At present, the supply of copper foil for lithium battery is in short supply, and the price of copper foil continues to rise. According to Xinsuo information data, since May this year, the copper foil market has ushered in a price boom, with the average price of copper foil rising by about 22% compared with the beginning of the year; Among them, the price of electronic copper foil has risen more fiercely, with a cumulative increase of 60% since the low point in 2020. Does the price of copper foil continue to rise? What is the prospect of copper foil industry?
It is reported that copper foil is mainly divided into lithium battery copper foil and electronic copper foil. Lithium battery copper foil is generally 6 ~ 20um thick double light copper foil, which is mainly used for lithium battery production in power, consumer, energy storage and other fields; Electronic copper foil is mainly used in electronic information industry, such as printed circuit board.
Analysis on the development status of copper foil industry
1. Rapid growth of copper foil market for lithium battery
With the rapid development of China’s lithium batteries, especially power batteries, China’s lithium battery copper foil industry is developing rapidly. According to the research and statistics of GGII, in 2019, China’s lithium battery copper foil shipment was 93000 tons, an increase of 8.8% over the same period last year. In the next few years, after the new energy vehicle industry continues to be driven by national policies and industry adjustment, the market is expected to enter a rapid development stage again, and the power battery will drive China’s lithium battery copper foil market to maintain a high-speed growth trend. It is estimated that in 2021, China’s lithium battery copper foil market shipment will reach 144000 tons.
2. Expansion of printed circuit board (PCB) market
Thanks to the steady growth of China’s PCB industry, China’s PCB copper foil production has always been in a steady growth state, and the annual growth rate is greater than the global growth rate. GGII data shows that China’s PCB copper foil production in 2019 is 292000 tons, up 5.8% year on year. With the increasing demand for PCB copper foil in China’s PCB industry and the gradual penetration of China’s PCB copper foil into the high-end product market, and the gradual release of China’s new PCB copper foil production capacity in recent years, GGII predicts that China’s PCB copper foil production will continue to grow steadily in the next few years. By 2021, China’s PCB copper foil production will reach 326000 tons.
3. Stable supply and demand of printed circuit board (PCB) market
CCFA data show that in 2019, the total production capacity of domestic PCB copper foil will reach 335000 tons, while that year’s total output will be 292000 tons, and the capacity utilization rate will be 87.2%. In view of the fact that the production of copper foil will generally have certain losses, it seems that the supply and demand relationship of PCB copper foil in China is basically stable, and the supply and demand of some products are relatively tight. China Commercial Industry Research Institute estimates that the total capacity of domestic PCB copper foil will reach 415000 tons in 2021, compared with 326000 tons in that year, with a capacity utilization rate of 80.2%.
Post time: Jul-14-2021