Price Trends

This week, the market price of aniline surged by 9.16% to 10,725 CNY per ton, driven primarily by tight supply, stable demand, and rising prices of the feedstock, pure benzene. With strong cost support in place, the aniline market is expected to absorb the price increase in the short term; however, it will be crucial to monitor changes in both costs and demand.

• Aniline market: prices rise
• cost support
• stable demand

This week, the price of titanium dioxide in China has decreased. The average price of sulfate process rutile titanium dioxide has dropped from 16,460 CNY/ton to 16,240 CNY/ton, a decrease of 1.34%. The price of upstream titanium concentrate has slightly decreased, and the downstream demand is weak, leading to a poor market sentiment. It is expected that the market trend will remain weak in the short term.

• Titanium dioxide market
• price reduction
• weak market demand
• high inventory levels

This week, the isopropanol market price in China increased, rising from 6141.67 CNY/ton on Monday to 6133.34 CNY/ton on Friday, with a price increase of 3.12%. The rise in the price of raw material acetone supported the cost, and manufacturers raised their quotations, leading to improved market confidence. In Shandong, the quotes ranged from 5900 to 6000 CNY/ton, while in Jiangsu, they ranged from 6300 to 6800 CNY/ton. It is expected that the market will remain strong in the short term.

• Isopropanol prices have increased
• raw material cost support
• market confidence has improved
• the short-term market is showing a stronger trend.

Chinese ethanol prices fell to 5,619 CNY/ton, a decrease of 4.84% over the past three months. The cost side is weak due to lower corn prices in Northeast China, and the supply side continues to see an oversupply situation, with some facilities shutting down, leading to a decrease in supply. Demand is expected to see a short-term boost due to the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays. Overall, the market remains in a consolidation phase.

• Ethanol market
• price decline
• supply and demand situation
• future market forecast

July 3 to 10, the price of MTBE increased from 5,100 CNY/ton to 5,412 CNY/ton, a price increase of 6.13%. International crude oil prices rose, and the Chinese gasoline market was good. MTBE supply tightened, demand increased, and exports were active, supporting the market's rise. It is expected that raw material cost pressure will be high, but the international market trend is strong, and MTBE prices are likely to continue to rise.

• MTBE market
• price trends
• crude oil prices
• export orders

On July 9, the average market price of pure benzene in China increased to 7,436.67 CNY/ton, a rise of 3.72% from the previous trading day. The stabilization of international oil prices, port destocking, and active downstream demand have positively pushed up the prices. Sinopec's refineries in East China and South China are implementing a price of 7,300 CNY/ton. In the short term, the market is mainly in a wait-and-see mode.

• Pure benzene prices rise
• international oil prices
• port inventories decline
• downstream demand remains strong.

As of July 9, the price of DOP stood at 8,109.16 CNY per ton, down 2.11% from the beginning of the month but up 1.67% from July 6. Affected by the geopolitical conflict between the U.S. and Iran, the price of isooctanol has stopped falling and begun to rebound, driving up DOP costs and prices. Despite a reduction in supply, given that the market remains in the off-season with weak demand, DOP prices are expected to consolidate at high levels in the near term.

• DOP price
• rising costs
• market supply and demand
• future market expectations

From July 1st to July 9th, the urea market in China showed a weak downward trend, with the reference average price in Shandong region decreasing from 1,813 CNY/ton to 1,803 CNY/ton, a price decrease of 0.55%. Supply was ample while demand was weak, with high operating rates in enterprises, but downstream purchasing was cautious. It is expected that the market will continue to be weak and consolidate in the short term.

• Urea market
• price decline
• supply and demand situation
• future market forecast

In July 2026, ethylene glycol prices halted their decline and stabilized, driven by several factors including a contraction in China’s supply, continued destocking at ports, support from bottoming-out costs, strengthening spot basis differentials, and expectations of downstream inventory replenishment The concentrated maintenance of Chinese production facilities led to a reduction in supply, while lower-than-expected import volumes caused port inventories to fall to low levels

• Ethylene glycol prices
• declining inventories
• shrinking supply
• cost support

July 8, the price of isooctanol rebounded to 6766.67 CNY/ton, with a price increase of 0.50%. The United States revoked Iran's oil sanctions exemption, escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which pushed up the prices of crude oil and propylene, thereby supporting the rise in the cost of isooctanol. It is expected that the price of isooctanol will maintain a strong and wide-ranging consolidation in the future.

