Cobalt product prices mostly fell; refined cobalt dropped 16,500 yuan; the market still awaits downstream demand recovery [Weekly Observation]

SMM, June 12: This week, prices across the cobalt products complex continued their downward trend. Refined cobalt fell by 16,500 yuan/mt in a single week, while in the cobalt salt segment, spot quotes declined to varying degrees across the board except for cobalt sulphate, which held stable temporarily. Weak downstream demand was a key factor behind the relentless slide in prices for products along the cobalt industry chain... SMM has compiled this week's price changes for cobalt products as follows:

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SMM spot price data showed that refined cobalt spot quotes moved lower this week. As of June 12, spot refined cobalt was quoted at 385,000-412,000 yuan/mt, with an average of 398,500 yuan/mt, down 16,500 yuan/mt from 415,000 yuan/mt on June 5, a decline of 3.98%.

According to SMM, the price decline this week was driven by two main factors: first, during mid-week, ex-China price reporting platforms slashed the low-end price for cobalt intermediate products, weakening market sentiment and dragging down refined cobalt prices; second, this triggered forced stop-loss liquidation by some funds, further accelerating the magnitude of the pullback.

From a supply-demand perspective, on the supply side, EXW prices from mainstream smelters held at 422,000 yuan/mt. After the rapid drop in refined cobalt prices, most traders suspended quoting, with only a small number of hedging traders selling limited cargoes at a slight premium to futures. On the demand side, the persistent downtrend suppressed downstream purchase willingness, with alloy and magnetic material enterprises mostly choosing to hold off on purchases and stay on the sidelines, in a "rush to buy amid continuous price rise and hold back amid price downturn" mentality. In the short term, the market is likely to remain in a volatile state under pressure; a stabilization in refined cobalt prices still depends on a return to stability in other cobalt products, particularly cobalt salts.

For the raw material cobalt intermediate product, SMM spot price data showed that spot quotes for cobalt intermediate products edged down $0.1/lb this week to $24.9-25.5/lb, with an average of $25.2/lb, down 0.4% from June 5.

On the supply side, quotes from mainstream miners and traders remained in the $25.5-26/lb range. Small volumes of lower-quality material changed hands at sub-$25/lb levels during the week, but the impact on mainstream prices was relatively limited given the significant quality discount and limited trading volume. In terms of shipments, the approval of Q1 2026 quotas continued to progress slowly due to complicated procedures. Coupled with tight local logistics in the DRC and the lower priority assigned to cobalt raw material shipments, the arrival of bulk cargoes at ports was further delayed, with current estimates pointing to a mass port arrival around August. In the short term, demand-side support remained weak, and prices may mainly move sideways. For the market to stabilize and strengthen going forward, it still depends on downstream demand recovery and the restoration of cobalt salt prices.

Cobalt salt market ( and ):

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According to SMM spot quotes, cobalt sulphate spot prices remained stable this week. As of June 12, cobalt sulphate spot quotes held steady at 88,000-92,000 yuan/mt, with an average of 90,000 yuan/mt, unchanged from June 5.

In the spot market, according to SMM, the cobalt sulphate market atmosphere was sluggish this week, with the tug-of-war between upstream and downstream continuing and prices staying generally stable. On the supply side, mainstream smelters continued to hold prices firm, with the quotation range maintained at 88,000-92,000 yuan/mt. Some recycling smelters and traders, affected by cash flow pressures, lowered offers on small volumes of low-priced cargoes to 84,000-85,000 yuan/mt. On the demand side, the continued gradual price decline suppressed downstream purchase willingness, with some enterprises' target prices at only 81,000-82,000 yuan/mt, a large gap from sellers' offers that made actual transactions difficult.In the short term, cobalt sulphate prices are likely to remain in the doldrums, with market stabilization and recovery still awaiting the substantial release of concentrated downstream restocking demand.

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According to SMM spot quotes, cobalt chloride spot prices stabilized this week after falling 100 yuan/mt on June 11. As of June 12, cobalt chloride spot quotes ranged from 110,000 to 115,000 yuan/mt, with an average of 112,500 yuan/mt, a decline of 0.09% from June 5.

In the spot market, according to SMM, the cobalt chloride market was overall sluggish this week. On the supply side, as the mid-year period approached, some enterprises continued to offer discounts to sell in response to performance and cash flow pressures, but downstream purchasing capacity was limited, and price cuts did not result in substantial volume increases. The market remained trapped in a passive volume discount situation. Top-tier players maintained their stance of holding prices firm, unwilling to sell at low prices, which provided bottom support for prices. On the demand side, end-user orders were weak, overall downstream stockpiling motivation was insufficient, and purchases remained wait-and-see.Overall, June cobalt chloride prices continued on a gradual weakening trend, with further downside in the short term.

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According to SMM spot quotes, the Co3O4 spot price fell by 1,500 yuan/mt on the last trading day of this week, to a range of 341,000-350,000 yuan/mt, with an average of 345,500 yuan/mt, a decline of 0.43% from 347,000 yuan/mt on June 5.

Meanwhile, the Co3O4 spot market remained sluggish. From the supply-demand perspective, on the supply side, enterprises generally struggled to hold their offers, continuously selling at lower prices. However, driven by a mentality of “rush to buy amid continuous price rise and hold back amid price downturn,” successive price cuts intensified downstream wait-and-see sentiment, further suppressing purchase willingness. On the demand side, LCO producers still focused on customer-supplied materials and long-term contract deliveries, while spot demand continued to shrink, and the weak end-user market had begun to slow cargo pick-up under long-term contracts. In the short term, a market turnaround is unlikely, and against the backdrop of loosening cost support and inelastic demand, SMM expects the Co3O4 price center to continue shifting downward.

In news, on corporate developments, according to Webstock Inc., on Thursday, June 11, Madagascar’s Ambatovy Mining announced that it had restarted production following a cyclone disaster in February and plans to produce 2,500 mt of nickel in June. Ambatovy added that cobalt production this month is expected to be around 250 mt. It is reported that the Ambatovy mine produces nickel briquettes and cobalt briquettes. In 2025, the mine’s nickel production was approximately 29,000 mt, and cobalt production about 2,700 mt.

Tengyuan Cobalt, when responding to investor inquiries in early June, mentioned that as of the end of Q1 2026, the company already had 60,000 mt of copper product capacity and 31,500 mt in metal content of cobalt product capacity.

GEM, during an investor survey on June 10, was asked “whether there is any quality difference between critical metals such as nickel, cobalt, and lithium extracted through the recycling system and those from virgin ore.” In response, GEM stated that after deep purification, the purity and performance indicators of critical metals such as nickel, cobalt, and lithium are fully consistent with the requirements of battery material production, and there is no quality difference. At the same time, the metal enrichment degree (grade) in “urban mines” such as power batteries is usually higher than that in natural mines, offering significant advantages in resource value and utilization efficiency.

It is worth noting that at the, SMM Vice President Wang Cong mentioned when discussing cobalt resources that for the past several years, the DRC had always been the core supplier of global cobalt resources, but since last year's policy adjustments, Indonesia's share of cobalt production has increased significantly. Looking ahead over the next decade, the market share of cobalt contained in Indonesian MHP is expected to continue expanding, and the global cobalt supply landscape is evolving from a single-center structure centered on the DRC to a dual-center structure with both the DRC and Indonesia.