# Lithium

Lithium, the lightest metal, carries the charge in rechargeable batteries, which now take 88% of global lithium use.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/

Battery & magnet · No. 27

- EU strategic
- EU critical 2023
- US critical 2025
- India critical 2023
- HHI 2,442 · moderately concentrated
 Battery & magnet · Foundation · Matter

Battery-grade lithium soared to $63,700 a ton in 2022, then crashed to $9,000 by 2025.

Chart: Illustration: Lithium

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Lithium comes from salt-flat brines in Chile, Argentina and Bolivia, evaporated in kilometre-wide ponds, or from hard-rock spodumene mined mainly in Australia.

##### Three things to know

1. Lithium is the lightest metal, so it stores more energy per kilogram than any other battery metal.
2. Chile shipped 75.3% of world lithium carbonate exports in 2024, while China shipped 80.1% of hydroxide.
3. SQM first pumped Atacama brine for potash; lithium began as a by-product.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Brine or rock**Salt-flat brine or spodumene pegmatite
2. 2 **Concentration**Evaporation ponds, or mined spodumene concentrate
3. 3 **Conversion**Carbonate or hydroxide, mostly in China
4. 4 **Cathode material**Mixed into battery active material
5. 5 **Battery cells**For electric cars and grid storage
 Covered in [What makes something a commodityCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/what-is-a-commodity/)[From ground to marketCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/from-ground-to-market/)[Supply, demand and the cost curveCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/supply-demand-costs/)[Reserves, stocks and depletionCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/reserves-stocks-depletion/)[Prices and cyclesCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/prices-and-cycles/)[How commodities tradeCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/how-commodities-trade/)and 7 more

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## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/links/index.md)