April 18, 2026 | Industry Comprehensive Report Recently, the domestic markets for precipitated silica and fumed silica have maintained stable overall performance. Supported by the steady recovery of downstream demand in tires, rubber products, coatings, toothpaste, food additives and other sectors, the industry has kept a high production and sales rate. Different from the previous focus on cost increases, the current industry highlights are concentrated in three areas: optimized export structure, breakthroughs in domestic high-end products, and the popularization of low-carbon production processes.
Customs statistics show that China’s silica export volume in the first quarter of this year achieved double-digit year-on-year growth, with orders continuing to rise in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, South America and other regions. In the past, China’s silica exports were dominated by low-to-medium-end general-purpose products. However, since 2026, the share of high value-added grades such as highly dispersible silica, food-grade silicon dioxide, and silica for silicone rubber has increased significantly, and the average export price has risen steadily. This marks that the industry is shifting from “exchanging volume for low prices” to “winning by quality”.
Several leading domestic enterprises stated that with the improved recognition of China’s supply chain by overseas tire manufacturers and multinational chemical companies, the number of their overseas clients keeps expanding. Some high-end product grades have achieved stable mass supply, gradually replacing similar imported products.
On the supply side, the industry’s capacity structure continues to improve. On one hand, small-scale facilities featuring high energy consumption and low added value maintain low operating rates, and market resources are further concentrated toward leading enterprises. On the other hand, green production technologies such as carbon dioxide-based processes, bio-based silicon sources, waste heat recovery and wastewater recycling are being rapidly adopted. New projects built by multiple enterprises take low-carbon production, energy conservation and high purity as core indicators, making them more compliant with international environmental regulations including the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
In terms of downstream demand, growth in green tires, new energy rubber components, eco-friendly coatings, and pharmaceutical and food sectors has become the main driver upgrading silica demand. Highly dispersible silica, which can significantly improve tire wear resistance and wet skid resistance while reducing rolling resistance, is increasingly used in green tire formulations. Meanwhile, food-grade silica with high purity and low heavy metal content enjoys rigid demand in applications such as anti-caking agents, thickeners and toothpaste abrasives.
Industry analysts believe that in the short term, the silica market will maintain stable prices, rising sales volume and structural upgrading, with little possibility of sharp price fluctuations. In the long run, the focus of industry competition has shifted from production capacity scale to technical indicators, product stability, low-carbon certification and overseas service capabilities. Enterprises with advantages in high-end development, green production and internationalization will take more favorable positions in the new round of industry restructuring.