Electrolyte Prices Remained Stable This Week (2026.5.18-5.21) [SMM Lithium Battery Electrolyte Market Weekly Review]

Published: May 21, 2026 17:45

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[SMM Lithium Battery Electrolyte Market Weekly Review: Electrolyte Prices Remained Stable This Week (2026.5.18-5.21)] From May 18 to May 21, 2026, electrolyte prices remained stable. As raw material price increases were gradually passed through to downstream sectors, there are expectations and room for electrolyte prices to rise in the future market.

SMM May 21 News:

Electrolyte market prices remained stable this week. Specifically, the average prices for ternary NEV-use, LFP-use, and LMO-use electrolytes were 28,950 yuan/mt, 27,200 yuan/mt, and 21,500 yuan/mt, respectively. Cost side, the overall price fluctuations of electrolyte solvents and additives were relatively small recently, while the core raw material LiPF6 showed strong performance. On one hand, production costs rose steadily, driven by the sustained price increases of upstream raw materials such as anhydrous hydrogen fluoride and lithium carbonate in the earlier period. On the other hand, the industry was previously in a destocking cycle, and the market supply-demand pattern gradually tightened. Multiple favorable factors drove LiPF6 prices to surge significantly. However, after the current raw material price increases, overall market trading volume was low, and cost pass-through still requires a certain time lag. Therefore, the LiPF6 price increase has not yet notably driven electrolyte prices, which remained stable. In terms of the overall supply-demand pattern, the electrolyte industry generally maintained production schedules based on demand. In the ESS sector, driven by the mid-year 630 concentrated grid connection installation rush, downstream installation demand saw concentrated release, which in turn transmitted upstream and lifted electrolyte production. Overall, due to a certain lag in upstream raw material cost pass-through, electrolyte market prices are highly likely to maintain stable operation in the short term. As raw material price increases gradually pass through to downstream smoothly, coupled with steady recovery in end-use demand providing support, electrolyte prices are expected to rise with upside potential in the future market.

SMM New Energy Research Team

Wang Cong 021-51666838

Ma Rui 021-51595780

Feng Disheng 021-51666714

Lv Yanlin 021-20707875

Xu Mengqi 021-20707868

Hu Xuejie 021-20707858

Chen Bolin 021-51666836

Wang Yizhou 021-51595909

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM's internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

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