(April 28, 2026) Recently, the domestic silica industry has shown a development trend of "high price stability, green capacity expansion, accelerated technology iteration, and good export demand". The high cost of raw materials supports the bottom line of prices, the landing of 10 billion low-carbon projects in Weifang, Shandong Province, the recycling of rice husk ash preparation patents, and the surge in overseas high-end orders, the industry is moving towards a new stage of high quality, greening and high added value.
1. Market price: stabilized at a high level, with strong support on the cost side
As of April 28, 2026, the domestic silica market price continued to be high and stable, and the price adjustment cycle brought about by the early raw material price increase has ended, and the prices of all categories are strong.
Precipitation method general type: the benchmark price is 6066.67 yuan/ton, and the mainstream quotation of rubber special grade is 6300-7000 yuan/ton.
High-end products of the gas phase method: the price remains at 16,000-32,000 yuan/ton, and the market supply is tight and the supply exceeds the demand.
Cost support: The prices of core raw materials such as sulfuric acid, soda ash, and coal continue to be high, and the price of sulfuric acid has hit a new high in nearly 20 years (reaching 1742.50 yuan/ton in early April), which directly pushes up production costs and provides strong support for the price of silica. At the beginning of April, a number of enterprises have issued letters to raise the ex-factory price by 500 yuan / ton, and the implementation is currently in place.
2. Capacity construction: Tens of billions of green projects have been implemented, and industrial clustering has accelerated
The low-carbon transformation of the industry has accelerated, large-scale carbon dioxide acidification projects have been intensively implemented, backward production capacity has been accelerated, and regional layout has been continuously optimized.
Shandong Weifang 1.02 billion yuan project: At the beginning of April, the 200,000 tons/year carbon dioxide acidification silica project (phase I) invested by Zhongke Hydrogen Rich was announced in Shandong Changle, with a total investment of 1.02 billion yuan, and was built in three phases; The first phase will invest 360 million yuan and produce 60,000 tons per year, and is expected to be put into operation in February 2027, using green and low-carbon processes to help the "double carbon" goal.
Jiangsu production capacity upgrade: Jiangsu's new regulations clearly eliminate ordinary units below 15,000 tons/year, and restrict non-gas-phase and non-carbon dioxide acid processes; Sanming Fengrun Chemical and other enterprises have invested 43 million yuan in technical transformation to replace outdated coal-fired equipment and promote the withdrawal of low-end production capacity.
Increased industrial concentration: The industry CR10 has risen from 28% in 2021 to 42% in 2026, and the share of leading companies such as Quecheng and Jinneng Technology has continued to expand.
3. Technological innovation: breakthroughs in recycling and high value-added products
Technology research and development focuses on green preparation, recycling, and performance improvement, and a number of patents have been implemented to expand emerging application scenarios.
Patent for the preparation of rice husk ash: On April 23, Shaanxi Saikorisi applied for a patent (CN121894667A) on "A silica and its preparation method and application", using rice husk ash as a silicon source, through microwave-assisted reaction, high-pressure spray carbonization and other processes to prepare silica, realize the recycling of agricultural waste, improve the reinforcement performance of rubber, and reduce production costs.
High-end product iteration: Highly dispersed, food-grade, and pharmaceutical-grade silica technology is mature, and export orders have increased by more than 20% year-on-year, with Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East as the main incremental markets.
Intelligent upgrade: The automation rate of the production line of leading enterprises exceeded 90%, manual intervention was reduced by 70%, and energy consumption and scrap rates were significantly reduced.
4. Exports and demand: Overseas orders have surged, and downstream demand has picked up
The recovery of global green tires, silicone rubber, coatings and other industries, superimposed on the restructuring of overseas supply chains, China's silica exports increased significantly month-on-month, and high-end models were in short supply.
Export data: Since April, export orders for highly dispersed, green and low-carbon products have increased by more than 20% year-on-year, demand in Europe and Southeast Asia is strong, and exports of high-end products by gas phase method have increased by 15% month-on-month.
Downstream support: the resumption of work and production in the domestic tire industry has accelerated, and the penetration rate of green tires has increased, driving the demand for highly dispersed silica; Demand in silicone rubber, coatings, feed additives and other fields has grown steadily, supporting the prosperity of the industry.
5. Industry trends: greening, high-end, and globalization have become mainstream
Looking forward to the future, the silica industry will focus on three major directions:
Green and low-carbon: carbon dioxide acidification, rice husk ash recycling and other processes have accelerated the replacement of traditional routes, and the "coal-to-gas" has been promoted, and energy consumption has continued to decline.
High-end transformation: The proportion of high value-added products such as high dispersion, gas phase method, and medical grade has increased, getting rid of low-end price wars.
Global layout: Leading enterprises accelerate "production capacity going overseas", cope with trade barriers such as CBAM, and expand overseas market share.
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