Price pressures within the lithium battery industry chain are being transmitted sequentially. Following increases in key materials like lithium carbonate and electrolyte, the relatively stable battery separator market has reached a turning point. Since December, leading domestic separator manufacturers have successively signaled price adjustments. One company officially issued a notice announcing a 30% price increase for its wet-process separator products, drawing significant industry attention.
Market data indicates that prices across various separator specifications are now on an upward trajectory. Taking core wet-process base film as an example, the average price for 7μm products has reached ¥0.8 per square meter, while the average for high-end 5μm products has exceeded ¥1.37 per square meter. This round of adjustments covers not only base film but also the coating processing segment, suggesting cost increases have permeated the entire production chain.
Industry analysis points out that this price hike results from the dual effects of "cost push" and "demand pull." On one hand, costs for upstream chemical raw materials, energy, and logistics continue to rise. On the other hand, demand for power batteries and energy storage batteries, particularly for high-performance, thinner wet-process separators, remains robust. This has kept industry capacity utilization high, leading to a subtle shift in the supply-demand balance. A senior executive from a leading manufacturer revealed, "Previous excessive competition drove prices into an irrational range. The current adjustment is a normal market correction towards value restoration."
A more profound impact lies in the reshaping of the industry ecosystem. As price wars subside, corporate profit recovery is anticipated, which may allow for increased R&D investment. Concurrently, capital activity in the wet-process separator segment is intensifying. Leading enterprises, leveraging advantages in technology, customer base, and scale, are expanding market share through mergers and acquisitions. Industry concentration is expected to rise rapidly. This signals a transition for the market from a phase of "volume" expansion to a new cycle determined by "quality" and "market structure."