Black mass recognised as recyclable resources for import and export by Korea Customs Service

The Korea Customs Service has officially classified black mass and black powder (from cathode only) as a "residue for metal extraction." The decision was made during the first meeting of the Customs Product Classification Committee in 2025 on the 20th March and was published in the Official Gazette today on the 24th March as part of “Notice on Changes to Product Classification for Imported and Exported Goods, etc”.

This classification recognizes waste battery powder as a recyclable resource rather than a waste. The committee determined that it should be categorized as a residue from the recycling process, given its role in extracting valuable metals like lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese.

The Ministry of Environment in South Korea decided already in November 2024 to revise the enforcement regulations of the Waste Management Act and recognise black mass that meets certain criteria as a raw material product rather than waste.

The change by Korean Customs Services comes after a new standard for black mass and black powder has been issued in China which also opens up import to the country. Battery material producers in China and South Korea such as GEM, Ecopro, Huayou Cobalt and LG Chem have for a long time been moving product between the two countries as South Korea historically have had a deficit in precursor production.

The decision comes at a time when the EU Commission is moving in the other direction by classifying not only black mass and black powder as hazardous waste but also MHP produced from waste batteries. The classification still make trade with South Korea possible while export to the non-OECD country China will be banned just when China is opening up for import.

More about the consequences of EU's new classification can be found in our report from November 2024.