Caustic Soda Price Trend and Forecast
Get the latest insights on price movement and trend analysis of Caustic Soda in different regions across the world (Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa).
Caustic Soda Price Trend for the H2 of 2022
Asia
The price trends for caustic soda kept volatile during the said period. The huge surge in the market demand for the platform chemical caused the prices to incline momentarily during the first half of Q3. However, the relaxed upstream costs and ample inventories caused the prices to decline, which continued in the fourth quarter as well though with frequent fluctuations.
The factors such as the depreciation of the Chinese Yuan compared to the US dollar and the manufacturers still reeling under the stresses of covid related losses caused the occasional incline in prices. In the Indian domestic market, the prices went from 716 USD/MT in July to around 667 USD/MT ( Spot India 48% Lye) in December’22. While the caustic soda prices in the Chinese market went from 183 USD/MT to around 161.31 USD/MT (Spot China 32% Lye) towards the end of December’22.
Europe
Despite being the most hard-hit region owing to the continuing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the prices of caustic soda kept steady throughout the European market. The high electricity costs due to the high upstream crude oil and gas prices caused the manufacturers to raise their quotations. Their quotations were further supported by the strong downstream demand coupled with the depreciation of the currency against the USD. In the UK, the prices of caustic soda went from 730 USD/MT CIF in July to around 788 USD/MT (48-50%), CIF Felixstowe) (approx..) in December’22.
North America
The US domestic market exhibited a mixed trend during the said period. Initially, the market exhibited a dull sentiment as the demand from the downstream sectors was quite feeble. However, with Olin (a chemical giant) announcing the closure of its Chlor-alkali plant the market became active. The buyers started rigorously buying the product due to the speculations of shortages, hence raising the domestic prices. These high prices continued till the middle of Q4 from where the prices started declining again due to reduced enquiries. Caustic soda prices averaged around 780 USD/MT (FOB USA, Solid) in December’22.
Analyst Insight
According to Procurement Resource, caustic soda prices are expected to remain volatile in the coming months. The prices are likely to register an incline as the inflationary pressure starts to stabilize post the removal of covid related restrictions along with the steadily rising demand from the downstream sectors.
For the Second Quarter of 2022
Asia
Caustic soda prices remained consolidated in Asia. Due to significant production and limited demand from the downstream sectors, the market dynamics remained stable.
Prices averaged between 1259.6 RMB/MT in May 2022 to 1208.1 RMB/MT in June 2022. The price of 32% liquid caustic soda oscillated between 1280-1450 RMB/MT in the domestic market.
Europe
The European industrial sector is struggling because of the continuing political and economic turbulence. Hence, the prices for various commodities are reaching record-breaking highs.
In this quarter, the caustic soda price trends reached new peaks due to the uncertainty in the market amidst supply chain disruptions and the massive demand from the downstream industries. The paper mills struggled to keep their margin as the chemical’s price exploded compared to the previous year.
North America
Due to the outages in the United States in the previous quarter, the producers are still struggling to restore the depleted inventories. The cost remained strong with limited supply and rising demand for chlorine products and caustic soda. Prices in the US market averaged 810 USD/MT FOB United States Gulf.
Analyst Insight
According to Procurement Resource, the price trends for caustic soda will likely witness an oscillating pattern in the coming months. Owing to the current muted transactions, the prices will decline marginally and stabilize towards the latter half, given the demand rebounds.
For the First Quarter of 2022
Asia
The downstream demand in China was more positive than it had been previously, owing mostly to the maintenance of the main caustic soda plant and the reduction of inventories. In February, the price of caustic soda increased initially and then decreased at the end of the month. At the beginning of the month, average caustic soda prices in Shandong was 917.5 RMB/MT which had increased to approximately 1,087.5 RMB/MT at the end of the month, an increase of 18.53%.
North America
In US, the caustic soda market witnessed an upward trend in the first quarter of 2022 as a result of concerns over supply shortages as several plants were scheduled for turnarounds. Caustic soda supplies from China and US went down which caused global shortages for the commodity in January 2022.
Two major plants of capacities 550 MTPA and 3 million MTPA were shut down in Alabama and Texas respectively which also affected the caustic soda supplies. Caustic soda prices (flakes) were up by 10% in the US in January 2022 as buyers continued to stock amid fears of limited supply in future with the upcoming Lunar holidays.
For the Fourth Quarter of 2021
Asia
In China, caustic soda prices (liquid 32%) were 850 RMB/MT in Dec 2021, a drop from the previous November 2021 figure of 960 RMB/MT, with the average being 700 RMB/MT from January 2021 to December 2021. The statistics peaked at 1,540 RMB/MT in October 2021 and peaked at 460 RMB/MT in May 2021.
