve significantly and was basically flat from February. Spot orders, discounts for some earlier orders had already been finalised before the Chinese New Year, while discounts for the remaining March orders rose slightly from February; production, precursor production schedules in March recovered overall from February, with some leading producers in China and producers with relatively large export orders maintaining high operating rates. Looking ahead, sulphate prices have recently remained generally firm and may provide further support for precursor prices from the cost side.

On the demand side, the EV battery market has seen order contractions compared to earlier expectations, impacted by lackluster new energy vehicle sales both domestically and internationally.

This week, ternary cathode precursor prices declined slightly. Raw materials, nickel sulphate prices edged up today, cobalt sulphate prices declined again, and manganese sulphate prices held steady.

1. Procurement Conditions The purchaser of this procurement project, the Beiying Mine High Manganese Steel Castings and Other Items Project (BG2026020036) (BGBCGFHGXHD260228270076), is the Equipment Spare Parts Procurement Department of the Procurement Center of Bensteel Group Sheets & Plates Co., Ltd. The project funds are self-raised, and the project has met the procurement conditions. Now, a public request for quotation and comparison is being conducted. 2. Project Overview and Procurement Scope 2.1 Project Name: Beiying Mine High Manganese Steel Castings and Other Items Project (BG2026020036) 2.2 Alternative procurement method in case of procurement failure: Negotiated procurement 2.3 The procurement content, scope, and scale of this project are detailed in the attachment "Material List Attachment.pdf". 3. Bidder Qualification Requirements 3.1 Joint bidding is not allowed for this procurement. 3.2 This procurement requires bidders to meet the following qualification requirements: (1) Production-oriented business license 3.3 This procurement requires bidders to meet the following registered capital requirements: Production-oriented registered capital: 500 (10,000 yuan) or more 3.4 This procurement requires bidders to meet the following performance requirements: See the attachment for details. 3.5 This procurement requires bidders to meet the following capability requirements, financial requirements, and other requirements: Financial requirements: See the attachment for details. Capability requirements: See the attachment for details. Other requirements: See the attachment for details. 3.6 For projects that must be tendered according to the law, bids from discredited persons subject to enforcement are invalid. 4. Obtaining Procurement Documents 4.1 Interested bidders are requested to log in to the Ansteel Smart Tender and Bid Platform at http://bid.ansteel.cn from 08:00 on March 1, 2026, to 08:00 on March 10, 2026 (Beijing Time, the same hereinafter) to download the electronic procurement documents. Click to view tender details: