Flake graphite has a wide range of applications and high import demand in the domestic market

Flake graphite, also known as crystalline graphite, is a crystal formed by metamorphosis under high pressure. It is flake-like and has more plasticity, floatability and lubricity than lump graphite, and has high industrial value.

Natural flake graphite is the main type of graphite deposits, mainly concentrated in China in Asia, Ukraine in Europe, Mozambique in Africa, and Brazil in South America. As of 2020, the world’s proven natural flake graphite storage capacity is 230 million tons. Globally, China, India and Brazil are the major producers of natural flake graphite. In the past five years, global natural flake graphite production has shown a growth trend, increasing from 900,000 tons in 2017 to 1.12 million tons in 2021.

Natural flake graphite is mainly used in the fields of refractory materials and crucibles. The demand in this field accounts for about 41%. However, with the development of the global steel industry, as well as the development of new energy and new material industries, flake graphite is used in metallurgy and batteries. Demand continues to rise. From the perspective of industry development, lithium electronic battery anode materials will become the main demand growth driver for flake graphite in the future.

According to the “2022-2027 Flake Graphite Industry Market In-depth Research and Investment Prospect Forecast Analysis Report” released by the Industrial Research Center, in the near future Over the past five years, my country’s flake graphite concentrate production has continued to decrease, from 560,000 tons in 2017 to 400,000 tons in 2020, but it rebounded slightly in 2021, with output of 440,000 tons. Because flake graphite has unique physical and chemical properties, it is difficult to be replaced by other materials, and the flake graphite industry has huge potential for development in the future. Flake graphite has good application prospects in modern industry and new material fields, and domestic sales have shown a steady growth trend, increasing from 410,000 tons in 2017 to 540,000 tons in 2021.

Flake graphite is the main processing material for spherical graphite, which is an important material for the production of lithium-ion batteries. Benefiting from the Chinese government’s strong support for the development of new energy vehicles, the production of lithium-ion batteries has increased, driving the demand for spherical graphite to grow. my country’s spherical graphite production has shown a growth trend in the past five years, from 110,000 tons in 2017 to 190,000 tons in 2021.

As a processed product of flake graphite, spherical graphite has high added value, high price and high market demand. In the past five years, my country’s spherical graphite sales have continued to grow, from 70,000 tons in 2017 to 130,000 tons in 2021. The sales scale of spherical graphite has increased from 1.4 billion yuan in 2017 to 2.4 billion yuan in 2021.

In terms of import and export, my country’s natural flake graphite export volume is relatively stable, reaching about 130,000 tons in 2021. Import demand is mainly affected by domestic natural flake graphite production and downstream demand, and is highly volatile. In 2021, my country’s natural flake graphite imports will be about 60,000 tons. my country’s natural flake graphite is imported from Madagascar and Mozambique; it is exported to countries such as Japan, South Korea and the United States.

Industry analysts said that natural flake graphite, as a high-performance material, has a wide range of applications, especially in the field of new energy. It can be processed into spherical graphite, which has high application value in the field of lithium-ion batteries and good industry development prospects. my country is rich in natural flake graphite resources and has high output. In addition to meeting domestic demand, it can also stably export to overseas markets.