The prices in Asia demonstrated conflicting sentiments in Q4 2021, as demand differed region wise. Due to the supply interruption caused by storm Ida, India saw a surge in export demand for the commodity from the United States. Export demand from China also grew in early Q4 for the same reason, although the impact on its pricing was modest due to abundant production. In December, average caustic soda prices in India was 650 USD/MT Ex-JNPT, while prices in China were range-bound between 210 and 206 USD/MT FOB Qingdao during the final quarter.
Europe
In Europe, the prognosis for the chemical’s market remained mixed during Q4 following a series of turnarounds owing to the region's harsh weather conditions. Vinnolit announced a state of force majeure at its German factories due to weather and logistical problems. With the restoration of operations in late November, the supply improved marginally, resulting in a stabilization of the price trajectory. In December, the average price of caustic soda lye in Germany was 540 USD/MT.
North America
Caustic Soda prices (liquid 50%) in the United States reached 550 USD/MT FOB Texas in November before progressively declining to USD 510 per MT in December. The market sentiments were mixed throughout Q4 in North America. Hurricane Ida's supply interruption continued to impact availability in the United States, despite strong demand from the alumina, pulp & paper, and detergent industries. By late December, supply in the United States had stabilized as a result of Vinnolit's lifting of force majeure on its factory.
Latin America
Due to a shortage of chlor alkali products in South America, prices for caustic soda and chlorine increased in nations such as Argentina, Brazil, and Columbia. Chlorine prices increased by nearly 20% in South America during the last month. As the availability of the chemical increased in other regions, the price of foreign offers decreased.
Latin American purchasers had a variety of alternatives ranging from 180 to 250 USD/DMT (dry metric tonne) FOB main port, depending on volume. With the majority of demand satisfied by imports from North America, the crisis was precipitated by the supply bottleneck in the United States.
For First, Second and Third quarters of 2021
Asia
Since the start of Q2, the price trend in India had been a steady fall of 13.64% till the second week of June. In India, ex-works caustic soda prices closed at 442 USD/MT. Whereas supplies remained balanced in the first quarter of 2021, as several Asian manufacturers scheduled maintenance turnarounds, the situation appeared to balance out when a significant producer restarted its facility in late January.
The supply in the Asia Pacific area was sufficient to meet robust market demand during the second quarter of 2021, as production rates increased in the Chinese domestic market. On the other hand, industrial and commercial activity was hampered in India due to the country being disproportionately affected by the second COVID wave.
Throughout the third quarter of 2021, the supply in the Asia Pacific area was stable. Increased freight costs and restricted feedstock supply in China resulted in an increase in the prices across the region. In India, the suspension of imports of caustic soda for a quality check according to the government of India's quality standard resulted in a sharp increase in its price. Caustic Soda prices increased from 456 USD/MT to 513 USD/MT in Q3 2021.
Europe
The supply fell significantly in the first quarter of 2021, as the market reached an all-time low. In early March, the average price in Northwest Europe was less than 180 USD/MT FOB. However, demand increased when the majority of the product’s supply was shifted to PVC manufacturing. Overall demand, however, remained constant, as the economy continued to struggle to completely recover from the pandemic's consequences in 2021.
In the European market, FOB Hamburg caustic soda prices fluctuated between 465 and 450 USD/MT in early October. Prices eased slightly by 15 USD/MT but did not go below the specified levels as manufacturers feared dwindling profit margins.
North America
The majority of the demand came from the water treatment and alumina production industries, with the FOB Texas price debate in June settling at 320 USD/MT. The operations of the chlor-alkali sector were seen recovering following a setback caused by polar winter storm Uri in the US gulf coast area, which knocked off three-quarters of the region's chlor-alkali output. The operating rates rose to 70% in the North American area in the first half of the quarter, boosting regional supply proportionately, but the demand picture improved in the second half as downstream operations started up.
Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana in the third quarter of 2021, resulting in the shutdown of multiple plants along the Gulf Coast of the United States. The factory closures had a detrimental effect on the region's material supply in Q3. The pricing was last established in the last week of September at 470 USD/MT FOB Texas.
For the Year 2020
Asia
The Asian market recovered, in Q3 2020 after chlor-alkali rates increased on the back of increasing chlorine demand for making PVC. Affected by the outbreak, downstream demand showed no discernible improvement. The market was projected to remain poor in the immediate term. China market prices improved somewhat since April. Middle Eastern manufacturers also increased their prices slightly.
