Industrial-grade nickel sulfate hexahydrate (CAS 10101-97-0) on Made-in-China listed 2026-07-12 at US$4.00–6.00 per kilogram for a 100 kg minimum order, with high-purity (≥33% Ni) material at US$1.00/kg and pharmaceutical-grade nickel sulfate 99% powder quoted US$6,700–7,000/MT FOB on ECHEMI [S1][S4][S7].
The range reflects a 1,000× spread between commodity industrial hexahydrate and certified reagent/pharma material, and the gap is not driven by nickel metal price alone — it tracks purity tier, magnetic-material content, and end-use qualification [S1][S4][S6]. Buyers reading "nickel sulfate shortage" headlines need to look at conversion capacity and spec compliance, not just mine output.
What "shortage" actually means: conversion, not mining
Spot listings on 2026-07-12 still show active offers across industrial, electronic, reagent, and pharma grades, with packaging standardised at 25 kg/bag PE and MOQ from 1 kg to 100 kg [S1][S3][S4]. The supply friction is not raw ore availability but the ability of refiners to hit battery-grade specifications: S&P Global Platts' DDP China nickel sulfate assessment (methodology last updated 2026-06) is pegged to "min 22% nickel content and max 100 ppb magnetic materials," a spec commonly called "type 2" by market participants [S5][S6].
Nickel(II) sulfate hexahydrate (CAS 10101-97-0, MW 262.85) loses 6 waters of crystallisation at 103 °C and presents as green transparent crystals soluble in water, slightly soluble in acid, insoluble in ethanol/methanol — physical handling that constrains which plants can hold and ship it without caking [S3]. For a deeper upstream map and node-level risks, see the supply chain node breakdown.
Spec bands buyers must screen against
Commercial offers in mid-2026 divide cleanly into three bands. Band A: industrial-grade NiSO4·6H2O at US$4.00–6.00/kg or ~US$1,000–1,200/MT for ammonium nickel sulfate variants, 25 kg bag, no magnetic-material guarantee [S1][S8]. Band B: electronic-grade and high-purity hexahydrate at US$5.00/kg for 33% Ni minimum, 1 kg MOQ, 20-ton/month supply ability declared [S7]. Band C: pharmaceutical/reagent-grade 99% powder at US$6,700–7,000/MT FOB, 25 kg bag, with COA and CAS 7786-81-4 traceable [S4].
The differentiating criteria for procurement are: (1) declared Ni assay (≥33% for premium, ~22% for type-2 battery), (2) magnetic-material headroom (≤100 ppb for battery cathode precursor use), (3) impurity control for TOC and chloride residue, and (4) packaging integrity (25 kg PE bag is the de facto standard) [S3][S5][S6][S7]. For a vendor-level comparison and grade-mapping checklist, the supplier spec map covers matching buyer spec to declared capability.
Upstream flow: from MHP and matte to hexahydrate
Nickel sulfate is not a mined product — it is a downstream conversion of nickel intermediates. The dominant feedstocks are mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) and nickel matte, both of which route through pressure leach or matte-sulfate dissolution to produce crude nickel sulfate, which is then purified by impurity stripping (Fe, Cu, Zn, Co) and crystallised to NiSO4·6H2O [S5][S6]. The heptahydrate form (CAS referenced as H14NiO11S, MW 280.86) is a related hydrate used where higher water-of-crystallisation is acceptable for storage [S2].
Platts' methodology specifies DDP China basis and physical spot pricing, meaning the assessment captures delivered-to-buyer China pricing including duty and inland freight — the relevant benchmark for any non-integrated cathode or plating buyer in East Asia [S5][S6]. For buyers evaluating whether to dual-source intermediate feed versus finished sulfate, this conversion step is the single largest supply-chain choke point, and the spec guarantees must be written into the PO rather than assumed from the mill certificate.
End-use split and who is exposed
End-uses for nickel sulfate split across electroplating (automotive trim, hardware, bathroom fittings, electronics, PCB, aerospace surfaces), battery precursor synthesis (NiSO4·6H2O reacting with NaOH and ammonia to form Ni(OH)2 then Ni-rich NCM/NCA cathode), and reagent/pharma where 99% purity with full COA is mandatory [S3][S4][S9]. Guanghua Sci-Tech (SZSE: 002741) explicitly markets the hexahydrate into "automobile, hardwares, bathroom accessories, electronic elements, aerospace and PCB" electroplating lines, plus new-energy cathode materials, with patented extraction claimed to deliver industry-low metal impurities and the only Chinese brand controlling TOC [S3].
Buyers in plating shops are largely insulated from the battery-grade tightness because their spec bands are broader and they can absorb industrial-grade material. Battery cathode producers are the constrained cohort: they need ≤100 ppb magnetic materials and tight Co control, which only a subset of conversion plants deliver [S5][S6]. For a side-by-side on plating-grade vs battery-grade procurement posture, see the supplier spec map.
How to screen a quote in 2026
Step 1: pin the hydrate form. NiSO4 anhydrous (MW 154.76, CAS 7786-81-4, EINECS 232-104-9), NiSO4·6H2O (MW 262.85, CAS 10101-97-0), and NiSO4·7H2O (MW 280.86) are distinct products with different nickel content by mass and different freight economics — an anhydrous quote at the same $/kg carries ~42% more Ni than the hexahydrate [S2][S3][S9]. Step 2: verify magnetic-material limit in writing. If the supplier will not commit to ≤100 ppb on a per-lot COA, the lot is not battery-grade regardless of price [S5][S6]. Step 3: demand traceable CAS on the COA — CAS 7786-81-4 for the anhydrous parent salt and CAS 10101-97-0 for the hexahydrate are the two reference numbers customs and QA use [S2][S3][S9].
Step 4: validate packaging and shelf life. 25 kg PE bag is the standard; bulk buyers should confirm pallet spec and humidity control because the hexahydrate is mildly hygroscopic and will reabsorb moisture above ~70% RH, biasing Ni assay downward at delivery [S3]. Step 5: cross-check the supplier's declared supply ability against declared MOQ — one Chinese trader on ChemicalBook listed 20 tons/month capability at 1 kg MOQ, which is feasible only for a redistributor, not a primary refiner [S7].
Price and procurement risk matrix, mid-2026
The principal procurement risks for nickel sulfate in 2026-07 are: (a) conversion-plant utilisation tightness in China for battery-grade lots, (b) spec drift on industrial-grade offers that re-enter the battery supply chain as substitutes, and (c) freight/lead-time variance for DDP China shipments on the Platts reference route [S5][S6]. The US$4.00–6.00/kg industrial spot band and the US$6,700–7,000/MT pharma band sit on opposite ends of the market, and a buyer who treats them as fungible will either fail QA or overspend on spec they do not need [S1][S4].
Trackable signals to watch: published Platts DDP China assessments versus spot offers on ECHEMI/Made-in-China for the same week; declared supply ability versus actual shipment cadence on the top five Chinese converters; and any change in the ≤100 ppb magnetic-material spec wording in published methodology updates [S5][S6]. For a parallel 2026 look at a related upstream metal that competes for the same MHP feed, the magnesium die-casting sourcing map covers a different but adjacent conversion-supply picture.
For component-level specifications, see nickel alloy, dc power supply, and switching power supply.