China's cobalt salt market is expected to maintain a weak performance in the near term, weighed down by persistently sluggish trading activity and a lack of meaningful demand recovery, according to Mysteel's latest cobalt daily analysis published on July 20, 2026. On July 17, the market price of electrolytic cobalt declined by Yuan 4,500 per tonne, settling in the range of Yuan 361,909 to Yuan 365,682 per tonne. Meanwhile, cobalt sulfate prices held steady at Yuan 85,000 to Yuan 86,000 per tonne, while cobalt chloride remained stable in the range of Yuan 102,000 to Yuan 104,000 per tonne.
Through the course of last week, the cobalt salt market continued its weakening trend, with cobalt sulfate transactions remaining persistently sluggish. Primary smelters maintained firm offers at elevated levels, holding the line at Yuan 85,000 per tonne. In contrast, some recycling smelters, seeking to accelerate capital turnover, kept their lowest prices in the range of Yuan 80,000 to Yuan 81,000 per tonne.
High-nickel resources were priced slightly lower still, further widening the price spread between different supply sources. On the demand side, no significant improvement was observed. Leading producers continued to hold relatively ample inventories and had not yet released any new procurement requirements, leaving market participants with limited visibility on a potential recovery in buying interest.
The combination of firm primary smelter offers, discounted recycling-source material, and subdued downstream procurement activity points to continued price pressure in the cobalt salt segment over the short term. Source: Mysteel, July 20, 2026.
Source: mysteel.net