Silica Market Demand Analysis

Silica has the characteristics of porosity, large specific surface area, and high chemical stability. It can be used as a reinforcing agent, adsorbent, and carrier in a wide range of fields. Among them, the precipitation method has low cost and large application volume, and is mainly used in tires, shoemaking, etc. The field of rubber industry accounts for about 70%. At present, domestic manufacturers have established layout. The high-end chemical, food, drug and cosmetics market is relatively fragmented due to large differences in product technology routes and process control.

The product cost of the precipitation method is lower and the application volume is larger

Due to the different production principles of precipitation method (liquid phase method) silica and fumed silica, there are large differences in physical and chemical properties, cost and price, and application fields, forming a completely different market structure.

Precipitation products, which account for more than 90% of the total market, have low production costs and are widely used in tires, shoemaking, coatings, toothpaste, and food in the industrial field. The price is between 3,000 and 30,000 yuan/ton between;

Accounting for about 7% of the total market, gas-phase method products have relatively high production costs, and their applications are concentrated in high-end fields such as silicone and coatings, with prices ranging from 25,000 to 100,000 yuan/ton.

(1) Structural differences such as product particle size and cost differences determine the application fields of different technical routes.

(2) The global market space for silica is about 4 million tons, and the domestic consumption exceeds one million tons

The global market space exceeds 5 billion US dollars and 4 million tons. Tires and rubber are the main application fields, and high-end manufacturing and food, drug and cosmetic fields are the main growth sources.

(3) Low-end product applications such as shoemaking and tire applications dominate, while high-end application markets are relatively scattered

The high-end silica market is about 1.5 million tons per year. From the perspective of the market size of subdivided fields, the toothpaste application field in the consumer goods/pharmaceutical field is relatively large, with a global total of about 300,000 tons, and the price is at an upper-middle level; other food, drug and cosmetic applications are relatively scattered, with a total demand of 200,000 tons Ton class. The application of rubber industry exceeds one million tons, but most of them are low-end applications with low prices. The market scale of high-end green tires, silicone rubber and other applications is growing rapidly, and the demand exceeds 300,000 tons; high-end chemical industry applications Sinochem’s anti-blocking agents, battery separators, and coatings are sold at relatively high prices, totaling about 700,000 tons.