(June 5, 2026) The domestic silica market continues its structural differentiation trend, with general precipitation method silica prices remaining stable, and orders for new energy and high-end silicone supporting specialized modified silica are tight and prices firm; Coupled with rising foreign trade exports and accelerated import substitution of domestically produced fumed-phase silica, the industry's transformation towards high-end and green has comprehensively accelerated. According to monitoring data from Business Society on June 4, the domestic rubber-grade precipitated white carbon black market benchmark price has remained stable at 6,000 yuan/ton, unchanged from early June. The market average price over the past three months has remained at 6,032 yuan/ton, with prices remaining in the mid-to-high range for the year.
Looking at spot regional quotes, in major domestic white carbon black producing areas such as Shandong, Jiangsu, and Fujian, the tax-inclusive ex-factory price of ordinary rubber-reinforced white carbon black is concentrated at 5100-5800 yuan/ton. Supply of regular daily chemical and feed-filler grade white carbon is abundant but transactions are sluggish; Meanwhile, the ex-factory price of ultrafine nano-grade, highly dispersion-modified specialty silica has surpassed 6,200 yuan/ton, and supply of lithium battery separators and photovoltaic sealant models is in short supply, with some manufacturers scheduling orders until mid to late July. On the raw material side, the prices for water glass and sulfuric acid fluctuated narrowly, with stable production cost support. Small and medium white carbon black companies saw continuous compression of profits from ordinary products, while leading companies relied on technological upgrades and specialty product layouts to widen profit gaps.
Continuous improvement in foreign trade data provides fundamental support for the industry. According to customs statistics released by the Carbon Black and White Carbon Black Branch of the China Rubber Association for the first quarter of 2026, China's total white carbon black exports reached 402,000 tons, a year-on-year surge of 15.57%, with export value of 211 million USD, up 14.55% year-on-year; In contrast, import volume fell 7.95% year-on-year to 19,100 tons, with average import prices rising over 12% year-on-year. The domestic substitution of high-end fumed silica was evident, and domestic products gradually captured market share in automotive electronics and pharmaceutical excipients. Export destinations are mainly Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern countries, with Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and the UAE firmly ranking among the top export destinations. Overseas expansion of green tire and silicone production capacity continues to drive domestic demand for silica exports.
The demand landscape has undergone a fundamental shift, with the new energy industry becoming the core engine of white carbon growth. Driven by steady growth in new energy vehicle production and sales, the amount of white carbon added to low-rolling resistance tires in new energy vehicles is about 50% higher than that of traditional fuel tires, and the proportion of high-dispersion white carbon black in green tires has exceeded 45%; At the same time, demand in emerging sectors such as silicon-carbon anode modification for lithium batteries, fuel cell sealing, and photovoltaic encapsulation adhesives is being concentrated and released, completely breaking the long-standing reliance on traditional tires and footwear for white carbon black consumption. Industry companies are accelerating capacity adjustments, gradually shutting down low-end outdated sedimentation plants under 15,000 tons per year. Chemical policies in Jiangsu and other regions have clearly restricted new non-green process white carbon black capacity, forcing the industry to eliminate outdated capacity and shift toward refined manufacturing.
The implementation of green production technology has become a new industry hotspot. Many domestic chemical companies have set up production lines for bio-based silica from rice husk ash resources, adopting a new process replacing sulfuric acid with carbon dioxide, reducing production carbon emissions by up to 60%. Benchmarking against Solvay's European mass production route, domestically produced bio-based silica has gradually entered the supply chains of leading tire companies both domestically and internationally, aligning with EU carbon tariffs and domestic dual carbon policy requirements. Domestic production of high-end fumed silica continues to make breakthroughs, and the high-end gas-phase silicon market, long monopolized by overseas giants, is now entering local mass production. The mainstream domestic price for 200-specific surface fumed silica is 15,000-28,000 RMB/ton, with cost advantages driving import volumes down.
Industry institutions predict that in mid to late June, the silica market will maintain a pattern of "stable prices at the low end, strong at the high end," with traditional general products unlikely to experience significant fluctuations due to stable downstream rubber production operations; With the concentrated production of new energy projects at home and abroad and the continuous landing of overseas procurement orders, the price of special-modified silica is likely to rise more easily than fall. The domestic market size for the year is expected to exceed 14.2 billion yuan, with the proportion of high-end specialty products continuing to rise.
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