[SMM Weekly Review] This week's hydrometallurgy recycling market: cobalt prices continued to decline, hydrometallurgy recycling trading was sluggish, July 27-30, 2026

Published: Jul 30, 2026 19:27

Save

Raw material side, lithium carbonate and nickel sulphate prices fluctuated this week, while cobalt sulphate prices fell steadily.

SMM July 30 news:

Raw material side, this week lithium carbonate and nickel sulphate prices fluctuated, while cobalt sulphate prices fell steadily. This week, looking at ternary, LCO, and LFP material types, on the LFP hydrometallurgical side: Taking LFP electrode black mass as an example, its price was 6,250-6,700 yuan/mtu, basically stable WoW from last Thursday’s deals. Meanwhile, LFP battery black mass price was 5,500-5,900 yuan/mtu, and the price spread with electrode black mass gradually widened. The main reason was that several LFP recycling enterprises were actively producing, mainly purchasing LFP electrodes, which broadened the demand scope for scrap LFP electrodes. Therefore, some LFP hydrometallurgical companies switched to purchasing LFP battery black mass, or additionally purchased LFP electrode black mass at higher prices; On the ternary and LCO side, nickel and cobalt payables for ternary electrode black mass were around 76-79%, with the market starting to see some low-price deals, and payables at the low end of the range fell; Cobalt and lithium payables for pure cobalt and high-cobalt scrap also edged down. With cobalt sulphate prices falling steadily and sluggish demand in the end-use consumer market, upstream hydrometallurgical enterprises purchased in light volumes.

SMM New Energy Research Team

Wang Cong 021-51666838

Ma Rui 021-51595780

Feng Disheng 021-51666714

Lü Yanlin 021-20707875

Zhou Zhicheng 021-51666711

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

2 hours ago

[Yongshan Lithium Plans to Raise up to RMB 500 Million via Private Placement of A-Shares]

On July 29, Yongshan Lithium (603399.SH) announced that it plans to issue A-shares to specific investors, with total funds raised not exceeding RMB 500 million (inclusive). After deducting issuance expenses, the entire amount will be used to replenish working capital. The subscriber is Yonghong Investment, a wholly‑owned subsidiary of the company’s controlling shareholder Yongrong Zhisheng, and the subscription funds will come from its own funds and self‑raised funds. The number of shares to be issued shall not exceed 71,839,080 shares (inclusive), representing 14.02% of the total share capital before the issuance. The issuance price shall not be lower than 80% of the average trading price of the company’s shares over the 20 trading days prior to the pricing benchmark date, with a lock‑up period of 18 months.

2 hours ago

[Pret to Invest 500 Million Yuan in Upgrading Large‑Form Advanced Battery Production Line]

On July 29, Shanghai Pret Composites Co., Ltd. (002324.SZ) stated that its subsidiary, Jiangsu Highstar Energy Storage Technology Co., Ltd., plans to invest in the "Large‑Form Advanced Battery Production Line Upgrade and Renovation Project," with a total planned investment of approximately RMB 500 million. The construction period is expected to be 12 months, starting in July 2026 and commencing production in June 2027. The project will add an annual production capacity of 6 GWh of high‑performance prismatic lithium‑ion batteries, primarily used in energy storage systems. The funds will be sourced from the company's own and self‑raised capital.

2 hours ago

[Core Lithium 2026Q2: Grants Nearing Production, BP33 Advancing, Lithium Concentrate Sales Underway]

According to Core Lithium's Q2 2026 quarterly report, the Finniss project has been fully restarted. The Grants open‑pit mine has commenced mining operations, with designed ore of 784,000 tonnes, expected to produce approximately 134,000 tonnes of SC5 lithium concentrate. Processing is planned for Q3 2026, with first shipment targeted for Q4. The decline development at the BP33 underground mine has also been initiated, with first ore expected by mid‑2027 and steady‑state production by 2028. The logistics chain has resumed operations as well. On the sales front, during the quarter the company shipped 20,000 tonnes of lithium fines and 5,000 tonnes of concentrate from inventory, receiving A$16.2 million in proceeds. It also signed two new fines sales agreements with Glencore for a combined 45,000 tonnes at an average price of approximately US$280/t CIF. At quarter‑end, about 30,000 tonnes of fines inventory remained. In terms of production, Grants will contribute the first concentrate, while BP33 is the future mainstay, as the project transitions from open‑pit to underground mining. Regarding cash flow, as of 30 June the cash balance stood at A$181.8 million, with net operating inflow of A$5.71 million, and post‑financing funds are ample to support ongoing construction works.

2 hours ago