Activated Carbon Price Trend and Forecast

Activated Carbon Regional Price Overview

Get the latest insights on price movement and trend analysis of Activated Carbon in different regions across the world (Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa).

Activated Carbon Price Trend for the Year 2024

Asia

In 2024, the activated carbon market in Asia demonstrated steady growth, fuelled by increasing industrial demand and the region’s focus on environmental standards. China, as both the largest producer and consumer of activated carbon, experienced significant growth in its market. This was primarily driven by the country's stringent environmental policies, which pushed industries to adopt better air and water filtration solutions. India also saw an uptick in demand, with industries such as water treatment, textiles, and pharmaceuticals increasing their consumption of activated carbon.
 

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Furthermore, Japan's market remained stable, with steady demand for applications in air filtration and the automotive sector, although growth was not as rapid as in China and India. The overall growth trend in the region was further supported by the government's efforts to reduce pollution levels, which made activated carbon a key solution in various environmental control processes. However, price fluctuations and raw material shortages posed challenges to the market in certain months.

Europe

In Europe, the activated carbon market experienced mixed performance throughout 2024. Western European countries like Germany, France, and the UK saw robust demand, particularly in industries such as automotive, water purification, and air filtration. Strict environmental regulations across the European Union played a significant role in pushing businesses to adopt more sustainable filtration solutions, driving up the demand for activated carbon.

However, some challenges emerged, including economic slowdowns in certain parts of the region and fluctuations in industrial output, which dampened overall growth. Eastern Europe’s market growth was slower, with less industrial investment in environmental technologies compared to Western Europe. Nonetheless, sectors like chemical processing and wastewater treatment still contributed to market stability.

North America

In North America, the activated carbon market showed steady but moderate growth in 2024. The United States remained the largest consumer, with demand driven by regulatory pressures to improve air and water quality. Stricter pollution control laws in states like California and New York continued to fuel the adoption of activated carbon for air filtration systems, water treatment plants, and industrial applications. The power generation sector, especially coal-fired plants, also remained a key driver of demand, although environmental shifts toward cleaner energy slightly reduced reliance on activated carbon in some areas.

Canada experienced more modest growth, with demand mostly driven by water treatment and air purification systems. Environmental initiatives in major cities supported increased consumption, but overall demand growth was slower compared to the US. Additionally, supply chain disruptions impacted the North American market, particularly in the first half of 2024, creating some shortages and delays in meeting demand.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the outlook for the activated carbon market remains positive across all regions. As the global focus on sustainability and cleaner technologies intensifies, activated carbon’s role in pollution control and filtration will become even more crucial, ensuring continued market growth despite occasional supply chain hurdles.
 

Activated Carbon Price Trend for the Second Half of 2023

Asia

After a slumping run in the first half, the activated carbon market prices finally started to improve as the third quarter began. The inventories started to run out, promoting the activated carbon imports. A substantial rise in the feedstock coal prices also pushed the price trend up for activated carbon. Suppliers increased procurement from the international markets as well. Though there was some variation within the region, the market sentiments were more or less high.

A rise in crude oil prices also provided additional support to the activated carbon price trend. As the fourth quarter approached, the market was able to sustain its momentum; however, subtly, the constant overflow of inventories started to take over the market demands. Crude oil prices also started to decline, and thus, the price trajectory pivoted in the reverse direction. Overall, the market performance was fine throughout the said period.

Europe

The European activated carbon market struggled more compared to its Asian counterpart; the prices here were observed to be fluctuating within a narrow range for the entire span of H2’23. The downstream sector was primarily responsible for pushing the activated carbon price graph down here.

The demands were not at all supportive, so the suppliers were forced to discount the prices in order to promote stock movement, but the consumption was still largely underwhelming. Despite a rise in the upstream costs, the activated carbon price trend could not rise. Though the situation did reverse in the first half of the fourth quarter, the growth could not be sustained as the prices again dwindled as the year-end approached.

