#3Li
Lithium Price
Strategic Metal
Lightest solid element. Underpins the entire EV and grid storage revolution — Li-ion batteries represent ~80% of demand. Extracted from hard-rock spodumene (AU) and brine evaporation (CL, AR). Price collapsed ~80% from 2022 peak ($80k/t LCE → ~$10k/t) amid oversupply.
- Main trade forms
- Li₂CO₃ (battery-grade), LiOH·H₂O, spodumene concentrate
- Available from
- AU, CL, CN, AR, BR
- Purity range
- 99.0%–99.99%
Last update: Mar 15, 2026
2 records
2 records
Retail Reference
$6,500/kg
Metal 99.9% (3N) · 10 g
Smart-Elements · AT · Mar 15, 2026
Retail Premium: 650.0×
Bulk Benchmark
$10/kg
Compound Li₂CO₃ 99.5% battery-grade
Fastmarkets / SMM · CIF · Mar 15, 2026
Applications
| Application | Role | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Lithium-ion batteries | Li2CO3 (LFP, NMC) and LiOH (high-Ni NMC, NCA) | ~85% of Li demand. EV traction batteries, grid storage, consumer electronics. Demand-growth backbone of the entire Li market. |
| Glass & ceramics | Li2CO3 flux in container glass, technical glass, ceramic glazes | Lowers melting point and improves thermal-shock resistance; legacy demand declining as a share |
| Lubricating greases | Lithium soap thickeners | Standard automotive multi-purpose grease formulation |
| Aerospace alloys | Al-Li alloys (e.g. AA2195, AA2050) | Lighter, stiffer aluminium for aircraft fuselage and rocket structures (SpaceX, Airbus) |
| Pharmaceutical | Lithium carbonate USP (psychiatric mood stabiliser) | Bipolar disorder treatment; long-established drug class |
Market & Supply
Global mine production
~240,000 t Li/year (LCE ~1.3 Mt) [3]
Top producers
Australia (spodumene), Chile, China, Argentina
China refining share
~70%
Source split
~55% hard-rock spodumene / ~45% brine
Export control
Not on MOFCOM list
Battery-grade Li2CO3
$8 to $14/kg (CIF China, 2025)
Battery-grade LiOH
$10 to $16/kg
Spodumene 6%
$700 to $1,100/t (FOB)
Verified Offers
Lithium metal is rarely sold retail because of its reactivity, with most listings being mineral-oil-sealed ampules or under-argon storage. The auto-rendered table shows tracked listings, predominantly small lab-grade quantities.
| Purity | MOQ | Original | Source | Verification | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-15 | Compound | Li₂CO₃ 99.5% battery-grade | 1000 kg | 1000 kg | $10 | 10 USD/kg | market index | Fastmarkets / SMM | n/a | cross referenced | 0.75 |
| 2026-03-15 | Metal | 99.9% (3N) | 0.01 kg | 0.005 kg | $6,500 | 6,500 USD/kg | distributor offer | Smart-Elements | AT | single source offer | 0.50 |
2 records · click a column to sort
Important Notes
Massive 2022 to 2024 price cycle
Battery-grade Li2CO3 spiked from ~$6/kg in early 2021 to over $80/kg in late 2022, then collapsed below $10/kg by mid-2024 as Chinese cathode plants destocked. The cycle wiped out marginal high-cost producers and remade the sector cost curve.
Australian spodumene dominant
Australia’s Greenbushes, Pilgangoora, and Mt Marion mines supply roughly 50% of global Li raw material. Australian concentrate is shipped to Chinese refineries for conversion to battery-grade Li2CO3/LiOH, the supply chain’s key chokepoint.
DLE technology emerging
Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) projects in Argentina, Chile, and the US (Salton Sea geothermal) promise faster, more selective Li recovery from brines than conventional evaporation ponds. Commercial-scale validation is ongoing through 2026.
Physical Properties [1]
Z: 3 · Ar: 6.94 u · ρ: 0.534 g/cm3 · Tm: 180.5 °C · Tb: 1,342 °CCrystal: bcc · Config: [He]2s1 · Ox. states: +1
References
- Wolfram Alpha, “Lithium element.” wolframalpha.com.
- Fastmarkets, “Battery-grade lithium carbonate and hydroxide assessments.” fastmarkets.com.
- United States Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Lithium, January 2025.
Seen a sourced Lithium quote that is missing above?