(May 18, 2026) According to the latest data and market research disclosed by the domestic silica industry association, since 2026, with the upgrading of downstream industries and the release of demand in many fields, the demand side of China's silica industry has shown a good trend of "stabilizing the foundation in traditional fields and leading in emerging fields".

Steady efforts have been made in the traditional core demand areas to lay a solid foundation for the development of the industry. As the most important application field of silica, the demand of the tire and rubber products industry maintained steady growth, with domestic tire production increasing by 7.8% year-on-year from January to April, driving the demand for rubber-grade silica to increase by 9.2% year-on-year. Due to the higher wear resistance and safety requirements of new energy vehicles, the utilization rate of high-end reinforced silica has increased by more than 30% compared with traditional fuel vehicle tires, becoming the core highlight of demand growth in traditional fields; In addition, the demand for rubber products such as rubber seals and hoses has recovered steadily, further driving the procurement of general-purpose silica.

The demand for emerging fields has grown explosively and has become the core engine of industry growth. With the rapid development of new energy, fine chemicals, green agriculture and other fields, the application scenarios of silica continue to expand, and the demand growth rate far exceeds that of traditional fields. In the field of new energy, the demand for modified silica for lithium battery separators, photovoltaic adhesives and other products increased by 45.6% year-on-year. In the field of fine chemicals, the demand for matting and thickening silica for high-end coatings and daily chemical products increased by 38.3% year-on-year, promoting the continuous release of high-end silica production capacity. In the field of green agriculture, bio-based silica, as an environmentally friendly pesticide carrier, has a year-on-year increase of 29.7% in demand, which is in line with the development trend of green agriculture and its market potential continues to be highlighted.

Structural changes in downstream demand are driving product iteration and capacity optimization in the silica industry. In order to adapt to the demand upgrade of different downstream fields, domestic silica enterprises have accelerated the adjustment of product structure, reduced the production capacity of low-end general-purpose products, and focused on the layout of high-end functional and customized product research and development and production. At the same time, the company strengthens collaborative research and development with downstream enterprises, customizes exclusive silica products according to downstream product needs, and forms a virtuous circle of "demand-driven R&D, R&D supports production".

Industry experts said that downstream demand is the core driving force for the development of the silica industry, and the current pattern of steady rise in downstream traditional fields and rapid rise in emerging fields will continue to promote the transformation and upgrading of the industry. In the future, with the continuous expansion of downstream emerging fields and the deep integration of silica products with downstream industries, industry demand will continue to be released, the product structure will be further optimized, and the silica industry is expected to usher in a sustained and stable growth cycle.