(June 7, 2026) Entering early June, the domestic white carbon black market has reversed its previous general upward trend. Affected by regional price adjustments for upstream raw materials such as sodium silicate and sulfuric acid, and diverging downstream procurement rhythms, the industry is showing polarization. Small and medium-sized manufacturers are under prominent operational pressure, and the industry reshuffling pace has accelerated.
On the cost side, recently, regional supply of quartz sand and industrial sulfuric acid has tightened, with raw material incoming prices in East and South China rising 3%-6% month-on-month, passively raising the production cost of silica by the precipitation process. Leading manufacturers rely on long-term contract price locking and supporting self-supplied raw material production lines to buffer cost fluctuations, but small and medium-sized companies lack raw material supply advantages, highlighting the issue of production cost inversion. Some small and medium-sized units have been forced to temporarily reduce production burdens, and the industry's overall operating rate remains around 72%, slightly down from late May.
On the demand side, there is a clear divergence between hot and cold: orders in traditional rubber, general footwear materials, and consumer adhesives are weak, downstream product companies restock in small quantities as needed, and transaction prices of general-grade silica are under pressure and weakening; In contrast, orders for new energy supporting products, high-end sealants, and modified silica for feed carriers remain strong. Downstream lithium battery and high-end rubber and plastic manufacturers are stocking up early, making special silica supply tight and price gaps widening. For products of the same specification, the price gap can reach thousands of yuan per ton.
In the foreign trade market, export performance was mixed. Standard-grade silica was impacted by newly built production capacity in Southeast Asia, leading to a year-on-year decline in low-end export orders and forced to offer discounts on foreign trade quotes. High-dispersion tire-grade and vapor-phase silica have seen steady increases in purchase orders from Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea thanks to domestic quality upgrades, and high-end category exports have bucked the trend, becoming a key pillar for many manufacturers to hedge against domestic low-price competition.
From the perspective of industry policies, regular environmental inspections are continuously advancing across regions. Rectification of non-compliant wastewater and by-product waste residue from small silica workshops is accelerating, and scattered small production capacities that do not meet environmental standards in many regions are being rapidly phased out of the market. The cleanup of low-end capacity continues to be implemented. Many small and medium-sized manufacturers have begun adjusting their product structures, cutting capacity for homogeneous general products, and experimenting with customized modified silica products.
Industry traders analyze that downstream tire companies may implement phased restocking in mid to late June, which is expected to slightly boost the general silica market, but with high raw material prices supporting the market, the room for a sharp price drop is limited. In the medium to long term, the situation of overcapacity in low-end silica is difficult to improve, and the survival space of small and medium-sized enterprises lacking R&D and cost advantages continues to shrink. Industry resources will continue to favor specialized and innovative enterprises with full industry chain support.
