SHANGHAI, Aug 22 (SMM) -
Lithium carbonate
According to customs data, China lithium carbonate imports were 9,369 mt in July, down 67% MoM and up 108% YoY.
The July imports fell sharply MoM due to a high base in June when the import volume hit an extreme high with backlogged import orders from the pandemic outbreak, and the import volume fell in July when the market returned to normal.
In terms of country of origin, imports from Argentina and Chile fell 6% and 70% MoM respectively.
The average import price stood at $62,498/mt in July 2022, a drop of 3% month-on-month and a surge of 878% year-on-year! Among them, the average price of imported lithium carbonate from Chile was $67,466/mt, a slight increase of 2% from June.
In terms of the destinations, 72% of China’s total imports of lithium carbonate went to Shanghai, 12% Guangdong and 5% Jiangsu.
The imports totalled 80,695 mt from January to July 2022, a year-on-year increase of 70%.
Lithium hydroxide
China exported 9,713 mt of lithium hydroxide in July 2022, a month-on-month drop of 3% and year-on-year increase of 139%.
Among them, exports to South Korea fell 14% from the previous month, and those to Japan rose 20% MoM.
The average export price was $47,514/mt in July 2022, a drop of 3% month-on-month and a surge of 380% year-on-year.
The average price of lithium hydroxide exported to South Korea was $54,101/mt, and that exported to Japan was $34,268/mt. From January to July 2022, China’s exports of lithium hydroxide totalled 50,480 mt, a year-on-year increase of 29%.
China imported 293,202 mt of spodumene concentrate in June 2022, up 41% on the month and up 78% on the year.
The imports from Australia recorded 278,769 mt, accounting for about 95.1% of the monthly import volume.
In terms of the destinations, 38% of imports went to Sichuan province, 36% Jiangxi province, 16% Shanghai, and 8% Jiangsu province.
From January to July 2022, the combined imports of spodumene concentrate stood at 1,464,590 mt (equivalent to about 120,500 mt of LCE).
![[SMM Analysis] The arrival volume of spodumene in January 2026 reached a record high then declined in February.](https://imgqn.smm.cn/usercenter/zWZVI20251217171730.jpg)
