Industrial metals · LC

Lithium price

US$178,000 / tonne
≈ €151,384 ≈ £132,663 Unchanged 24h 84% within the 52-week range
FX Editorial Team · Data updated: · Editorially verified
Lithium (LC) price today US$178,000 / tonne, ↑ +0.00% (24h)

Lithium chart

Interactive chart and 30-day overview

7 days
▼ −7.29%
−US$14,000
30 days
▲ +4.09%
+US$7,000
1 year
▲ +182.32%
+US$114,950
52-week range
US$59,200 84% US$200,500
Lithium (LC) 30-day price chart — USD, EUR, GBP

The Lithium chart shows how the lithium price has moved over time. The interactive view lets you switch the timeframe (from 7 days up to MAX), the currency (USD / EUR / GBP) and overlay moving averages. Click any two points to measure the percentage change between those dates.

What drives the lithium price?

Lithium demand depends almost entirely on the pace of the battery industry: about 75% of global lithium consumption goes into batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and battery energy storage systems (BESS). The rest is split between ceramics, glass, lubricating greases and pharmaceuticals. Monthly EV sales in China, Europe and North America feed directly into prices for battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide. Order cycles at CATL, BYD, LG Energy Solution and Panasonic, as well as European gigafactory projects such as Northvolt, ACC and CATL’s European plants, are major price drivers. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence and BloombergNEF reports point to fast growth in battery-sector demand.

Supply is dominated by three geographic blocs. Australia is the world’s largest producer, with about 85,000 tonnes of lithium content a year, mined from hard rock as spodumene concentrate at sites such as Greenbushes and operations run by Pilbara Minerals and Mineral Resources. This material is typically processed in China into battery-grade compounds. Chile, with about 45,000 tonnes of lithium content a year, and Argentina produce from brine basins in high-altitude salt flats such as the Atacama and Salar de Hombre Muerto. Together with Bolivia, they form the wider “lithium triangle”. Global mine output is about 180,000 tonnes of lithium content a year, according to the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries. China has a smaller mining role, but about 70% of global lithium-compound processing capacity is in Chinese hands. Most battery-grade Li₂CO₃ and LiOH is produced there.

The medium-term pricing risk is cathode chemistry substitution. Sodium-ion batteries (Na-ion), developed by companies including CATL and BYD, do not use lithium and rely on a cheaper feedstock, sodium carbonate. For now, their energy density is below that of Li-ion technology, so they mainly appear in grid storage and entry-level, short-range electric vehicles. Solid-state batteries, by contrast, may require more lithium. In the short term, prices are moved by Chinese factory inventories, GFEX futures positioning and spodumene auction results. Over longer periods, the cathode mix (LFP vs NMC vs Na-ion) and the expansion of processing capacity matter most.

How to invest in lithium?

Holding physical lithium is not viable for retail investors. The compound is hygroscopic, needs industrial storage, and the market is almost entirely business-to-business. A European retail investor can get indirect lithium exposure mainly through three routes: thematic battery ETFs, including the best-known Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF — ticker: LIT and the Amplify Lithium & Battery Technology ETF — BATT; individual lithium mining and processing shares such as Albemarle — ALB, SQM — Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile, Sigma Lithium and Pilbara Minerals — PLS.AX; and stocks across the broader EV value chain, including CATL, BYD and Tesla. Direct lithium CFDs are typically not available. The physical market is OTC in character, and battery-grade Li₂CO₃ trades in an institutional setting. Two regulated brokers with English-language platforms where these ETFs and shares may be available are:

30-day price history

Chart and daily closing prices

Lithium (LC) 30-day price chart — USD, EUR, GBP

Daily close

30 trading days

Date Price (USD) Price (EUR) Price (GBP) Daily change
22 May 2026 US$178,000 €151,384 £132,663 ▼ −2.20%
21 May 2026 US$182,000 €154,786 £135,645 ▲ +1.68%
20 May 2026 US$179,000 €152,234 £133,409 ▼ −4.02%
19 May 2026 US$186,500 €158,613 £138,998 ▼ −2.61%
18 May 2026 US$191,500 €162,865 £142,725 ▼ −0.26%
15 May 2026 US$192,000 €163,290 £143,098 ▼ −1.54%
14 May 2026 US$195,000 €165,842 £145,334 ▼ −2.74%
13 May 2026 US$200,500 €170,519 £149,433 ▲ +0.25%
12 May 2026 US$200,000 €170,094 £149,060 ▲ +2.43%
11 May 2026 US$195,250 €166,054 £145,520 ▲ +0.64%
10 May 2026 US$194,000 €164,991 £144,588 ▲ +3.47%
6 May 2026 US$187,500 €159,463 £139,744 ▲ +5.93%
30 Apr 2026 US$177,000 €150,533 £131,918 ▲ +1.43%
29 Apr 2026 US$174,500 €148,407 £130,055 ▼ −0.85%
27 Apr 2026 US$176,000 €149,683 £131,173 ▲ +1.73%
25 Apr 2026 US$173,000 €147,131 £128,937 ▲ +1.17%
22 Apr 2026 US$171,000 €145,430 £127,446 ▼ −0.58%
21 Apr 2026 US$172,000 €146,281 £128,192 ▼ −0.29%
20 Apr 2026 US$172,500 €146,706 £128,564 —

