Customs data show that China imported roughly 750,000 tonnes of spodumene in July 2025, up 30.4% month-on-month—equivalent to about 67,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE), calculated by SMM after adjusting for average grade and moisture content.
The main suppliers remained Australia, Nigeria and South Africa, which together supplied 86.5% of the total:
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Australia delivered 427,000 tonnes, a month-on-month rise of 67.2%;
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Nigeria shipped 116,000 tonnes, up 47.3%;
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South Africa provided 106,000 tonnes, up 8.1%.
In contrast, arrivals from Zimbabwe fell 36.2% to 64,000 tonnes.
After SMM’s screening and analysis, about 576,000 tonnes of the July imports were spodumene concentrate, representing 76.8% of total arrivals. The increase was driven largely by higher volumes from Australia.
Source: China Customs, compiled and analyzed by SMM
