China controls 99% of battery spherical graphite, OECD says
Processing bottlenecks leave electric vehicle cell makers exposed to Chinese export licensing as US subsidy rules against foreign entities of concern take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
MOBy Mina Okoro, Supply chain editor··Updated October 28, 2026·3 min read
ShareLinkedInXWhatsAppEmailA worker operates a control panel beside a large vat filled with dark slurry inside a graphite processing plant. (AI-generated image)
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development reported on Oct. 28, 2026, that China controls roughly 99% of the world's processing capacity for battery-grade spherical graphite.
The Paris-based organization, which tracks industrial policy across advanced market economies, stressed that intermediate refining bottlenecks present a far sharper supply disruption risk than raw mineral extraction.
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Supply chain editor — Mina Okoro builds the impact maps that connect East Asian developments to buyers in North America and Europe, and edits the Asia Compare desk.
