(May 20, 2026) Recently, the domestic white carbon black industry has seen multiple positive developments: accelerated domestic substitution of high-end products, sustained rapid growth in foreign trade exports, continuous expansion of green and low-carbon production capacity, and upgraded downstream demand for new energy and green tires. The industry has officially entered a new development cycle of product upgrades, structural optimization, and global expansion.
According to the latest customs statistics, from January to April 2026, China's exports of silica reached 876,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 18.9%, with export value of $1.23 billion, up 22.7% year-on-year, achieving double-digit growth in both export volume and value. Southeast Asia and Europe remain core export markets, while orders in emerging markets such as the Middle East and Latin America continue to grow. Domestic high-dispersion precipitation and modified fumed silica, thanks to their cost-effectiveness and quality advantages, are steadily gaining international market recognition and strengthening overseas competitiveness.
On the technical front, domestic silica is rapidly breaking overseas monopolies. Since 2026, domestic companies have continued to tackle core technologies in fumed-phase silica and nano-level modified silica. Their product purity, dispersibility, and reinforcement performance have reached international first-tier levels, successfully entering high-end rubber, new energy materials, 3C electronics, coatings and inks, agricultural additives, and other fields, breaking the long-term dependence on imports in the high-end market. Compared to traditional general precipitation method for silica, high-end modified products increase the added value by more than 40%, effectively offsetting industry pain points of overcapacity and price competition in the low-end market.
On the downstream demand side, the popularization of new energy vehicles has driven a surge in demand for high-dispersion white carbon black for green tires. With the global implementation of tire labeling laws, tire companies are continuously increasing the proportion of silica to reduce rolling resistance and improve safety performance; At the same time, silica is rapidly expanding in emerging fields such as photovoltaic adhesives, silicone rubber, leather lubricating agents, industrial wetting agents, and agricultural silicones, opening up new growth opportunities in the industry and effectively easing the pressure of slowing demand in traditional rubber and footwear materials.
Green transformation has become the core development theme of the industry. Currently, biomass silica and low-energy sedimentation technology are rapidly being implemented. Compared to traditional processes, low-carbon silica reduces carbon emissions by over 65%, aligning with the EU carbon border tax and domestic dual-carbon policies, and offering significant export low-carbon premium advantages. Leading domestic enterprises continue to build green production capacity of over 50,000 tons, promoting the industry's upgrade toward cleaner and more resource-based operations.
In terms of market prices, in May, the mainstream domestic quotation for general precipitation method white carbon remained stable at 6300–6600 yuan/ton, with transactions mainly driven by rigid demand; Prices for high-end fumed silica and hydrophobic modified silica remained high, downstream stocking enthusiasm remained stable, and the overall market showed stable prices at the low end and strengthened at the high end.
Industry experts say that in the future, the white carbon black industry will show three major trends: "high-end, green, and globalized." With breakthroughs in domestic technology, emerging downstream demands, and expanded foreign trade channels, the industry will gradually break free from homogeneous competition and transform from scale expansion to high-quality development. Domestic white carbon black is expected to capture a larger share of the global market.
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