Iranian producers supplied caustic soda flakes at a consistent price of 280-290 USD/MT. In the first week of June 2020, China's caustic soda prices (liquid) were 502.50 CNY/MT. Alumina production rates which remained stable at 75% in Q2 showed minor improvement with comeback in industrial activities. Production rates in other downstream sectors such as pulp and paper, textile printing, dyeing and chemical industries also returned to normal.
Europe
The European market witnessed an increase in prices. European manufacturers announced price increases of 30-40 EUR/MT ($32-$43/MT) over Q1 contract prices, with anticipation of even bigger increases as supply remained under pressure as the expanding effect of the coronavirus epidemic weighed on chlorine demand.
North America
Throughout the first quarter of 2021, the supplies were affected when freezing weather struck the US Gulf Coast, forcing the suspension of several large chlor-alkali operations in Texas for several weeks. The closure of multiple operations had little effect on the region's product’s pricing, which were estimated at roughly 280 USD/MT FOB Texas. Throughout the quarter, increased consumption from downstream industries fueled demand in the regional market.
In the third quarter, chlor-alkali market outlook remained constrained owing to wounded sentiments in the United States as key chlor-alkali producers remained shut throughout the quarter after significant areas of the US were put on notice due to Hurricane Laura. Scheduled maintenance turnarounds further worsened the supply chain concerns.
South America
The export prices in Peru decreased during January from a value of around 350 USD/DMT (dry metric tonne) to 300 USD/DMT post which prices began to rise during the first two quarters reaching a value close to 450 USD/DMT. Caustic soda prices remained stable for the next quarter except for the month of July during which they greatly declined ($330/DMT). Pricing has been drifting downward in Chile as a result of the effect of cheaper offshore bids, with the majority of prices for mid-size purchasers at 250 USD/DMT FOB main port.
Brazil's imports increased by 17% year on year to 2.7 million tonnes, or by 11% year on year to $507 million in value terms. The United States, followed by Peru and China, continued to be Brazil's primary source of the product, accounting for 91 percent of import volume. Physical purchases from the United States and China increased significantly last year, while imports from Peru fell by 12% year on year. The average import price of decreased by 5.3% year on year to 185 USD/MT in 2020.
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At room temperature, Caustic Soda is known to be a white crystalline odourless solid that is synthetically manufactured. It is an inorganic compound with the ability to absorb moisture and carbon dioxide from the air. When miscible in water or neutralised with acid, it liberates substantial heat, that may be ample to ignite combustible materials. As Caustic Soda is corrosive in nature, It is generally utilised as a solid or a 50% solution.
Report Features | Details |
Product Name | Caustic Soda |
Chemical Formula | NaOH |
Industrial Uses | Strong base, Pulp and paper, Alumina, Soap and detergents, Petroleum products, Esterification and transesterification reagent, Textiles, Food preparation, Cleaning agent, Chemical synthesis, Water treatment, Metal processing, Mining, Glass making |
Molecular Weight | 39.997 g/mol |
Synonyms | 1310-73-2, Sodium hydroxide, Sodium oxidanide, Sodium hydrate, Lye, Ascarite, White caustic |
Supplier Database | Akzo Nobel NV, Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OxyChem), Arkema Group, Covestro AG, Tata Chemicals Limited, Dow Chemical Company, Shin-Etsu Chemicals Co. Ltd, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), Solvay SA |
Region/Countries Covered | Asia Pacific: China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Iran, Thailand, South Korea, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Nepal, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, UAE, Israel, Hongkong, Singapore, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Australia, and New Zealand Europe: Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Russia, Turkey, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Belgium, Austria, Ireland Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Romania, Finland, Czech Republic, Portugal and Greece North America: United States and Canada Latin America: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Columbia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru Africa: South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco |
Currency | US$ (Data can also be provided in local currency) |
Supplier Database Availability | Yes |
Customization Scope | The report can be customized as per the requirements of the customer |
Post-Sale Analyst Support | 360-degree analyst support after report delivery |
Note: Our supplier search experts can assist your procurement teams in compiling and validating a list of suppliers indicating they have products, services, and capabilities that meet your company's needs.
To produce Caustic Soda from lime soda process, a weak liquor through a filter and soda ash are collected in the dissolving tank where they are converted into an intermediate milk of lime in the presence of hot water, cauticisers and thickeners. This results in the formation of dilute Caustic Soda, which is further filtered.
The displayed pricing data is derived through weighted average purchase price, including contract and spot transactions at the specified locations unless otherwise stated. The information provided comes from the compilation and processing of commercial data officially reported for each nation (i.e. government agencies, external trade bodies, and industry publications).
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