• Middle East geopolitics
• 2-ethylhexanol prices
• crude oil market
• propylene costs

As of July 8, 2026, the price of n-butanol in Shandong, China, has been increased to 6100 CNY/ton, a price increase of 2.23%. The market situation this week has shown a slight improvement, with cost support strengthening, and downstream demand is acceptable. It is expected that prices will remain stable and slightly stronger in the short term.

• n-Butanol market
• prices rebounding
• cost support
• improving supply and demand

In the first week of July, the average price of 85% industrial thermal phosphoric acid in China decreased from 9,600 CNY/ton to 9,262 CNY/ton, a price decrease of 3.52%. The prices of raw materials, such as yellow phosphorus and sulfur, weakened, leading to insufficient cost support. The market supply exceeded demand, and transactions were light. It is expected that the market price of phosphoric acid will continue to fluctuate weakly in the short term.

• Phosphoric acid prices
• market trends
• cost support
• future market outlook

From July 1st to July 7th, the BDO price in China was 7,716 CNY per ton, a decrease of 4.54% week-over-week and 11.67% year-over-year. Supply has increased while demand is under pressure, leading to a narrow range of market fluctuations. The price of calcium carbide has risen, while the price of methanol has fallen, resulting in mixed cost impacts. It is expected that the BDO market will experience minor adjustments in the future.

• BDO market
• supply-and-demand dynamics
• cost-side influences
• future market outlook

As of July 6, the melamine market in China has continued to be weak, with prices fluctuating downward. The quoted price on July 7 was 6037.50 CNY/ton, a decrease of 0.21% from the beginning of the month. Urea prices have also weakened, with insufficient cost support. The market is in a state of low-level stalemate, and it is difficult to see any improvement in the short term. It is expected that prices will continue to operate slightly weakly within a narrow range.

• Melamine market conditions: prices are falling
• urea costs are declining
• the market is weak.

On July 7, the international crude oil market rose by 3% due to factors including the US tightening sanctions on Iran, the shipping safety crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, and the continued decline in US crude oil inventories Geopolitical risks and low inventory levels are jointly driving a rebound in oil prices

• Geopolitical conflicts
• crude oil inventories
• rising oil prices
• Strait of Hormuz

The US Department of Defense has launched a five-year procurement plan for lithium carbonate, with a maximum purchase volume of 16,167 tons and a total value of up to $300 million This marks the first time that lithium carbonate has been included in the defense reserve

• Lithium carbonate strategic reserves
• global energy transition
• geopolitical competition over lithium resources
• security of the new energy industrial chain

Phthalic anhydride prices have significantly declined, with the quote on July 6 at 7,733.33 CNY/ton, a 10.94% decrease from early June. The cost has decreased due to falling international crude oil and ortho-xylene prices, coupled with weak demand and low operating rates in downstream sectors, leading to a quiet market with few transactions. Although supply is low, there is no inventory pressure, and expectations are for continued weakness and further price declines.

• Phthalic anhydride prices have fallen
• cost support has declined
• demand is weak
• supply remains low.

Recently, the Chinese formic acid market has shifted from a weak equilibrium to a steady upward trend As of July 6, the price of industrial-grade 85% formic acid has risen to 2,300 CNY per ton, an increase of 1386% compared to the end of June After a period of sideways consolidation, the market has seen three consecutive days of increases, with an improved supply and demand situation and a warming up of industry transactions

• Formic acid price
• market demand
• market analysis
• price increase

This week, the acrylonitrile market in China continued to weaken, with increased supply and weak demand Prices in the East China ports and Shandong markets fell by 300-400 CNY/ton and 250 CNY/ton, respectively Although the inventory of major production enterprises is low, insufficient downstream demand has led to a decline in transaction volumes

• Acrylonitrile market
• increased supply
• weak demand
• falling prices

This week, the cyclohexanone market price in Shandong, China, fell from 8,200 CNY/ton to 7,800-8,000 CNY/ton, a decrease of 4.88%. The market supply is ample, but downstream demand is weak. Coupled with weaker cost support, it is expected that the market will remain weak in the short term. Technical analysis shows a risk of downward movement, but the space for decline is limited. Attention should be paid to changes in supply and demand as well as costs.

• Cyclohexanone prices have fallen
• supply pressure is mounting
• demand remains weak
• cost support is weakening.