POSCO Future M hard carbon anode plans are now moving toward commercial scale. The South Korean battery materials maker aims to complete development by the third quarter of 2027. Then, it plans to begin mass production in 2028. As a result, the company is positioning itself early in the fast-growing Sodium-ion Battery materials market.
POSCO Future M added hard carbon anode material to its latest roadmap for cathode, anode, and next-generation battery materials. Notably, this is the first time the company has publicly included both a development schedule and a mass production plan for hard carbon used in sodium-ion batteries.
POSCO Future M hard carbon anode roadmap for 2028
POSCO Future M plans to finish development of its hard carbon anode material by Q3 2027. After that, it will start mass production in 2028. The company expects sodium-ion batteries to expand battery use cases, especially in low-temperature conditions and long-life energy storage applications.
In addition, major South Korean battery companies such as LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI are also developing sodium-ion batteries. They are targeting low-temperature and long-duration energy storage systems. Therefore, demand for supporting battery materials could rise steadily over the next few years.
Why POSCO Future M hard carbon anode matters for sodium-ion batteries
Sodium-ion batteries use sodium instead of lithium. Because sodium is abundant, producers can secure raw materials more easily. In addition, sodium prices tend to show smaller swings than lithium prices. The battery structure remains familiar, since sodium-ion batteries still use a cathode, anode, electrolyte, and separator.
However, the materials inside the battery differ. Cathodes often use sodium iron phosphate, or NFPP, and nickel-iron-manganese, or NFM. For the anode, manufacturers mainly use hard carbon instead of graphite. The electrolyte also uses sodium salts dissolved in an organic solvent.
Hard carbon fits sodium-ion batteries well because sodium ions are larger than lithium ions. In fact, sodium atoms are about 2.5 times larger and more than three times heavier than lithium atoms. Ordinary graphite has tight layer spacing. As a result, larger sodium ions do not move through it as efficiently. By contrast, hard carbon has wider interlayer spacing and fine internal pores. Therefore, it can store sodium ions more stably during charging and discharging.
POSCO Future M hard carbon anode production strategy
POSCO Future M plans to use its existing anode material production lines for hard carbon mass production. This approach could improve efficiency and speed up commercialization. The company can partially adapt key equipment, including heat-treatment furnaces, reactors, and slurry processing systems.
Because of this setup, POSCO Future M may reduce the need for heavy new investment. That is important in battery materials, where production scale and process know-how often decide long-term competitiveness. Moreover, using existing infrastructure can help the company respond faster as sodium-ion battery demand grows.
Hard carbon costs more than three times as much as graphite. Even so, sodium-ion battery makers can offset part of that cost. They can use aluminum foil as the current collector. Aluminum foil costs about one-third as much as conventional copper foil. Consequently, the overall battery material economics can remain attractive for certain applications.
POSCO Future M hard carbon anode market outlook
Market research firms expect global sodium-ion battery shipments to exceed 70 gigawatt-hours in 2028. That figure points to a sizeable materials opportunity. Producing 1 gigawatt-hour of sodium-ion batteries requires about 1,500 tons of hard carbon anode material. Based on that ratio, demand for hard carbon anode material in 2028 could exceed 100,000 tons.
China currently leads this supply chain. Companies such as BTR, Shanshan, and Zhongke Electric already mass produce hard carbon anode material. These firms also rank among the global leaders in graphite anode materials. At present, China’s hard carbon production capacity stands at an estimated 80,000 to 90,000 tons per year.
In South Korea, Aekyung Chemical was the first company to disclose hard carbon mass production plans. It is building a pilot line with annual capacity of 1,300 tons. The company is targeting completion within 2026. Meanwhile, POSCO Future M now joins the race with a clearer timeline for large-scale production.
POSCO Future M hard carbon anode and wider battery materials plans
Besides hard carbon, POSCO Future M also unveiled a broader next-generation battery materials roadmap. The company is advancing LFP cathode material, lithium manganese-rich cathode material, and silicon anode material. It plans to convert part of its Pohang cathode production lines for LFP. It will produce prototypes in 2026 and start mass production in the second half.
Looking further ahead, POSCO Future M plans to build an LFP cathode production system in 2029. That system will use group-sourced raw materials and in-house processes. At the same time, the company will expand its anode portfolio across natural graphite, artificial graphite, and silicon anode materials.
Overall, the 2028 hard carbon launch gives POSCO Future M a new growth path in battery materials. More importantly, it strengthens the company’s role in the sodium-ion battery supply chain at a time when global demand is building.
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