Lithium price rises accelerated in the first half of September as surging demand and raw material supply concerns combined to push Chinese domestic prices up to their highest levels since mid-2018 according to data from Benchmark’s Lithium Price Assessment.

Lithium hydroxide and carbonate price rises accelerated to new levels in the first half of September. Source: Benchmark

Technical and battery-grade lithium carbonate prices increased by more than 20% in the first two weeks of September and are now up 188.9% and 215% respectively in the Chinese domestic market this year.

Carbonate price increases are once again outpacing lithium hydroxide, last seen in Q1 2021, and could soon race ahead, Benchmark said. China EXW lithium hydroxide prices rose 14.2% in the first half of September, up 162.7% year-to-date.

Throughout August and early September, the price rally for lithium chemicals and feedstock has been re-ignited on incredibly strong downstream demand, especially within the Chinese domestic market, which acts as a bellwether for the rest of the world’s lithium market.

—Benchmark analyst George Miller