[SMM Analysis] China Imported 605,000 mt of Spodumene in May, Maintaining High Volume Levels

In May, total spodumene imports reached approximately 605,000 mt, down slightly by 2.9% MoM, equivalent to around 53,000 mt of LCE.

Specifically, Australia, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe remained the major sources of imports, accounting for 88% of the total volume and proportion. Notably, import volumes from Australia and South Africa increased significantly, up 24.8% and 29.9% MoM, respectively. Lithium ore imports from Zimbabwe amounted to 97,000 mt, down 8.2% MoM. Lithium ore imports from Brazil stood at 15,000 mt, down 71.7% MoM. Lithium ore imports from Canada were 3,507 mt, down 89.8% MoM, representing a significant decline.

Additionally, in May, spodumene concentrates amounted to 517,000 mt, accounting for 85.4% of the total ore volume, and remained basically flat MoM. Most of these concentrates originated from Australia and Zimbabwe.

          Data source: China Customs, SMM's processed data based on publicly available information.

        Note: Customs data may not fully capture the actual monthly imports of spodumene concentrates with precision, and some data are reported based on the general direction of import volumes.