(June 7, 2026) Recently, according to the latest research data from the China Inorganic Salt Industry Association and the Carbon Black and White Carbon Black Branch of the China Rubber Association, relying on the implementation of green tire policies, the expansion of the new energy lithium battery industry chain, and the iteration of domestic high-end white carbon black technology, the domestic white carbon black market supply and demand structure continues to optimize, high-end product orders are steadily increasing, and the industry is accelerating its transformation toward low-carbon, refined, and high-end development.
From the market demand side, tires remain the largest downstream consumer segment for silica, accounting for over 54% of total domestic consumption. With the continuous rise in production and sales of new energy vehicles, the penetration rate of low-rolling resistance green tires has increased year by year, and the proportion of high-disperse silica added to new energy vehicle tires has risen to 15%-20 parts, far exceeding the material standards of traditional fuel tires, directly driving demand for high-end precipitation silica to grow by more than 12% year-on-year. Meanwhile, emerging sectors such as lithium battery separator coatings, silicone rubber, high-end daily chemicals, and eco-friendly coatings have become the main drivers of growth. Among them, the annual demand growth rate for ultrafine silica specifically for lithium batteries has exceeded 25%. The domestic substitution process of fumed-phase silica in electronic packaging and medical silicone is accelerating, and import dependence continues to decline. Customs Q1 data shows that from January to March 2026, domestic exports of silica reached 402,000 tons, a year-on-year surge of 15.57%. Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and India have become core export markets, with general-grade silica exports remaining stable and the proportion of high-end modified products exported continuously rising.
At the manufacturing level, the dual-carbon policy is forcing the industry to implement green technological transformation, with carbonization and bio-based silica gradually achieving industrialized mass production. Currently, several leading companies have established production lines for producing white carbon dioxide from rice husk ash, relying on agricultural waste combined with carbon dioxide as reaction feedstock. Compared to traditional sulfuric acid process products, the carbon footprint has been reduced by over 65%, with optimized production costs and environmental emissions. Bio-based silica is gradually entering the international green tire supply chain and has received overseas brand certification orders. According to industry statistics, nearly 40 large-scale silica factories have completed closed-loop wastewater recycling and resource transformation of by-product salt this year, with the industry's average unit energy consumption dropping by more than 40% compared to five years ago.
In terms of industry structure, industry concentration has further increased. Leading companies such as Quecheng Silicon Chemical, Linko Technology, and Longxing Chemical have continuously expanded high-end capacity leveraging their technological and cost advantages. The top four domestic leading companies together account for 60% of the national total. Small and medium-sized capacity is gradually being phased out due to environmental protection and raw material cost constraints, and market resources continue to concentrate on leading manufacturers with green production and customized R&D capabilities. Industry analysts say that competition in the traditional general-purpose white carbon black market is becoming saturated and profits are under pressure. Companies are shifting toward specialty white carbon black segments such as lithium battery additives, sealants, and pharmaceutical carriers, with differentiated products offering significantly higher premium space than conventional products.
Looking ahead, industry institutions predict that in the second half of the year, with tire companies launching third-quarter stocking and overseas downstream factories launching production, coupled with the continued expansion of domestic new materials catalogs for highly dispersed white carbon black application scenarios, industry demand will remain stable and positive. Green bio-based and ultra-fine modified silica will become the core growth themes for the next three years, with the domestic silica market size expected to surpass 35 billion yuan in 2026.
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