(April 30, 2026) In the second quarter of 2026, the domestic silica industry is ushering in a demand-side-led structural restructuring, the demand growth rate in the field of traditional tires and rubber has slowed down, and the rapid rise of emerging terminals such as new energy rubbers, electronic seals, high-end coatings, and pharmaceutical and food excipients has directly forced silica companies to adjust their product layout, and the industry has bid farewell to the era of extensive mass production and turned to refined and specialized customized development.
In the past, the prosperity of the silica market was highly dependent on the tire industry, and most of the products were general-purpose specifications, and the industry homogeneous competition was serious. However, with the acceleration of downstream industrial upgrading, end customers have put forward differentiated and strict requirements for the purity, specific surface area, hydrophobicity and dispersion of silica.
In emerging fields such as photovoltaic encapsulants, silicone accessories for new energy vehicles, and lithium battery separator coatings, the demand for nano-scale high-purity silica continues to increase; The high-end industrial coatings, wood paints, and anti-corrosion paint markets favor high-matting, high-weather-resistant modified silica; In the food anti-caking agents, health care product excipients, and daily makeup tracks, the purchase volume of pharmaceutical-grade silica with low impurities and high safety levels has steadily increased.
The market pattern has changed significantly: small and medium-sized enterprises that adhere to the low-end production capacity of the ordinary precipitation method are facing the dilemma of shrinking orders, inventory backlog, and weak bargaining power; The leading enterprises with advanced layout of subdivision tracks and modified R&D and customized production capabilities have sufficient orders, strong premium capabilities, and further increased market concentration.
Industry insiders pointed out that the core competition logic of the silica industry in the future has changed, no longer competing for the size of production capacity, but competing for downstream adaptation capabilities, formula modification technology, and customized service speed. Adjusting the product structure with the emerging terminal track, eliminating backward general production capacity, and deeply cultivating the high-end market will become the only way for all silica production enterprises to survive and become stronger.
