Battery anode materials: Production
How China built capacity many times what cells need
What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| World capacity | heavy overcapacity: China's anode capacity was about four to nine times global EV cell demand in 2023 | About 1.08 Mt a year of new Chinese capacity was announced in Q1 2026 alone (11 firms). SMM reported effective capacity tightening at end-2025. | IEA 2023 via Argus; SMM (22 Apr 2026) via graphite tile |
| World output | about 2.9 Mt shipped (2025) | China produced 1.107 Mt of graphite anode in H1 2025, up 36%, of which 1.01 Mt synthetic (91.2%). | GGII (Feb 2026); SMM (Jul 2025) |
| Capacity utilisation | not published as a single rate | Overcapacity kept prices low in 2023-25; GGII expects a 10-20% price rise in 2026 as medium- and low-sulphur coke tightens. | GGII (Feb 2026) |
| Concentration | China over 90% (indicative); Shanshan about 21% of shipments (H1 2025); BTR about 600 kt in 2025 | BTR (about 21% of 2.9 Mt, derived) and Shanshan (21%) are about two-fifths of the market between them. Shangtai, Putailai (Zichen), Kaijin and Zhongke Shinzoom follow. | SMM (Jul 2025); Mysteel via graphite tile; shares derived |
| New capacity | over 3.7 Mt of shipments forecast for 2026 (GGII); about 1.08 Mt/yr of new Chinese capacity announced in Q1 2026 | Projects include Zhongke Shinzoom (300 kt), Shangtai (200 kt) and Inner Mongolia Xiangfu (200 kt). Outside China, Syrah Vidalia (11.25 kt) and Epsilon in India (30 kt phase 1). | GGII (Feb 2026); SMM (Apr 2026) via graphite tile; EVreporter (Jan 2025) |
Top producing countries
- China: over 90% of anode output (indicative); essentially all spherical purified graphite
- South Korea: POSCO Future M natural and synthetic anode; volume not in sources used
- Japan: Resonac (Showa Denko) and Mitsubishi Chemical synthetic anode; small (indicative)
- United States: Syrah Vidalia 11,250 t/yr natural anode; proposed duties on Chinese anode rejected by the ITC (Mar 2026)
- India: no commercial output; Epsilon 30 kt first phase planned
Largest producers: global
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTR New Material largest; natural and synthetic; plants in Indonesia and Morocco planned (indicative) | China | 0.6 Mt anode sold | 2025 | Mysteel via graphite tile |
| Ningbo Shanshan about 21% of synthetic anode in 2024 | China | not published | 2025 | SMM (Jul 2025) |
| Shijiazhuang Shangtai 3.6 billion yuan project | China | 0.2 Mt/yr new capacity announced | Q1 2026 | SMM via graphite tile |
| Hunan Zhongke Shinzoom about 7 billion yuan project | China | 0.3 Mt/yr new capacity announced | Q1 2026 | SMM via graphite tile |
| Shanghai Putailai (Zichen) major synthetic supplier to CATL and ATL (indicative) | China | not published | 2025 | Indicative |
| POSCO Future M main non-Chinese natural graphite anode maker | South Korea | not published | 2025 | Indicative |
| Syrah Resources (Vidalia) fed by Balama, Mozambique | Australia/US | 11.25 kt/yr installed anode capacity | 2024 | Fastmarkets via graphite tile |
Largest producers: India
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epsilon Advanced Materials upgraded from 10 kt; location and start not stated in source | India | 30 kt/yr synthetic graphite anode, phase 1 (planned) | 2025 | EVreporter (Jan 2025) |
| HEG graphite electrode maker (about 100 kt/yr at about 90% use); anode capacity not verified | India | not published | 2025 | Indicative |
| Himadri Speciality Chemical supplies pitch used in anode coating; anode volumes not verified | India | not published | 2025 | Indicative |
India has no commercial anode output; it mined 17 kt of natural graphite in 2025 and has 8.6 Mt of reserves, and HEG and Graphite India make synthetic graphite electrodes. Cells are almost all imported (graphite tile; IEEFA 2026).
Position by region
| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| US | Commerce set final anti-dumping duties of 93.5-102.7% plus countervailing duties of about 67% on Chinese anode material (Feb 2026), but the ITC voted on 12 Mar 2026 that US industry was not injured, so no duties took effect; 45X foreign-entity rules still favour non-Chinese supply. Syrah Vidalia is the main domestic plant (SMM, Mar 2026; USGS MCS 2026). |
| EU | Almost no anode output; dependent on Chinese material and on Battery Regulation carbon-footprint rules that penalise coal-powered graphitisation. |
| India | No anode output; Epsilon's 30 kt plan is the largest; natural graphite resources of 8.6 Mt and electrode know-how at HEG and Graphite India. |
| China | Over 90% of anodes, mostly synthetic; export permits on graphite since Dec 2023; export licensing of artificial graphite anode, its equipment and know-how (Announcement No. 58, Oct 2025) suspended until 10 Nov 2026. |
| Japan | Resonac and Mitsubishi Chemical make specialty synthetic grades (indicative). |
| Middle East | Morocco and Oman are being considered for Chinese anode plants (indicative). |