Lithium carbonate price by country
One row per country: FOB exports for net exporters, CIF imports for net importers, monthly unit values from national customs statistics.
| Country | Basis | Quarter free view | USD/t | Q/Q | Latest month | USD/t | M/M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | CIF imports | Q1 2026 | 11,597 | +7.2% | July 2026 🔒 | dashboard | – |
| Japan | CIF imports | Q1 2026 | 10,125 | +10.3% | July 2026 🔒 | dashboard | – |
In verification: India (latest customs month July 2026); Germany (latest customs month July 2026); United Kingdom (latest customs month July 2026); Indonesia (latest customs month July 2026); Netherlands (latest customs month July 2026). Each is added as soon as its customs record has enough recent months to publish a reliable monthly price.
Lithium carbonate price trend, last four quarters
- United States CIF lead
- Japan CIF
Lithium carbonate price history since 2015
Annual average unit values from national customs statistics, 2015 to 2024, for each published country (value over net weight of the year, same basis as the monthly series). It places today's price in the cycle: how far it sits from the long-run low, high and average.
| Country | Years | Low | High | Average | Quarter shown | Vs average | Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States CIF imports | 2015–2024 | 4,762 (2015) | 15,478 (2023) | 8,273 | 11,597 · Q1 2026 | +40.2% | 7 of 9 years |
| Japan CIF imports | 2015–2024 | 5,461 (2015) | 21,014 (2024) | 11,952 | 10,125 · Q1 2026 | -15.3% | 3 of 8 years |
"Above" counts the yearly averages the figure beats.
Lithium carbonate price outlook by region
North America lithium carbonate price
Region mean Q1 2026: USD 11,597 per t, +7.2% on Q4 2025 (tonnage-weighted across 1 series).
Asia Pacific lithium carbonate price
Region mean Q1 2026: USD 10,125 per t, +10.3% on Q4 2025 (tonnage-weighted across 1 series).
Lithium carbonate price by country: desk notes
The desk writes a quarterly note for each published country: United States, Japan. Lithium carbonate imports into the United States averaged USD 13,879 per t in the second quarter on a cost, insurance and freight (CIF) basis, a change of +19.7% on the first quarter. All country notes →
What moved the lithium carbonate price in March 2026?
No plant outage or capacity event was recorded for this period; the moves reflect trade flows and feedstock.
Lithium carbonate plant maintenance and outages
No running or scheduled shutdown is recorded yet; the desk adds them from company filings and exchange notices as they are announced.
Who produces lithium carbonate?
Producers are being registered from filings. The table appears when the first plant passes the source check.
How is the lithium carbonate price assessed?
Trade-implied from customs data (rule v3, 29 Sep 2026). Trade-implied unit value: the customs value of a country's monthly trade in the commodity's HS code divided by the customs tonnage, from national customs statistics as compiled by UN Comtrade, on the world-partner total. Exports FOB are used for net exporters and imports CIF for net importers, so each country line is the leg that carries the volume. The tonnage is the as-shipped weight recorded by customs, so lye and solution products are priced on shipped tonnes, not contained product. A month is published only when its tonnage clears the volume floor and the figure passes the desk's checks against the previous months and the other countries; a month that fails is held, not estimated. A figure marked rev was revised after first publication and the earlier value stays in the record.
A quarter is the mean of its published months. Years before the monthly series are customs annual totals (value over net weight); years under 1,200 t traded are left out. The world figure is the tonnage-weighted mean of the countries sharing the latest month. "rev" marks a revised figure; the earlier value stays in the record. Every number is computed from the customs record and verified by the research desk; nothing is typed in.
Primary source: national customs statistics as compiled in UN Comtrade (monthly, HS 283691, world partner), classified under the WCO Harmonized System.
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Questions buyers ask about the lithium carbonate price
What is the lithium carbonate price today?
USD 11,632 per t world in March 2026, the tonnage-weighted mean of 2 country series. The public page shows quarter means one quarter behind; the current month for every country is in the dashboard. Each monthly figure is a unit value from national customs statistics, verified by the research desk before publication.
Which countries does this lithium carbonate price page cover?
2 published: United States, Japan. In verification: India, Germany, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Netherlands (added as soon as their customs record has enough recent months for a reliable monthly price).
How is the lithium carbonate price assessed?
Customs value divided by customs tonnage, per country and month: FOB exports for net exporters, CIF imports for net importers, from national customs statistics (UN Comtrade). The research desk verifies each month before it is published.
What is free and what do subscribers get?
Free: quarter means one quarter behind, the quarter chart, the price history, producers and the method. Subscribers (from USD 1,999 a year) get every month for every country, spreads, averages, contract formulas, CSV, desk notes and alerts.
Related coverage
Cite as: Douglas Insights, Lithium carbonate price by country, March 2026, https://www.douglasinsights.com/prices/lithium-carbonate/, accessed 8 October 2026.