According to industry sources on August 10, HL-GA selected LG Chem last month as a cathode materials supplier for electric vehicle batteries. The cathode materials will be used in 2029 model-year electric vehicles to be produced at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA). LG Chem will supply HL-GA with nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) ternary cathode materials, including both high-nickel and mid-nickel products.

This week, the industry chain as a whole remained in the doldrums. In the traditional consumption off-season, end-use demand recovery was limited, and market transactions were generally sluggish. Electrolytic products continued to grind lower, affected by loosening overseas quotes and weakening domestic salts and intermediate product prices, leading to rising bearish sentiment. The divergence between miners holding intermediate product prices firm and downstream pushing for lower prices widened, hindering actual transactions. The sulphate, chloride, tetroxide, and powder markets all faced insufficient demand and inventory pressure, with some low-priced supply increasing, keeping short-term prices under pressure. Ternary cathode precursor prices were temporarily stable; top-tier player production load recovered somewhat, and export orders performed well. Ternary cathode material prices rebounded slightly, with EV market orders in August stable and growing, but the consumer market improvement remained insignificant. LCO supply and demand remained mediocre, with prices still likely to decline. On the policy front, multiple regions continued to optimize auto consumption subsidies, the catalogue of vehicle models eligible for vehicle and vessel tax exemptions expanded, and end-use consumption stimulus policies continued to advance.

[SMM Express] Transport-related costs remain an important cost challenge for South Africa's chrome industry. The Minerals Council South Africa said in its latest Mining Input Cost Inflation report that chrome and manganese experienced elevated input-cost inflation in June, largely due to their reliance on transportation networks, particularly road freight, where higher fuel prices have increased operating costs. The pressure comes alongside elevated energy costs, with the Minerals Council noting that higher fuel prices and the full impact of winter electricity tariffs are expected to keep mining input-cost inflation elevated in the coming months. For chrome producers, the combination of fuel-intensive ore transportation and higher power costs could continue to weigh on margins, particularly for operations dependent on longer road-haulage routes to processing plants and export corridors.

【KB Recycling Signs Black Mass Offtake MoU with BatX Energies】 Indian battery recycler KB Recycling has signed a downstream offtake memorandum of understanding (MoU) with BatX Energies, under which BatX will process black mass generated from KB Recycling's upcoming recycling facility to recover battery materials including lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese. KB Recycling is developing a battery recycling facility in the Visakhapatnam industrial corridor with a planned processing capacity of 3,000 tonnes per year, targeting lithium-ion battery waste and manufacturing scrap. The partnership is expected to strengthen India's domestic black mass processing and battery material recycling value chain while supporting EPR compliance.

As of this Friday, SiMn 6517 (cash) in north China stood at 5,600-5,650 yuan/mt, down WoW; SiMn 6517 (cash) in south China stood at 5,700-5,750 yuan/mt, flat WoW; SiMn 6014 (cash) in south China stood at 5,350-5,450 yuan/mt, up WoW. Recently, SiMn futures moved sideways weakly, market sentiment was deeply pessimistic, spot prices fell, and futures and spot prices largely moved in tandem.

Aug 7 News: At north China ports, manganese ore prices declined WoW across all grades: 46% Australian lumps (40-40.5 yuan/mtu), South African semi-carbonate (32.7-33.2 yuan/mtu), Gabonese ore (37.8-38.2 yuan/mtu), South African high-iron ore (28.5-29 yuan/mtu), and South African medium-iron ore (35-35.5 yuan/mtu). At south China ports, manganese ore prices were mixed WoW: 46% Australian lumps (42.9-43.4 yuan/mtu) remained flat, South African semi-carbonate (36.3-36.8 yuan/mtu) declined, Gabonese ore (40.6-41.1 yuan/mtu) declined, South African high-iron ore (31.2-31.7 yuan/mtu) declined, and South African medium-iron ore (38-38.5 yuan/mtu) remained flat. Manganese ore market prices are grinding lower, end-use demand is sluggish, and traders are commonly cutting prices to sell.

[India] Indian long steel prices registered a slight decline across major markets, with buying activity remaining cautious amid the monsoon season. Mandi Gobindgarh TMT held at 503.10 USD/tonne (47,900 INR/tonne), while primary producer offers remained at 525.15 USD/tonne (50,000 INR/tonne) ex-Durgapur. In the semis market, Mandi Gobindgarh billet was unchanged at 447.43 USD/tonne (42,600 INR/tonne), although billet prices in Durgapur and Raipur slipped by 4.20 USD/tonne (400 INR/tonne) and 1.05 USD/tonne (100 INR/tonne), respectively. Export sentiment remained subdued, with Indian HRC offers heard at 490 USD/tonne FOB to European buyers and 520 USD/tonne FOB to Middle Eastern buyers. But buyers were not interested in these levels amid the availability of lower-priced material from other regions. Domestic raw material prices softened in July, led by lower iron ore and manganese ore prices. NMDC reduced Baila lump (65.5%) prices by 4.4% month on month to 57.10 USD/tonne (5,450 INR/tonne) and Baila fines (64%) by 3.1% to 49.30 USD/tonne (4,700 INR/tonne), while MOIL's 37% Mn lump ore declined 5.0% to 194.20 USD/tonne (18,529 INR/tonne).

This week, industry chain prices diverged. Lithium ore edged down alongside lithium carbonate, but mines continued to hold prices firm, making profit distribution across the industry chain a market focus. Supported by maintenance and tight spot order supply, lithium carbonate prices consolidated on a subdued note, while lithium hydroxide prices initially fell before rebounding. The cobalt industry chain remained generally under pressure—with weakening overseas quotations and sluggish off-season demand, refined cobalt, intermediate products, and cobalt salt prices continued to weaken, and the price spread between buyers and sellers widened. Nickel sulphate edged down, with the market still primarily focused on destocking; ternary cathode precursor prices declined due to weaker nickel and cobalt salt prices, while ternary cathode material prices remained basically stable. LFP prices proved resilient, supported by rising processing fees, with August production schedules continuing to grow and high-quality capacity remaining tight. Artificial graphite prices rose, the supply-demand balance for separators stayed in tight balance, and electrolyte prices were pushed up by raw material cost transmission. Supply of key materials for sodium-ion batteries remained tight, while recycling-side transactions were subdued. On the terminal side, EV and ESS demand maintained resilience, though the consumer market recovery remained limited. Looking ahead, the focus will be on peak season stockpiling and demand realization.

On August 7, Shandong Chuanglu Advanced Battery Technology Co., Ltd. announced that its entire range of solid-state electrolytes and lithium-rich manganese-based cathode materials have completed pilot-scale validation, with product batch consistency and mass production processes fully meeting standards. Among these, the annual 150-ton solid-state electrolyte production line has completed installation and commissioning, while the thousand-ton cathode material production line has entered the trial production phase. The company's core products are about to officially enter the stage of large-scale industrialization. This will enable the provision of stable and reliable batch supplies and customized material solutions for diverse downstream applications, including 3C digital products, engineering machinery, power batteries, and all-solid-state batteries, thereby accelerating the commercialization of all-solid-state batteries.

Against the backdrop of the United States accelerating the build-out of its domestic battery supply chain while continuing to depend on foreign sources for critical minerals, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued an interim final rule on August 5, 2026, imposing export controls on certain recycled battery materials. The most impactful measure is a temporary export restriction on black mass — an intermediate product of lithium battery recycling.