Battery-Grade Nickel Sulphate (NiSO₄·6H₂O) & Manganese Sulphate (MnSO₄·H₂O)

Nickel sulphate hexahydrate at 22% Ni min and manganese sulphate monohydrate at 32% Mn min, to precursor-cathode impurity limits, priced against Fastmarkets and Platts

Nickel sulphate and manganese sulphate are the two soluble salts that a precursor plant co-precipitates with cobalt sulphate into the nickel-manganese-cobalt hydroxide (pCAM) that becomes NMC cathode, and both are bought on metal content and a long list of parts-per-million impurity ceilings. Battery-grade nickel sulphate hexahydrate is a blue-green crystal at 22.2–22.3% nickel; a published battery-grade specification holds cobalt, iron, magnesium, lead and chromium each below 0.0010%, copper, zinc, calcium and cadmium each below 0.0005%, sodium and insolubles below 0.0050%, and pH of a 10% solution at 4.0–6.0. Fastmarkets has assessed nickel sulphate, min 22% Ni, cobalt 50 ppm max, CIF China, Japan and Korea since 1 April 2021, in US dollars per tonne, together with a premium over the monthly average LME nickel cash price on the same basis, and Platts publishes a battery-grade nickel sulphate DDP China assessment (launched 30 September 2020) and a daily nickel sulphate premium CIF Northeast Asia (launched 1 August 2024). Manganese sulphate monohydrate for batteries is a separate, higher-purity product from the agricultural and feed grades: Fastmarkets launched its manganese sulphate 32% Mn min, battery grade, ex-works mainland China assessment on 1 September 2022, specified at iron, zinc, copper and lead each 0.001% max, cadmium 0.0005% max, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and insoluble residue each 0.01% max, nickel and cobalt each 0.005% max and pH 4.0–6.5, published weekly in yuan per tonne. Nickel sulphate is declared under HS 2833.24 and manganese sulphate under HS 2833.29.

Supply sits with the refiners. Nornickel's Harjavalta refinery in Finland had a nickel sulphate capacity of 54,600 MT (12,000 MT contained nickel) in 2021; Sumitomo Metal Mining produces about 25,000 MT a year at Niihama and has a total nickel sulphate capacity of 70,000 MT a year across its plants; Umicore's Olen plant in Belgium was estimated at 27,000 MT a year (6,000 MT nickel) in 2021; and in Indonesia, PT Halmahera Persada Lygend, a Harita Nickel subsidiary, began commercial exports of battery-grade nickel and cobalt sulphate from its HPAL plant on Obi Island in June 2023, on the back of Indonesian MHP output that Argus put at about 269,000 MT in 2023 and expected to treble within three years. Battery-grade manganese sulphate has been almost entirely Chinese; Manganese Metal Company began commissioning South Africa's first high-purity manganese sulphate plant at Mbombela in 2026 at 6,000 MT a year, with an 18,000 MT second phase planned. CBIL is a commodity brokerage company and brokers battery-grade nickel sulphate and manganese sulphate from refiner and trader parcels in China, Indonesia, Finland, Japan, Belgium and South Africa against the producer's ICP certificate of analysis per lot, a certificate of origin and a safety data sheet, with the buyer's qualification lot and independent sampling by SGS, Bureau Veritas or Intertek at stuffing on first shipments. Precursor buyers also read the chain: the US Department of Labor lists nickel from Indonesia as produced with forced labour, and the EU Forced Labour Regulation applies from 14 December 2027, so the refinery and its feed (MHP, matte or cathode) are named in the file. Nickel sulphate ships under UN 3077, environmentally hazardous substance, solid, n.o.s., IMDG Class 9, packing group III, marked as a marine pollutant, in 25 kg or 50 kg HDPE-lined bags or 1 MT big bags in 20-foot containers on FOB, CFR and CIF terms; minimum lots are confirmed per product and pack. Send the metal content, the impurity limits your precursor line is qualified to, tonnage and discharge port, and the enquiry is screened and worked against it.

Excluded origins are not offered, including product re-exported, blended or re-processed through a third country. Every lot moves with a certificate of origin naming the producing plant, mine or grower country, and nothing is quoted before the seller and loading point are known.