June 18th News
According to the monitoring and analysis system, as of June 18, the benchmark price of hydrofluoric acid in China was 15,766.67 CNY per ton, a decrease of -0.84% from the end of last month. Recently, there has been no clear directional trend in the market, and buyers and sellers have been engaged in a tug-of-war based on their essential needs, with a lukewarm atmosphere for spot transactions.
On the raw materials front: The price of fluorite, a key raw material, has slightly weakened, while China’s sulfuric acid market remains strong. Overall, the weakening of fluorite prices is offset by the high prices of sulfuric acid, resulting in a somewhat reduced overall cost support from the raw materials side. According to analysis systems, as of June 18, the benchmark price of fluorite stood at 3,393.75 CNY per ton, down 0.73% from the beginning of the month (3,418.75 CNY per ton).
On the demand side: In recent times, mainstream downstream sectors have mostly been fulfilling contract orders, and spot purchases have primarily focused on replenishing inventories as needed, with little willingness to stockpile goods. Affected by sluggish transmission of end-consumer demand, the actual pace of commodity turnover in the market has slowed down, and speculative demand at the trading level has also been restrained. However, since most downstream companies maintain raw material inventories at neutral levels, there has been no concentrated price suppression or reduction in procurement activities in the short term. Although demand has failed to provide any significant boost, it has not yet posed a substantial negative factor for the market.
Market Forecast: Hydrofluoric acid analysts predict that, given the continued strength of cost support and the unchanged stance of major companies to maintain prices, the Chinese anhydrous hydrogen fluoride market is expected to remain in a stalemate for the short term, with limited price fluctuations. Market participants should pay close attention to potential marginal changes brought about by developments on the raw material side—particularly the arrival of imported sulfur—and by the procurement activities of major downstream manufacturers.