North America

In the North American market, the prices began with a stable trajectory with a narrowed gap between the supply and demand dynamics; however, steadily, the demands started to tumble down owing to sufficient inventory support in the downstream industries. This led to a fall in the price graph, which started in mid-Q3 and continued till the middle of Q4. It was only after that the demand picked up again, and the prices started to rise again in the American market.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the Activated Carbon price trend is expected to marginally lose its growth in the coming months. The inventories are overfilled, and the demands are not able to keep up, so the market is likely to fall momentarily going forward.
 

Activated Carbon Price Trend for the First Half of 2023

Asia

The activated carbon market declined in the first two quarters of 2023. The demand from the downstream industries and cost support from the automotive and tire sectors declined significantly in the Asia-Pacific region. The hike in inventory levels, which were a direct effect of subdued demand and market fluctuations, fueled the dip in activated carbon prices.

Europe

In Europe, the price trend of activated carbon was guided by the poor performance of the downstream industries, with significant fluctuations in the automotive and tire industries. The congestion at ports and supply chain bottlenecks also aided the fall in activated carbon prices in the first half of 2023.

North America

The price of activated carbon in the first two quarters had a fluctuating trajectory. In the initial months, the prices declined significantly due to the instability in the automotive market and financial uncertainties brought by the closure of two major banks leading to extreme economic conditions in the North American region. However, in the second quarter, the prices saw an uprising trend as the demand for the commodity improved in both domestic and international sectors.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the price of activated carbon is expected to showcase a mixed trend in the upcoming months. Given the current uncertainties, prices will closely follow the interplay between the supply-demand dynamics.
 

Activated Carbon Price Trend for the Second Half of 2022

The price trend for activating carbon registered a fluctuating pattern during the said period. In China, at the beginning of the third quarter, the price of activated carbon averaged 12500 RMB/MT ( approx.). However, the prices soon began to fall owing to deserted market offtakes and transactions. In August the price of activated carbon averaged 10,833 USD/MT.

The operating rates of industries in China were also reduced on government orders to handle the frequent heatwaves and power consumption. To cushion their profits manufacturers looked for increasing the capacity of activated carbon by enhancing its profits. Later towards the end of the said quarter, the market demand recovered slightly, and the prices rose averaging 10,866 RMB/MT.

In India, the same pricing trend continued. The activated carbon prices witnessed a slight incline in Q3 averaging around 2890 USD/MT (FOB coconut shell based) (approx.). However, soon the momentum fizzled out and the prices declined. The same downward trajectory continued in the fourth quarter with prices averaging 2620 USD/MT ( FOB coconut shell based) (approx.) in December’22.

Analyst Insight

Given the current market dynamics the prices of activated carbon are expected to incline in the coming months. The stabilizing market pricing fundamentals and logistics amid rising demand will cause the prices to rise.
 

Activated Carbon Price Trend For the Second Quarter of 2022

Asia

With the emergence of Covid-19, a massive surge in the price of activated charcoal is seen due to the increasing demands for masks and other primary protection gears. The price trend for activated carbon is steadily rising in Asia, averaging 10700 RMB/MT.

Europe

Activated carbon prices are steadily increasing within the EU due to the ongoing conflicts and the inflated crude oil and freight charges. The price of primary feedstock carbon reached around 91 USD/MT, which again caused a surge in the price of activated carbon.
 

Activated Carbon Price Trend For the First Quarter of 2022

Asia

Per ton price of activated carbon was 10266.67 RMB/MT towards the end of March. Due to severe air quality standards and a growth in the number of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants, the demand for activated carbon had skyrocketed. The rising pressure on the manufacturers due to the high production cost of the mineral was a prominent factor in the business.

As a result, reactivated carbon was a major priority for activated carbon manufacturers. The cost of reactivated carbon is 20-30% less than that of fresh activated carbon. It is a less expensive alternative to activated carbon. Traditional activated carbon is more environmentally friendly than reactivated carbon. When compared to the manufacture of virgin material, the thermal reactivation method reduces carbon dioxide emissions by five times.

Procurement Resource provides latest prices of Activated Carbon. Each price database is tied to a user-friendly graphing tool dating back to 2014, which provides a range of functionalities: configuration of price series over user defined time period; comparison of product movements across countries; customisation of price currencies and unit; extraction of price data as excel files to be used offline.