PRICING NOTICE: Amendment of cobalt hydroxide assessment specifications

Fastmarkets has amended the specifications of its two cobalt hydroxide price assessments to take account of chemical components, mine origin of material eligible for consideration, and publication frequency.

Following a consultation, Fastmarkets has tightened the chemical specification of the cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China, % payable of Fastmarkets’ standard-grade cobalt price (low end), and the cobalt hydroxide index 30% Co min, cif China, $/Ib, to specify maximum content of manganese, magnesium, silicon, and cadmium and radioactivity concentration. The eligible minimum content requirement for cobalt is unchanged at 30%.

In addition, the limitation on origin of material has be widened so that all material produced from large-scale mining activity can be considered within the assessments, provided it also means the detailed chemical specification.

Furthermore, the frequency of the cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, cif China, will increase to weekly (on Wednesdays) from October 9, from twice-monthly previously. The frequency of the cobalt hydroxide index, cif China, (monthly), is unchanged.

The specifications for the two cobalt hydroxide price assessments now read as follows:

Assessment: Cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China, % payable of Fastmarkets’ standard-grade cobalt price (low-end)

Quality: Units produced from large-scale mining activity, with the following chemical composition: Co 30% min, Mn 6.5% max, Mg 6.5% max, S 5% max; Cd 100ppm max; limited concentration of natural radioactivity: GB20664-2006 (suitable for customs clearance into China).
Quantity: Min 50 tonnes (cobalt content)
Location: cif China (other terms normalized)
Timing: 45 days
Unit: % payable of Fastmarkets’ standard-grade cobalt price (low end, $/lb)
Payment terms: Letter of credit at sight, current and following price month (‘M’ and ‘M+1’)
Publication: Weekly, Wednesday, 3pm London time.
Notes: Where the publication day falls on a public holiday in England and Wales, the assessment will be rolled over from previous pricing session.

Index: Cobalt hydroxide index, min 30% Co, cif China, $ per lb
Quality: Units produced from large-scale mining activity, with the following chemical composition: Co 30% min, Mn 6.5% max, Mg 6.5% max, S 5% max; Cd 100ppm max; limited concentration of natural radioactivity: GB20664-2006 (suitable for customs clearance into China).
Quantity: Min 50 tonnes (cobalt content)
Location: cif China (other terms normalized)
Timing: 45 days
Unit: $/lb
Payment terms: Letter of credit at sight, current price month (‘M’)
Publication time: 5pm London time, last working day of the month.

All historical data relating to the assessment and the index prior to the amendment will remain available in the pricing section of the Fastmarkets website.

To provide feedback on the cobalt hydroxide price assessments or if you would like to provide price information by becoming a data submitter, please contact Charlotte Radford and Susan Zou by email at: pricing@fastmarkets.com. Please add the subject heading FAO: Charlotte Radford/Susan Zou re: cobalt hydroxide price assessments.

To see all Fastmarkets’ pricing methodology and specification documents go to https://www.fastmarkets.com/about-us/methodology.

[Editor’s note: This pricing notice was updated on November 12 to clarify the payment terms for both assessments.]

What to read next
Fastmarkets proposes to launch Nordic sawn timber export prices for selected European markets and grades, while discontinuing the PIX Sawn Timber FAS Finland indices. The PIX sawn timber FAS Finland indices have not been widely adopted by the industry and the new price assessments will offer more end-market-specific data for major European markets and will […]
To increase transparency, Fastmarkets has further clarified how it handles price movements during periods of low liquidity. Factors that Fastmarkets may consider during times of low liquidity include, but are not limited to: market fundamentals such as changes in inventory levels, shipments, operating rates and export volumes; relative fundamentals of similar commodities in the same […]
Fastmarkets invited feedback from the industry on the pricing methodology for PIX Packaging GCC indices via an open consultation process between April 16 and May 14, 2025. This consultation was done as part of our published annual methodology review process. Full details of the prices covered by this consultation can be found here. No feedback […]
Fastmarkets is inviting feedback from the industry on the pricing methodology for the PIX Forest Biomass Finland price indices, as part of its announced annual methodology review process. This consultation, which is open until June 12, 2025, seeks to ensure that our methodologies continue to reflect the physical market under indexation, in compliance with the […]
The publication of the following price was delayed for 10 minutes: MB-ALU-0002 Alumina index, fob Australia, $/tonne This price is a part of the Fastmarkets Base Metals package. For more information or to provide feedback on the delayed publication of this price or if you would like to provide price information by becoming a data submitter […]
Fastmarkets proposes to amend the frequency of Taiwan base metals prices from biweekly to monthly, and the delivery timing for the tin 99.99% ingot premium from two weeks to four weeks.