Sou Hu Cai Jing·2025-07-22 02:17Industry Overview - The artificial graphite industry in China is experiencing robust growth driven by the global energy revolution and industrial upgrades, with a market size projected to reach 43.8 billion yuan in 2024, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 6.83% [2] - The demand for lithium battery anode materials is the primary driver of market expansion, with an expected shipment volume of 2.08 million tons of lithium battery anode materials in 2024, of which artificial graphite will account for 87% [2] - There is a steady increase in demand for specialty graphite from high-end manufacturing sectors such as aerospace and semiconductors, leading to a shift towards high value-added product structures [2] Industry Development History - The development of the artificial graphite industry in China has gone through five stages, starting from the late 19th century with the invention of artificial graphite electrodes [6] - The industry saw significant advancements in the 1970s with the successful development of high-power and ultra-high-power graphite electrodes, enhancing conductivity and corrosion resistance [7] - The period from 2010 to the present has been marked by explosive growth in demand for artificial graphite as a negative electrode material for lithium-ion batteries, particularly driven by the rapid development of electric vehicles and energy storage [7] Industry Supply Chain - The upstream of the artificial graphite industry includes raw materials such as needle coke, petroleum coke, coal tar pitch, natural graphite ore, and chemical reagents, as well as production equipment [9] - The midstream involves the manufacturing process of artificial graphite, while the downstream applications span across various sectors including power batteries, consumer batteries, energy storage, steel, chemicals, aerospace, defense, semiconductor manufacturing, lubricants, and medical devices [9] Related Companies - Key listed companies in the artificial graphite sector include Better Energy (835185), Fangda Carbon (600516), Zichan Technology (603659), and Shanshan Co., Ltd. (600884) [2] - Other relevant companies include Baotailong New Materials, Sinopec, PetroChina, and CATL, among others [2]