Chemical Industry Turmoil! Barium Sulfate Prices Surge by ¥200/Ton, Six Adjustments Totaling a ¥1,000 Increase, Companies Face Cost Pressures Leading to Suspension of Sales!

Recently, the market fluctuation of chemical industry has aroused wide public concern. Many well-known chemical enterprises, including Guangxi Lianzhuang Technology, Shaanxi Fuhua Chemical, Qingdao Ilit, Guizhou Yufulong Technology, Guizhou Red Star Development Import and Export and Pingli County Andli New Materials, have issued product price adjustment notices, announcing that the price of their main product barium sulfate will be raised by about 200 yuan/ton. This round of price increases is driven by the continuous rise in raw material costs and inconsistent product quality, resulting in a significant increase in production costs. According to industry analysis, since the beginning of the year, barium sulfate products have experienced six price adjustments, and the cumulative increase has reached about 1,000 yuan/ton. This phenomenon is mainly attributed to the increasing scarcity of mineral resources and the continued rise in the price of key raw materials such as sulfuric acid upstream. In the face of cost pressure, barium sulfate manufacturers have to take the strategy of closing and stopping sales in order to cope with the dual pressure of domestic demand and export market, so the market has shown a tight situation in short supply.

However, the overall picture for the chemical industry is not entirely rosy. Although the traditional sales season "gold nine" has been more than half, the price increase of chemical products has not reached market expectations. In contrast to the significant performance of barium sulfate, the price increase of many leading chemical enterprises is relatively moderate, and the overall increase is maintained at about 30%. This phenomenon not only reflects the subtle changes in the market supply and demand relationship, but also reveals the cautious attitude of chemical enterprises in the face of complex economic situations.

The raw material market, which is represented by MDI, liquid ammonia, urea, phenol, acrylic acid and butadiene, has started to rise in price since September. According to incomplete statistics, the price of the MDI distribution channel of a large factory in the north increased by 500 yuan/ton in just 20 days, and a number of Sinopec's sales companies have also adjusted the price of key raw materials such as butadiene, and the increase is generally about 300 yuan/ton. In addition, Yanshan Petrochemical, Sinopec Mitsui, Gaoqiao Petrochemical and other well-known enterprises have also raised the price of phenol and other chemicals, the increase is between 100 and 150 yuan/ton. This series of price changes not only reflects the tight state of the raw material market, but also indicates that the entire chemical industry is facing unprecedented cost pressures.

It is worth noting that although many chemical prices have risen to varying degrees, this year's price increase is significantly weaker than in previous years. Even if the ton price of some products rose by more than 4,000 yuan, its increase was only maintained at about 30%, far from reaching the violent fluctuations of doubling or even 300% in the past. Behind this phenomenon, it reflects the increasing risk awareness of chemical enterprises in the face of market fluctuations. They know that in the case of increased market volatility, every step of decision-making needs to be careful, so as not to blindly follow the trend and get into trouble. Therefore, even in the traditional peak season "gold nine silver ten" period, chemical companies did not appear too aggressive market behavior.

At present, the chemical industry is in a critical period full of challenges and opportunities. On the one hand, factors such as rising raw material prices and surging production costs have brought great pressure to the industry; On the other hand, the continuous growth of market demand also provides a broad development space for the industry. In this context, chemical enterprises need to analyze the market situation more deeply, grasp the pulse of the market, optimize the product structure, and improve production efficiency to cope with the constant changes in the market. At the same time, the government and all sectors of society should also strengthen the attention and support of the chemical industry, and jointly promote the sustainable and healthy development of the industry.