Fastmarkets Launches FOB China Lithium Prices, 1,260 Yuan/t Port Add-On
Fastmarkets began publishing calculated FOB China battery-grade lithium hydroxide and carbonate prices on Oct. 28, giving Korean and Japanese cell makers an export benchmark, but no first price level yet.
2 min readAI-assisted
Fastmarkets launched calculated FOB China prices for lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate; China exported 3,673 tonnes of hydroxide to Europe in Jan-Sep 2026.
Illustration (AI-generated)
Fastmarkets has launched calculated FOB China battery-grade lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate prices as of Wednesday, Oct. 28, the price reporting agency said in a methodology notice. FOB means free on board, the price at the Chinese port before sea freight.
Fastmarkets adds a lump sum of 1,260 yuan per tonne to its ex-works hydroxide price; for carbonate the lump sum is 870 yuan per tonne.
Illustration (AI-generated)
The prices are calculated, not assessed from export deals. Fastmarkets takes its existing ex-works domestic China benchmarks, in yuan per tonne, and adds a fixed lump sum: 1,260 yuan per tonne for lithium hydroxide and 870 yuan per tonne for lithium carbonate. The notice does not give a first FOB price level.
How the FOB price is built
The lump sums come from a Fastmarkets survey of major lithium producers and traders that export lithium salts. Each covers average trucking cost for 30-tonne loads from the production hubs of Jiangxi and Sichuan provinces to Shanghai port, plus port charges for that salt. Fastmarkets said it will review the freight and port charges at least once a year, or sooner if needed.
The hydroxide price is based on its benchmark for lithium hydroxide monohydrate, 56.5% LiOH minimum, battery grade (code MB-LI-0040). The carbonate price is based on its 99.5% Li2CO3 minimum, battery grade benchmark (MB-LI-0036). The new series carry the codes MB-LI-0056 for hydroxide and MB-LI-0057 for carbonate and are quoted in dollars per kilogram. The hydroxide specification names a daily 7:30 pm Shanghai time publication.
Why cell makers will watch it
Fastmarkets said the launch follows industry feedback asking for more transparency on a FOB China basis, since China's exports account for a significant share of the seaborne lithium market. For buyers outside China, an ex-works yuan price leaves out the cost of getting material to the port, so a FOB figure puts a price on the salt at the port of departure.
Customs data cited by Fastmarkets show how dependent some buyers are. Imports of lithium hydroxide from China made up 61-83% of South Korea's lithium imports over the past two years and 49-86% of Japan's. Hydroxide is the key input for nickel-cobalt-manganese cathodes. Voltgrid News reported separately on China's lithium-ion battery exports to the EU, and the same pull shows up in raw materials: China shipped 3,673 tonnes of lithium hydroxide to Europe in January-September 2026, already above its full-year 2025 total of 2,178 tonnes. Fastmarkets analysis indicates exports are likely to keep rising as EV production and adoption increase in Europe.
What is not confirmed yet
Fastmarkets has not published a first FOB China price in the notice, and it said it will backdate the calculated series to Jan. 1, 2025 at a later date. The company invited comments to its pricing team, so the methodology could change after market feedback. How widely the new series will be adopted in supply contracts is not stated.
