A lithium-ion cell — whether cylindrical (18650, 21700, 4680) or prismatic — is built from the same 8–10 core components. Some of those components have publicly trackable commodity prices; others are proprietary or index-priced. This section maps every component, what it's made of, and whether its cost can be monitored.
Format comparison · cylindrical vs prismatic
⚙
Cylindrical
18650 · 21700 · 4680
Electrodes wound into a jelly roll and inserted into a cylindrical steel or aluminium can. The winding creates a compact, structurally uniform cell. Steel casing provides mechanical robustness; the geometry allows natural airflow cooling between cells in a pack.
✓ High mechanical strength — resistant to vibration & impact
✓ Mature manufacturing — lowest defect rates globally
✓ 4680 format doubles energy, reduces cost/kWh ~14%
✗ Round shape wastes pack space (~10–15% dead volume)
✗ Thermal management per-cell more complex at scale
Used by: Tesla (4680), Panasonic (2170), Samsung SDI, Lishen, BAK Power
▭
Prismatic
Hard case · blade format
Electrodes either stacked in flat layers or wound & flattened, housed in a rigid aluminium rectangular casing. The flat geometry allows highly efficient packing — cells sit side by side with minimal dead space. BYD's Blade is a prismatic cell taken to an extreme aspect ratio.
✓ Efficient space utilisation — higher pack-level energy density
✓ Aluminium casing — lighter than steel cylindrical cans
✓ Easier module assembly — stackable without adapters
✗ Swelling risk — internal pressure requires compression fixtures
✗ Higher manufacturing complexity for stacked electrode design
Used by: CATL, BYD (Blade), CALB, Gotion, EVE Energy, most Indian bus OEMs
Component-by-component breakdown & price trackability
Legend:
✓ Trackable
~ Partial
✗ Not public
| # Component |
Material |
Function |
Cell format |
% cell cost |
Trackable? |
Price proxy / source |
What this means for price tracking
5 / 10
Fully trackable components
Cathode active material, anode (graphite), copper foil, aluminium foil/casing, and electrolyte salt (LiPF₆) all have commodity price proxies on public markets or specialist indices.
2 / 10
Partially trackable
Separator (PE/PP polymer — tracks petrochemical indices loosely) and binder (PVDF — tracks fluoropolymer spot pricing). Both are proprietary-grade materials with limited public data.
3 / 10
Not publicly trackable
Conductive carbon additives, terminal/tab assemblies, and safety vents/gaskets are proprietary engineered sub-components. No public commodity index. Cost fluctuates with OEM contract cycles.
~60%
Of cell cost we can model
Cathode + anode + current collectors + electrolyte salt together represent ~55–65% of a cell's material cost. This tracker monitors the commodity inputs behind all of them.
Want component-level price data added? If you have access to separator, PVDF binder, or conductive carbon pricing from your supply chain, contribute to make this database more complete.
Contribute data →
