Actual
102150
Daily Change
-2,250.00 -2.16%
Monthly
-23.31%
Yearly
39.26%
Q4 Forecast
104746
Lithium - Summary

Lithium carbonate prices in China slumped to CNY 100,000 per tonne in October, the lowest in nearly ten months, as growing concerns of softer demand was combined with ample supply. The EU is set to cap imports of Chinese hybrid electric vehicles at 350,000 units annually starting next year. The European Commission noted that this is expected to halve China's market share across the bloc, limiting orders from battery manufacturers in the region after recent data showed higher-than-expected lithium inventories. Industry group SMM changed its methodology for compiling inventory data, which led to a 175,000-tonne increase in Chinese stockpiles, double previous estimates. This coincided with a strong outlook for Australian producers, as Mineral Resources restarted the Bald Hill lithium mine following an 18-month suspension, while Core Lithium restarted its Finniss project.

Lithium - Stats

Lithium fell to 102,150 CNY/T on October 16, 2026, down 2.16% from the previous day. Over the past month, Lithium's price has fallen 23.31%, but it is still 39.26% higher than a year ago, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. Historically, Lithium reached an all time high of 5750000.00 in December of 2022. Lithium - data, forecasts, historical chart - was last updated on October 18 of 2026.

Lithium - Forecast

Lithium fell to 102,150 CNY/T on October 16, 2026, down 2.16% from the previous day. Over the past month, Lithium's price has fallen 23.31%, but it is still 39.26% higher than a year ago, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. Lithium is expected to trade at 104746.31 CNY/T by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate it to trade at 115194.56 in 12 months time.



Price Day Month Year Date
Gold 4,166.39 -4.67 -0.11% -4.03% -1.97% Oct/16
Silver 56.99 -0.417 -0.73% -12.58% 9.72% Oct/16
Copper 6.53 0.0195 0.30% -0.84% 31.75% Oct/16
Steel 3,089.00 13.00 0.42% -0.61% 1.48% Oct/16
Lithium 102,150.00 -2250 -2.16% -23.31% 39.26% Oct/16
Platinum 1,633.10 11.60 0.72% -8.98% 1.58% Oct/16
Iron Ore 90.90 0.33 0.36% -6.69% -13.72% Oct/16


Lithium
Trading Economics provides Lithium pricing based on spot prices for Lithium Carbonate, 99.5% Li2CO3 min, battery grade, traded in China. Lithium is a silver-white light metal. Lithium hydroxide is used in batteries for electrical vehicles and mobile phones. Lithium hydroxide is produced from a chemical reaction between lithium carbonate and calcium hydroxide. The biggest lithium producers are Chile, China, Australia and Argentina. The largest lithium importers are China, Japan, South Korea and the United States.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
102150.00 104400.00 5750000.00 39000.00 2017 - 2026 CNY/T Daily

News Stream
Lithium Slides to 10-Month Low
Lithium carbonate prices in China slumped to CNY 100,000 per tonne in October, the lowest in nearly ten months, as growing concerns of softer demand was combined with ample supply. The EU is set to cap imports of Chinese hybrid electric vehicles at 350,000 units annually starting next year. The European Commission noted that this is expected to halve China's market share across the bloc, limiting orders from battery manufacturers in the region after recent data showed higher-than-expected lithium inventories. Industry group SMM changed its methodology for compiling inventory data, which led to a 175,000-tonne increase in Chinese stockpiles, double previous estimates. This coincided with a strong outlook for Australian producers, as Mineral Resources restarted the Bald Hill lithium mine following an 18-month suspension, while Core Lithium restarted its Finniss project.
2026-10-15
Lithium Falls to Near 10-Month Low
Lithium carbonate prices in China fell to CNY 115,000 per tonne in October, the lowest year-to-date, driven by a combination of softer demand and fresh evidence of a robust supply backdrop. The EU is set to cap imports of Chinese hybrid electric vehicles at 350,000 units annually starting next year. The European Commission noted that this is expected to halve China's market share across the bloc, limiting orders from battery manufacturers in the region after recent data showed higher-than-expected lithium inventories. Industry group SMM changed its methodology for compiling inventory data, which led to a 175,000-tonne increase in Chinese stockpiles, double previous estimates. This coincided with a strong outlook for Australian producers, as Mineral Resources restarted the Bald Hill lithium mine following an 18-month suspension, while Core Lithium restarted its Finniss project.
2026-10-12
Lithium Falls to 8-Month Low
Lithium carbonate prices in China fell below CNY 123,000 per tonne, the lowest year-to-date, after an upward revision to stockpiles drove markets to price a more comfortable supply backdrop. Industry group SMM changed its methodology to compile inventory data that prompted a 175,000-ton increase in Chinese stockpiles, double the earlier estimates. This was combined with a strong outlook for Australian producers. Mineral Resources restarted Bald Hill lithium mine following an 18-month suspension, while Core Lithium restarted its Finniss project. A sharper pullback was prevented by more disruption in CATL's Jianxiawo mine, China's largest by capacity and responsible for 4% of global supply. Chinese authorities revoked their environmental approvals for the mine to extend the period of permit hurdles for over one year, coinciding with Beijing's anti-involution campaign and efforts to combat producer overcapacity.
2026-09-18