Material Insights · Understanding the Material World

Graphite: Overview

Batteries, refractories, steel, brakes and lubricants

What this tab covers What the commodity is used for, why, in what volumes and with what alternatives, and its chain from mine or field to end user. Also the latest price moves, top recent news, three things to know, and buttons into each tab.

Key uses

UseShareAnnual volumeWhy this commodityAlternatives
Lithium-ion battery anodes (natural and synthetic)28%not computed; for scale, BTR alone sold about 600,000 t of anode material in 2025basis Graphite's layered carbon structure lets lithium ions slip in and out between layers at low voltage with little swelling, and it conducts electricity well. It is cheap and abundant, so almost every lithium-ion cell uses a graphite anode, whether the cathode is LFP or NMC. Anode grades need 99.95% carbon and tight particle shapes. Research and Markets via GlobeNewswire, Oct 2025; Mysteel (BTR 2025 results); Fastmarkets spherical graphite spec Silicon or silicon-carbon blends (added in small amounts today)
Lithium titanate (LTO) in niche fast-charge cells
Hard carbon (in sodium-ion cells)
Refractories (magnesia-carbon bricks, alumina-graphite shapes)n/a n/a basis Graphite resists molten slag and thermal shock and does not wet with molten steel, so flake graphite is mixed into magnesia-carbon bricks lining basic oxygen and electric arc furnaces and ladles, and into nozzles for continuous casting. USGS MCS 2026 Graphite (natural) Carbon-free alumina or magnesia refractories (shorter life)
Recycled refractory brick (USGS)
Graphite electrodes for electric arc steelmaking (synthetic)n/a India's HEG alone produced about 80,000 t in FY2025basis Only synthetic graphite carries the very high currents of an electric arc furnace while surviving 3,000 C arcs. Graphite use per tonne of EAF steel fell from about 7 kg in the early 1960s to as little as 1.1 kg by 2010 (Smil). Smil, Still the Iron Age (2016); ICICI Direct HEG update Aug 2025 No practical substitute in EAF steelmaking
Blast furnace-basic oxygen route avoids electrodes altogether
Foundry facings and steel recarburisingn/a n/a basis Amorphous and fine flake graphite coats moulds so castings release cleanly, and graphite is added to molten iron and steel to raise carbon content. Low-grade, cheap material is good enough. USGS MCS 2026 Graphite (natural), substitutes Calcined petroleum coke and synthetic graphite scrap (USGS)
Finely ground coke with olivine in foundry facings (USGS)
Friction materials (brake linings, clutches)n/a n/a basis Graphite stabilises friction, conducts heat away from the braking surface and reduces wear and noise in brake pads. USGS MCS 2026 Graphite (natural), uses Other friction modifiers such as metal sulphides and coke
Lubricants and other industrial uses (powdered metals, expandable graphite, pencils)n/a n/a basis Graphite layers slide over each other, so it lubricates at high temperatures where oils burn off; it is also used in powder metallurgy, gaskets, fire retardants and pencil 'lead' (Sri Lankan lump graphite, Conway). USGS MCS 2026; Conway, Material World (2023) Molybdenum disulphide as dry lubricant, though more sensitive to oxidation (USGS)
Only one global share was found: battery anodes were 28% of total graphite consumption (natural and synthetic) in 2024, per a Research and Markets report (Oct 2025), up from about 8% in 2020. Shares for refractories, electrodes, foundry and other uses were not found in a named source, so they are null. USGS names the uses but gives no shares.

From mine to user

  1. Mining Flake graphite is mined from open pits in China, Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania and Brazil; world mine output was about 1.8 Mt in 2025, 82% from China (USGS).
  2. Flotation to concentrate Ore is crushed and floated to concentrate of about 94-97% carbon, sold by flake size (for example 94% C, -100 mesh).
  3. Spheronisation and purification Fine flake is milled into rounded particles and purified with acid or heat to 99.95% carbon spherical purified graphite (SPG); China exported 37,400 t of SPG in 9M 2025 (USGS).
  4. Synthetic graphite production (parallel route) Needle coke or petroleum coke is shaped and graphitised at about 3,000 C to make synthetic anode powder or electrodes.
  5. Coating to active anode material SPG or synthetic powder is coated with pitch and carbonised; BTR, China's largest maker, sold about 600,000 t of anode material in 2025 (Mysteel).
  6. Cell manufacture Anode material is coated on copper foil and assembled into cells in China, Korea, Japan, Europe, the US and now India.
  7. Other end uses Coarser flake and amorphous graphite go to refractories, foundries, brake linings and lubricants; synthetic electrodes go to electric arc furnaces.

Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25

No public daily or monthly benchmark price for this commodity in the datasets used.

World production 1.69 m tonnes, 2024 Largest producer China 75.93% of world Reserve life 172 yrs reserves ÷ 2025 output

Three things to know

  • China produced an estimated 82% of the world's natural graphite in 2025 (USGS).
  • The US has mined no natural graphite since amorphous output ended in Montana in 1989 (USGS).
  • In 2025 the US set preliminary countervailing duties of up to 721% on Chinese graphite anode material (USGS).

Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days

Chemicals made from it

AAM Battery anode materials

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