Global shipments of battery separators for electric vehicles reached approximately 7,489 million square metres in the first five months of 2026, a 20.7% increase on the same period a year earlier, according to data from SNE Research.
Separators are a critical component in lithium-ion batteries, physically isolating the positive and negative electrodes to prevent short circuits whilst simultaneously providing a channel for lithium ions to pass through. They have a direct bearing on battery safety, output, and longevity.
Markets outside China outpaced the global average, with shipments of roughly 2,605 million square metres representing a 38.7% year-on-year increase.
Among individual manufacturers, SEMCORP retained its position as the global leader with approximately 2,205 million square metres. Several Chinese producers posted particularly strong growth: Gellec (+72%), Lanketu (+75%), and Putailai (+48%). SK IE Technology, the South Korean separator maker, was the only non-Chinese supplier to record a decline, falling 13%.
Chinese manufacturers as a group now account for 89.7% of the market by nationality, up 3.1 percentage points from 86.6% in the first quarter of 2025. Korean producers saw their share slip from 5.1% to 3.7%, whilst Japanese firms fell from 8.3% to 6.6%.