Anode Costs Under Pressure, Prices Remain Steadily Firm [SMM Lithium Battery Anode Raw Material Market Weekly Review]

Published: May 21, 2026 17:29

Save

[SMM Lithium Battery Anode Raw Material Market Weekly Review: Anode Costs Under Pressure, Prices Remained Steadily Firm] May 21: This week, artificial graphite anode material prices remained stable. Supply-demand side, effective capacity in the industry remained tight with no new capacity release for the time being.

SMM May 21 News:

This week, artificial graphite anode material prices remained stable. Supply and demand side, effective capacity in the industry remained tight with no new capacity release for the time being; cost side, earlier raw material price increases had been gradually passed through to downstream, but product price raises failed to fully cover cost increases, thus further providing strong support for artificial graphite anode prices. Looking ahead, underpinned by the dual logic of strong cost support combined with steadily recovering downstream demand, artificial graphite anode material prices are expected to maintain a firm trend.

This week, natural graphite anode material prices remained stable with no significant fluctuations. Although supply-side market availability was relatively ample with certain downward price pressure, upstream graphite raw material prices remained elevated, forming a solid cost barrier that effectively offset the downward pressure from loose supply, ultimately keeping market prices stable. Overall assessment: in the short term, the market is in a phase of interplay between rigid cost support and a loose supply pattern, and natural graphite anode prices are highly likely to maintain a stable trend with limited overall fluctuation range.

SMM New Energy Research Team

Wang Cong 021-51666838

Ma Rui 021-51595780

Feng Disheng 021-51666714

Lv Yanlin 021-20707875

Zhou Zhicheng 021-51666711

Zhang Haohan 021-51666752

Wang Zihan 021-51666914

Wang Jie 021-51595902

Xu Yang 021-51666760

Xu Mengqi 021-20707868

Hu Xuejie 021-20707858

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.

For any inquiries or to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

36 mins ago

Ford Announces New European Strategy, to Launch Five New Passenger Cars Within Three Years

Ford Motor Company announced that it will launch a comprehensive product and technology strategy in Europe over the next three years. Under this new strategy, its FordPro division will transform from a pure automaker into a productivity partner, leveraging software and services to maximize returns. Ford plans to launch five all-new passenger vehicles in Europe by the end of 2029, all manufactured in Europe.

36 mins ago

41 mins ago

National Passenger Vehicle Industry Inventory Reached 3.54 Million Units at April Month-End

Cui Dongshu, Secretary General of the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA),stated that the national passenger vehicle industry inventory stood at 3.54 million units at the end of April, up 90,000 units MoM and up 40,000 units compared to April 2025, forming a trend of sustained inventory growth. Among this, manufacturer inventory accounted for 29.8%, which was relatively high. The April forecast optimism was 36%, and the post-April satisfaction in early May was 7%. Expectations were low but satisfaction was even worse, mainly due to the significant impact of high oil prices. The team's optimism for the May market dropped to 27%, which was a relatively low level in recent market optimism assessments. Even after repeated downward adjustments, expectations have yet to turn more optimistic.

41 mins ago

43 mins ago

South Korea's Total Auto Exports Reached $6.17 Billion in April, Down 5.5% YoY

On May 20, data from South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy showed that total automobile exports in April reached $6.17 billion, down 5.5% compared to the same period last year. Among them, exports to North America, Latin America, and Oceania were up 2.4%, 23.7%, and 20.1% YoY respectively, but due to the ongoing war between the US and Iran, exports to the Middle East plunged 38.7%; exports to the EU and Asia declined 13.1% and 31.7% respectively. The data also showed that due to disruptions in some auto parts supply chains and consumers waiting for new and facelifted versions of major car models to launch, China's automobile production fell 6.1% YoY to 362,000 units.

43 mins ago