Fastmarkets’ proposal follows initial feedback from market participants who are interested in seeing regional price references for lithium in the US and Canada that reflect the evolving battery supply chain in the region, and new market dynamics arising from the US’ enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) legislation.
The landmark IRA legislation, which was signed into law in 2022, is expected to change trade flows and potentially to create separate prices for IRA-compliant material versus non-IRA-compliant material.
Fastmarkets was the first price reporting agency to launch spot battery-grade and technical-grade lithium hydroxide and carbonate price assessments for the US and Europe. Pricing histories for these markets are available back to 2017.
Fastmarkets’ assessments of the lithium hydroxide monohydrate LiOH.H2O 56.5% LiOH min, battery grade, spot price, cif China, Japan & Korea, and the lithium carbonate 99.5% Li2CO3 min, battery grade, spot prices, cif China, Japan & Korea, are the underlying settlement mechanisms of cash-settled contracts available from the CME Group, the London Metal Exchange and the Singapore Exchange.
The proposed specifications for the amended Europe price assessments without the US footprint are as follows:
MB-LI-0023 Lithium carbonate 99.5% Li2CO3 min, battery grade, spot price ddp Europe, $ per kg
Quality: Powder, accepted by buyer for use in battery applications and with the chemical composition: Li2CO3 99.5% min (Min. 99.2% Li2CO3 accepted if it can be normalized to 99.5%); Na 0.060% max; Ca 0.016% max; Mg 0.008% max; magnetic impurities 300ppb max
Quantity: Min 5 tonnes
Location: ddp Europe
Timing: 30 days
Unit: USD per kg
Publication: Weekly, Thursday 3-4pm London time
MB-LI-0025 Lithium hydroxide monohydrate LiOH.H2O, 56.5% LiOH min, battery grade, spot price ddp Europe, $ per kg
Quality: Powder, accepted by buyer for use in battery applications and with the chemical composition LiOH 56.5% min; CO2 <0.35%; Ca 0.020% max; SO4 0.015% max; Cl- 0.005% max
Quantity: Min 5 tonnes
Location: ddp Europe
Timing: 30 days
Unit: USD per kg
Publication: Weekly, Thursday 3-4pm London time
MB-LI-0019 Lithium carbonate 99% Li2CO3 min, technical and industrial grades, spot price ddp Europe, $ per kg
Quality: Min 99% Li2CO3 (qualified for use in technical and industrial applications). Powder
Quantity: Min 5 tonnes
Location: ddp Europe
Timing: 30 days
Unit: USD per kg
Publication: Weekly, Thursday, 3-4pm London time
MB-LI-0021 Lithium hydroxide monohydrate LiOH.H2O, 56.5% LiOH min, technical and industrial grades, spot price ddp Europe, $ per kg
Quality: LiOH 56.5% min (qualified for use in technical and industrial applications). Powder
Quantity: Min 5 tonnes
Location: ddp Europe
Timing: 30 days
Unit: USD per kg
Publication: Weekly, Thursday 3-4pm London time
The proposed specifications for the new US and Canadian lithium price assessments are as follows:
Lithium carbonate 99.5% Li2CO3 min, battery grade, spot price ddp US and Canada, $ per kg
Quality: Powder, accepted by buyer for use in battery applications and with the chemical composition: Li2CO3 99.5% min (Min. 99.2% Li2CO3 accepted if it can be normalized to 99.5%); Na 0.060% max; Ca 0.016% max; Mg 0.008% max; magnetic impurities 300ppb max
Quantity: Min 5 tonnes
Location: ddp US & Canada
Timing: 30 days
Unit: USD per kg
Publication: Weekly, Thursday 3-4pm London time
Lithium hydroxide monohydrate LiOH.H2O, 56.5% LiOH min, battery grade, spot price ddp US and Canada, $ per kg
Quality: Powder, accepted by buyer for use in battery applications and with the chemical composition LiOH 56.5% min; CO2 <0.35%; Ca 0.020% max; SO4 0.015% max; Cl- 0.005% max
Quantity: Min 5 tonnes
Location: ddp US & Canada
Timing: 30 days
Unit: USD per kg
Publication: Weekly, Thursday 3-4pm London time
Lithium carbonate 99% Li2CO3 min, technical and industrial grades, spot price ddp US and Canada, $ per kg
Quality: Min 99% Li2CO3 (qualified for use in technical and industrial applications). Powder
Quantity: Min 5 tonnes
Location: ddp US & Canada
Timing: 30 days
Unit: USD per kg
Publication: Weekly, Thursday, 3-4pm London time
Lithium hydroxide monohydrate LiOH.H2O, 56.5% LiOH min, technical and industrial grades, spot price ddp US and Canada, $ per kg
Quality: LiOH 56.5% min (qualified for use in technical and industrial applications). Powder
Quantity: Min 5 tonnes
Location: ddp US & Canada
Timing: 30 days
Unit: USD per kg
Publication: Weekly, Thursday 3-4pm London time.
The consultation period for these proposals will be 45 days beginning from the date of this pricing notice on Monday February 12 and ending on Thursday March 28, with an update to this notice published on that day. Subject to market feedback, the proposed changes would take place beginning with the weekly assessment on Thursday April 4, 2024.
To provide feedback on this proposal, or if you would like to provide price information by becoming a data submitter to these assessments, please contact Grace Asenov by email at: [email protected]. Please add the subject heading: “FAO: Grace Asenov re: Europe/US/Canada lithium price assessments.”
Please indicate if comments are confidential. Fastmarkets will consider all comments received and will make comments not marked as confidential available upon request.
To see all Fastmarkets’ pricing methodology and specification documents. go to: https://www.fastmarkets.com/about-us/methodology.
