Graphite
A crystalline form of carbon with a layered structure that conducts heat and electricity. Its ability to hold lithium ions between its layers makes it the dominant material in lithium-ion battery anodes.
Natural graphite
Graphite mined from the ground — in three forms: flake, amorphous, and vein — as opposed to synthetic graphite manufactured from petroleum products.
Flake graphite
Natural graphite that occurs as flat, plate-like crystals. It is the form best suited to battery anodes and commands higher value than amorphous graphite.
Amorphous graphite
Fine, microcrystalline natural graphite of lower purity and value, typically formed from the metamorphism of coal. Used mainly in industrial applications rather than batteries.
Vein (lump) graphite
A rare, very high-purity natural graphite that forms in veins — historically associated with Sri Lanka. A small share of global supply.
Synthetic (artificial) graphite
Graphite manufactured by heating petroleum or needle coke to very high temperatures (graphitization). Used in anodes and electrodes; energy-intensive and higher-cost than natural graphite.
Spherical graphite (SPG / CSPG)
Flake graphite rounded and micronized into potato-shaped particles — an intermediate step toward battery-anode material. Spheronization typically discards a large share of the input flake.
Coated spherical graphite
Spherical graphite given a carbon coating to improve performance — the final, anode-ready form of natural-graphite active material.
Anode active material (AAM)
The graphite — natural or synthetic — that stores and releases lithium ions in a battery's anode. Graphite makes up over 95% of anode active material, with no commercial substitute at scale.
% Cg — carbon as graphite
A grade measurement: the proportion of a sample that is graphitic carbon. It is the meaningful figure for graphite deposits, distinct from total carbon.
% Ct — total carbon
The total carbon content of a sample, including non-graphitic carbon. Concentrate grades are often reported as % Ct.
Concentrate grade
The purity of graphite after processing (flotation) — for example a 94.8% Cg concentrate. Higher grades sit closer to the purity needed downstream.
Flotation recovery
The percentage of contained graphite successfully recovered during froth flotation — a key measure of how efficiently a deposit can be processed.
Purification
Upgrading graphite concentrate to battery grade (typically ≥99.95% carbon) using thermal or chemical methods. A costly, technically demanding step that China currently dominates.
Battery-grade graphite
High-purity graphite — usually 99.95% carbon ('four nines', 4N) or higher — meeting the specification required for lithium-ion anodes.
NI 43-101
The Canadian regulatory standard governing how public companies disclose scientific and technical information about mineral projects, designed to make disclosure consistent and reliable.
Qualified Person (QP)
The credentialed geoscientist or engineer who takes professional responsibility for a company's technical disclosure under NI 43-101 — the person who signs off on the numbers.
Mineral Resource
A concentration of minerals with reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction, classified by geological confidence as Inferred, Indicated, or Measured (lowest to highest).
Measured & Indicated (M&I)
The two higher-confidence resource categories, considered reliable enough to support project planning — as opposed to the lower-confidence Inferred category.
Mineral Reserve
The portion of a Measured or Indicated resource shown to be economically mineable through a feasibility study, classified as Probable or Proven.
FEOC — Foreign Entity of Concern
A U.S. policy designation: battery materials linked to a Foreign Entity of Concern can disqualify a vehicle from certain tax credits — a driver of demand for non-Chinese, 'allied' graphite supply.