---
title: "Korean utilization rates share a label but not a methodology"
canonical: "https://anchor.is/the-hysteresis/issue/12/korea/article/36705/korean-utilization-rates-share-a-label-but-not"
publication: "The Hysteresis"
publisher: "The Hysteresis"
language: "en-US"
guide: "https://anchor.is/the-hysteresis/llms.txt"
author: "Elise Huan-Cartwright"
author_url: "https://anchor.is/the-hysteresis/team/53"
issue: 12
section: "korea"
section_name: "Korea"
published: 2026-08-28
updated: 2026-08-29
word_count: 298
source_links: 3
---

# Korean utilization rates share a label but not a methodology

*By [Elise Huan-Cartwright](<https://anchor.is/the-hysteresis/team/53/markdown>)*

*August 28, 2026*

[Read on the website](<https://anchor.is/the-hysteresis/issue/12/korea/article/36705/korean-utilization-rates-share-a-label-but-not>)

LG Energy Solution reported H1 2026 utilization of [52.8%](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260813004800320). Samsung SDI reported [73%](https://en.edaily.co.kr/news/eda202608145759/). SK On filed [36.4%](https://dart.fss.or.kr/report/viewer.do?rcpNo=20260814002500&dcmNo=11533558&eleId=12&offset=254234&length=176545&dtd=dart4.xsd). These cannot be ranked; they measure different quantities against different denominators.

LG's rate is value-based: production value divided by capacity value across all facilities and chemistries. Samsung's is a unit count at two small-cell plants, Cheonan and Tianjin, excluding EV, ESS, and all US operations entirely. SK On's is time-based: load hours divided by operating hours, unrelated to GWh throughput. The 94.3 GWh nameplate capacity SK On separately discloses is not the denominator in its filed rate.

A standardized rate would still measure cost absorption pressure on the manufacturer rather than procurable supply. Idle capacity may sit in an unconverted chemistry, an unqualified line, a FEOC-noncompliant facility, or behind existing customer commitments. Track each company's rate over time as a financial stress signal. None of these figures tells you what is available to buy.

| | LG | Samsung | SK On |
|---|---|---|---|
| **H1 2026** | 52.8% | 73% | 36.4% |
| **Basis** | Value | Units | Time |
| **Scope** | All facilities, all products | Small-cell only (Cheonan + Tianjin) | Load hrs / operating hrs |

**What LG omits:** Site-level or segment-level breakdown; ESS lines in Ohio, Tennessee, Lansing not separable from EV

**What Samsung omits:** StarPlus EV/ESS (Indiana), European EV, any US ESS conversion output; the 73% reflects small-battery recovery, not ESS demand

**What SK On omits:** GWh-based utilization; 94.3 GWh nameplate and 89.475M cells produced are filed separately but are not inputs to the 36.4%

**LG data conflict:** One secondary source reports 57.8%, matching LG's full-year 2024 rate; filing-based sources (Yonhap, Edaily) confirm 52.8% for H1 2026

*All figures from H1 2026 regulatory filings (DART/KRX) or named agency reporting from those filings.*

## More

- [Korea — Issue 12](<https://anchor.is/the-hysteresis/issue/12/korea/markdown>)
- [Issue 12](<https://anchor.is/the-hysteresis/issue/12/markdown>)
- [Publication guide](<https://anchor.is/the-hysteresis/llms.txt>)