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This will take place when an associated methodology change becomes effective on Tuesday September 1.
The published one-time adjustment differential will be the average of a daily differential calculated from the daily spread between the existing assessment and the daily valuation of the relevant market under the revised methodology published in the linked decision note.
In order to aid market understanding and transparency, Fastmarkets will also publish this underlying daily spread for each UK working day (at close of business on that working day) under MB-LI-0052 (which has yet to be launched) between July 1, 2026 and August 28, 2026.
The intention to publish a one-time differential follows a Fastmarkets decision to change quality and tonnage specifications for the aforementioned assessment of the MB-LI-0033 lithium hydroxide, battery grade, spot price, cif China, Japan & Korea, alongside changes to its global suite of battery-grade lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate price assessments on September 1.
Fastmarkets originally published a proposal to change the methodology on March 30. That proposal followed an initial consultation opened on January 23, 2026.
Fastmarkets will publish the one-time differential via a subscriber note on August 28, 2026. Fastmarkets will continue to publish the code for the daily differential until December 31, 2026.
The differential is intended to support the market’s transition and provide market participants with a reference point for deriving trade values under the revised lithium specification.
The one-off adjustment is intended to represent Fastmarkets’ reasonable assessment of the effect on the forward curve of the change to the spot price, over the publishing dates, because of the methodology change.
Fastmarkets does not represent that the differential is appropriate for use in any particular contract or settlement mechanism. Each market participant should satisfy itself, taking its own advice where appropriate, as to whether and how to use the differential in connection with its own contractual arrangements.
Fastmarkets accepts no responsibility or liability for any use of the one-off price adjustment figure, whether as a basis for, or a one-off monetary adjustment to, the value of the open interest, or for settlement of exchange-traded derivatives, over-the-counter derivatives, or for any other reason.
Please note, Fastmarkets will not publish a differential for MB-LI-0029 lithium carbonate, 99.5% Li2CO3 min, battery grade, spot prices, cif China, Japan & Korea. A Fastmarkets analysis found the data points excluded under the proposed methodology have had no effect or a negligible effect on the lithium carbonate price formation.
Please send any questions to pricing@fastmarkets.com and industrialminerals@fastmarkets.com.
To see all Fastmarkets’ pricing methodology and specification documents, go to the Fastmarkets methodology page.