Lithium-Ion Battery Copper Foil Output Drops Slightly in December amid Slowing New Orders of Motive Batteries, to Fall Further in January

SHANGHAI, Jan 16 (SMM) –

Copper foil output stands at 72,300 mt in December

According to SMM statistics, output of copper foil stood at 72,300 mt in December 2022, a month-on-month increase of 0.63%, basically in line with expectations. The output of copper foil for lithium batteries was 46,300 mt, a slight decrease of 0.3% from the previous month. The output of copper foil for electronic circuits was 26,300 mt, an increase of 2.34% from November. This is according to an SMM survey of 22 producers with a total capacity of 970,000 mt.

End-user consumption has weakened due to the ending of the national subsidy on new energy vehicles, dragging down the new order index of the lithium-ion battery copper foil industry. Moreover, some build-outs (plants that expanded lithium-ion battery copper foil capacity for the first time) switched to produce copper foil used in electronic circuit immediately following trial production of lithium-ion battery copper foil. This is because the certification of copper foil products, which play a key role in the composite performance of lithium batteries, is typically more stringent. And the certification usually takes over six months. As such, lithium-ion battery output skid.

Most manufacturers are currently moving full speed ahead, producing for orders placed by copper clad laminate plants.

Copper foil output to stand at 68,800 mt in January

Output of copper foil is expected to fall 4.87% month-on-month to 68,800 mt in January. January-February is the peak season for copper foil. Automakers are rushing to produce and make deliveries in the beginning of the year. But consumers have advanced their car purchases before the ending of national subsidies of new energy vehicles, waning the demand in 2023. This has resulted in a decline in the operating rates of lithium battery copper foil manufacturers.

Downstream producers placed orders in December as they closed early for Chinese New Year holidays, waning orders in the electronic circuit copper foil industry in January. Demand has diminished as the CNY holidays nears. And production schedules decreased. Some enterprises will undertake maintenance during CNY holidays, with output falling sharply.