Frequently asked questions about lithium

Why is lithium priced by the tonne, not by the ounce? +
Lithium is an industrial raw material, not a precious metal. Most demand comes from a small number of battery-grade feedstocks, and the trading unit follows the logic of industrial procurement. The global reference is USD per tonne of battery-grade lithium carbonate (99.5% Li₂CO₃), quoted by Shanghai Metals Market (SMM), Fastmarkets and S&P Global Platts. 1 tonne = 1,000 kilograms. In industrial procurement, prices may also be shown in local currency per tonne.
What does lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) mean? +
LCE (Lithium Carbonate Equivalent) is an industry convention that puts different lithium compounds, including lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide and spodumene concentrate, on a common lithium-carbonate basis. This is needed because mines produce spodumene concentrate, intermediate processors produce Li₂CO₃ or LiOH, and battery plants choose feedstock according to cathode chemistry. Almost all industry reports, including those from the USGS, BloombergNEF and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, measure global production and output in tonnes of LCE.
How much lithium is needed for an electric-car battery? +
A typical electric vehicle with a 60–80 kWh battery pack contains about 40–60 kg of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) in the cathode. Expressed as pure lithium metal, this is about 7.5–11 kg (1 tonne of Li₂CO₃ ≈ 0.188 tonnes of Li). A larger vehicle with a battery pack above 100 kWh, such as a Tesla Model S or a large SUV, needs 1.5–2 times as much. The exact figure depends on the cathode chemistry: LFP batteries typically use lithium carbonate, while NMC and NCA batteries use lithium hydroxide.
What is the difference between lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide? +
Both are battery-grade intermediate compounds, but they serve different cathode chemistries. Lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃) is the traditional and cheaper feedstock used in LFP cathodes, or lithium iron phosphate, and in lower-nickel NMC cathodes. BYD Blade batteries and Tesla’s LFP packs are based on this chemistry. Lithium hydroxide (LiOH·H₂O) is a purer and typically higher-priced product used for high-nickel NMC-811, NCA and future solid-state cathodes. The premium between the two products, known in market jargon as the “LiOH-LCE spread”, shows which cathode chemistry is attracting stronger demand.
What is the lithium triangle? +
The lithium triangle is the name given to the high-altitude salt flats of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia, including the Atacama, Salar de Uyuni and Salar de Hombre Muerto. They contain some of the world’s lowest-cost brine-based lithium resources. Brine is pumped from underground salt lakes beneath the crust, concentrated in evaporation ponds under intense sun, and then processed in chemical plants into lithium carbonate. Chile’s major mining companies include SQM and the US group Albemarle. In Argentina’s fast-growing market, Lithium Americas, Allkem and Livent are active. Bolivia’s large resources in the Salar de Uyuni remain state controlled, and industrial production has not reached full scale.
Why does China dominate lithium processing? +
Australia supplies most of the world’s spodumene mining output, but about 70% of the chemical processing capacity that turns hard rock into battery-grade lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide is in China, through companies such as Ganfeng Lithium, Tianqi Lithium, Yahua and Sichuan Yahua. Australian mines ship spodumene concentrate to China, where acid leaching, precipitation and purification take place. This processing concentration is also a strategic risk for western battery manufacturers. The EU and the US support domestic processing capacity through the Critical Raw Materials Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Do sodium-ion batteries threaten lithium demand? +
Sodium-ion batteries (Na-ion) are a medium-term structural risk to lithium demand. They use no lithium and rely on sodium carbonate, a cheaper and more abundant raw material. CATL and BYD have both presented Na-ion cells suitable for mass production, typically for entry-level, short-range electric vehicles and grid storage. The technology’s energy density is still 30–40% lower than Li-ion, so lithium-ion technology currently dominates the long-range premium EV segment, including Tesla, BMW and Mercedes-EQ. Na-ion is currently more of a complementary technology than a direct substitute for all Li-ion uses.
How can a European retail investor access the lithium market? +
Direct lithium CFDs are typically not available through retail brokers. The battery-grade Li₂CO₃ market is OTC in character and institutional. The three practical routes are thematic ETFs (LIT — Global X Lithium & Battery Tech; BATT — Amplify Lithium & Battery Technology), individual lithium mining and processing shares (Albemarle, SQM, Sigma Lithium, Pilbara Minerals — PLS.AX, Ganfeng Lithium ADR), and EV value-chain shares (Tesla, BYD, CATL Frankfurt, NIO). XTB and eToro both offer access to instruments such as LIT, BATT, Albemarle and SQM in some jurisdictions. Tax treatment varies by jurisdiction; consult a local tax adviser.

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Data sources: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries — Lithium · Fastmarkets — Lithium carbonate prices · Benchmark Mineral Intelligence — Lithium Prices · International Lithium Association (ILiA)