China's imports of unwrought cobalt rose 66% month-on-month in June 2026

Published: Jul 20, 2026 17:49

Save

China imported about 1,120 tons of unwrought cobalt in June 2026, rising 66% month-on-month and 105% year-on-year.

By source country for electrolytic cobalt imports in June, the top three suppliers were Indonesia, Russia and Madagascar, with import volumes of 476 tons, 293 tons and 148 tons respectively.

Despite a sharp drop in domestic electrolytic cobalt prices in June and a fully closed import-export arbitrage window, weak overseas demand for electrolytic cobalt prompted some foreign traders to ship material to China, driving a notable jump in import volumes.

The average import price of unwrought cobalt hit USD 52,228 per ton in June 2026, down 4.27% month-on-month.

Cumulative imports from January to June 2026 totalled 7,709 tons, climbing 118% year-on-year.

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 for 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

1 hour ago

[SMM Analysis] China's Lithium Raw Material Imports Near 80kt LCE in June

1 hour ago

China-Kazakhstan Perovskite PV and All-Solid-State Energy Storage Center Unveiled in Ordos

[Solid-State Battery: China–Kazakhstan Perovskite PV and All-Solid-State Energy Storage Research Center Unveiled in Ordos] On July 6, 2026, the China–Kazakhstan Perovskite PV and All-Solid-State Energy Storage Research Center was officially inaugurated at the Ordos New Energy Research Institute. Jointly established by Beihang University, Nazarbayev University of Kazakhstan, and the Ordos New Energy Research Institute, the center will leverage Ordos’ industrial resources and Beihang’s research strengths to promote joint research and technology transfer in perovskite PV and all-solid-state energy storage, building an innovation platform for China–Kazakhstan new energy cooperation. SMM believes that the deployment of large-scale all-solid-state energy storage projects is still more than five years away.

1 hour ago

2 hours ago

【SMM analysis】SMM GBRC26: Lithium Battery Recycling Faces Challenges, Industry Calls for Standardization

At the recently held SMM GBRC lithium battery recycling industry conference, participating enterprises across the industry chain engaged in thorough exchanges, summarizing the common issues confronting the sector's current development. Feedback from the conference indicates that China's lithium battery recycling industry remains in a phase of development and refinement, with overall standardization yet to be enhanced.

2 hours ago