Lithium metal prices weaken amid pharmaceutical environmental probes

Published: Dec 29, 2018 11:10

Save

Prices fell to 790,000-820,000 yuan/mt as of Friday Dec 28, down 20,000 yuan/mt from a week ago

SHANGHAI, Dec 29 (SMM) – Prices of lithium metals fell to 790,000-820,000 yuan/mt as of Friday December 28, down 20,000 yuan/mt from a week ago, SMM assessments showed.

Earlier in the month, prices of lithium metals held stable at 810,000-840,000 yuan/mt.

Environmental probes prompted many pharmaceutical companies in coastal regions, like Jiangsu and Zhejiang to shut for rectification. This eroded demand for lithium metals.

In China, the pharmaceutical intermediate sector is a major downstream consumer of lithium metals.

We expect rectifications to continue into the first quarter of 2019. Mills are estimated to resume operation at the end of the first quarter.

Dips in prices of lithium chloride, triggered by weakening lithium hydroxide prices, also accounted for recent declines in prices of lithium metals. Lithium chloride, used to produce lithium metal, mostly traded at 80,000-90,000 yuan/mt as of December 29.

Market commentary Lithium Lithium metal Lithium chloride Lithium hydroxide

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

13 hours ago

Multiple Bearish Factors Stall the Uptrend; Short-Term Correction in the Tantalum Market, with Solid Medium and Long-Term Support [SMM Analysis]

[Multiple Bearish Factors Stall the Uptrend; China’s Tantalum Market Undergoes Short-Term Adjustment While Medium and Long-Term Support Remains Solid] Recently, the sustained upward momentum in China’s tantalum products market came to a halt, with the overall market entering a phase of temporary consolidation and adjustment. Upward momentum slowed markedly in the short term, mainly due to three core factors: the transmission of macro sentiment, changes in circulating supply, and weakening raw material costs.

13 hours ago

Mar 28, 2026 11:05

CMOC: 2025 Net Profit up 50.3% YoY, Copper Production at 741,100 mt; Niobium, Cobalt, Molybdenum, and Tungsten Output Exceeded Expectations

Mar 28, 2026 11:05

Mar 27, 2026 18:37

[SMM Analysis] Domestic Weakness Meets Overseas Strength, Scrap Tungsten Drags on Sentiment

This week, the tungsten market showed a divergent trend with mild corrections in domestic prices and a contrarian rise in overseas APT prices. Domestic tungsten concentrate and midstream product prices remained relatively firm, while scrap tungsten prices dropped sharply as profit-taking emerged. Supported by a tight supply-demand balance, overseas markets strengthened, further widening the price gap between domestic and international markets.

Mar 27, 2026 18:37