What happens in the market of LiPF6 Vs LiFSI
| Jerry Huang
Over the past four months, many lithium salts including foundation salts like lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide have had obvious increase in their market prices, so as the LiPF6 and LiFSI, based on supply and demand situation.
The energy storage demand of lithium salts from domestic market has been increasing fast in the second half of the year, together with growing demand of lithium batteries from EV market in a usual booming September and October makes great demand of lithium as well from battery manufacturers at almost full production rate. Demands from overseas markets have also kept increasing unexpectedly. The strong demand from the market provides a supporting power for price increase of lithium salts. As LiPF6 is still a main salt for electrolyte in China market, its price has kept increasing fast, surpassing the price of LiFSI in October 2025, which we have seen similar situation many times in history.
On the other hand, the price competition over last few years has brought an effect of a pause of production from a lot of medium and small sized lithium salt manufacturers; and top producers have also stopped partial of their production capacity, restarting which will have to take two or three months. Many newly-planned plants and capacity have not been going as smoothly as expected. Lithium salts’ supply has become temporarily tight in the market after a couple of years’ demand decline.
As the prices of the foundation lithium salts like lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide have kept increasing during past four months, costs of LiPF6 and LiFSI have also increased at the same time.
So far the LiPF6 has been the main lithium salt for electrolyte production in China’s domestic market, which makes its demand stronger than other salts at the moment. While LiFSI works still as an additive in the industry. Will the supply-demand unbalance continue to grow or get near to a balance in the near future? Let’s wait and see.
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