(May 28, 2026) Recently, the domestic silica industry has shown a development trend of “recovery of traditional demand, expansion of emerging tracks, and breakthroughs in green technology.” The recovery of the downstream tire market coupled with the explosion of demand in the fields of new energy and high-end materials, industry inventories continued to be reduced, and prices stabilized in the mid-to-high range; at the same time, domestic modification technology and biomass green processes achieved key breakthroughs, promoting the industry to accelerate the transformation to high-end and low-carbon, and the market competition pattern was gradually optimized.

Market supply and demand improved, prices stabilized and improved
Entering the second quarter of 2026, domestic automobile production and sales continue to pick up, and the shipments of green tires and new energy supporting tires have steadily increased, directly driving the rigid demand for silica, the core raw material of rubber reinforcement materials. Data show that as of May 25, the benchmark price of silica in SunSirs was 6,066.67 yuan/ton. The price has remained stable since this month and is at a high level in the past year.

From the perspective of regional markets, the price range of rubber-grade silica by precipitation method in Fujian is 5,000-5,800 yuan/ton, and that in Shandong is 5,100-6,500 yuan/ton; the price of high-end gas phase silica (200 ratio table) remains at 21,000-36,000 yuan/ton, forming a significant price difference with precipitation method products. In terms of industry inventory, with the recovery of downstream orders, the early backlog of inventory has accelerated, the pace of shipments by companies in major production areas such as Shandong and Jiangsu has accelerated, and the supply and demand pattern has continued to improve.

Demand structure is optimized, and emerging tracks become growth engines
The traditional application scenarios of silica are mainly tire and rubber reinforcement, accounting for more than 70% of total consumption. Currently, new energy vehicle tires have become the core growth pole. The amount of silica added in each set of new energy vehicle tires is 15%-20% higher than that of traditional tires. In 2024, the domestic tire industry's consumption of highly dispersed silica will reach 420,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 9.6%.

While traditional markets are recovering steadily, demand in emerging areas is experiencing explosive growth. The demand for highly dispersible, ultra-fine and high-purity silica in lithium battery separator coatings, silicon-based anode materials, high-end silicone rubber, 3C electronics and other scenarios has surged, with a compound annual growth rate of over 25%. In addition, applications in coatings, agriculture, environmentally friendly materials and other fields continue to expand, effectively hedging the pressure of slowing growth in traditional markets and becoming a new growth breakthrough for the industry.

Technological breakthroughs are accelerating, domestic substitution and green transformation are advancing simultaneously
For a long time, my country's silica industry has been dominated by general precipitation method products, with serious homogeneity, and the high-end market is monopolized by foreign capital. Recently, many local companies have achieved breakthroughs in key processes such as hydrophobic modification, surface grafting, and nanodispersion. The application performance of modified silica in rubber, silicone, and coatings has been greatly improved, breaking the monopoly of foreign-funded high-end products and helping the downstream industry chain reduce costs and increase efficiency.

Green and low-carbon transformation has become an industry consensus. Driven by the "double carbon" goal, biomass silica has become a new track with its advantages of low carbon throughout the life cycle and agricultural waste resource utilization. Data show that the unit energy consumption of the biomass silica process has been reduced to 1.8-2.2 tons of standard coal, which is 45% lower than the traditional process, and the water consumption is reduced by 40%. The waste gas and waste water emissions are far lower than the national standard. Since the beginning of 2026, domestic companies have added more than 50,000 tons of biomass silica production capacity, European companies have also accelerated the deployment of bio-based silica projects, and the industry's green transformation has accelerated.

Industrial cluster development and competitive landscape continue to optimize
Driven by multiple factors such as raw material supply, logistics costs, and foreign trade exports, the domestic silica industry is accelerating its concentration in the main production areas of sodium silicate and soda ash and coastal port cities. Inland small and medium-sized dispersed production capacity has gradually shrunk, and the trend of industrial clustering and intensification is obvious. Relying on resource advantages, the core production areas of raw materials such as Shandong, Jiangsu, and Southwest China have continued to increase their production capacity concentration, and the scale effect of leading enterprises has become prominent.

At present, industry competition presents a pattern of “low-end involution and high-end breakthrough”. The general precipitation method products have overcapacity and fierce price competition; high-end products such as highly dispersed, modified, and biomass silica are in short supply, which has become the key for companies to break through. Industry insiders said that in the future, the industry will accelerate the elimination of backward production capacity, leading companies with technology, scale, and green advantages will occupy more market shares, and industry concentration will further increase.

future outlook
Looking forward to the second half of 2026, the silica industry is expected to continue its rebound. The traditional tire market demand will grow steadily with the recovery of the automobile industry, and demand in the fields of new energy and high-end materials will continue to explode, supporting the expansion of the industry's scale. At the same time, domestic technological breakthroughs and the promotion of green processes will promote the high-end and low-carbon transformation of the industry, and the product structure will continue to be optimized.

However, the industry still faces challenges such as overcapacity in general production, intensified competition in high-end technologies, and stricter environmental protection policies. Enterprises need to increase investment in research and development, focus on the research and development of modified, green, and high-end products, optimize production capacity layout, and enhance core competitiveness in order to seize opportunities in industry changes and achieve high-quality development.

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