Soda Ash Price Trend

Soda Ash Prices (Q1 2022)

Asia

Despite a steady increase in market activity in the first quarter, demand for soda ash in the Asia Pacific region remained strong. According to sources, there have been a series of turnarounds in China as a result of the country's Spring Festival. As a result of China's turnarounds, the Asian market experienced a supply shortage. Despite the fact that demand for soda ash from the construction and solar sectors remained sluggish in China, prices rose in tandem with the worldwide demand surge on the international market. Soda Ash factories in China have been raising their operating rates week over week, in keeping with the worldwide demand trend. However, the overall supply was below the planned level due to several big manufacturers doing maintenance in February. The shutdown of Zhonguan Chemicals' and Jiangsu Shilian's Soda Ash plants in February had a negative influence on the supplies in China and on the international market.

Soda Ash Prices (Q4 2021)

Asia

At the end of December, there was a rise in prices in China due to the dual control policy that restricts production activities. As a result, there was a rise in demand due to the ease of restrictions and economies were recovering. In India, price rose due to the festive season and excess use for cleaning and construction applications. The supply and demand gap narrowed at the end of the year, which also caused lower prices. The price fluctuated from 341 USD to 350 USD/MT ex-Chennai while China's rates were between 450 and 450 USD/MT FOB Lianyuangang.

Europe

Prices in Europe fluctuated in a stable-to-firm range, owing to sustained demand from downstream detergents and the building industry. In early Q4, lower operating rates due to weather variables and high energy prices boosted the prices in Europe. In December, availability increased slightly, with some units increasing their running rates. Traders continued to buy at a steady pace despite strong demand. In December, light soda ash prices were estimated to be around 300 USD/MT FOB Stassfurt (Germany).

North America

A bit of fluctuation was seen in the market for soda ash, but with fulfilling the regional demands successfully. The prices were not affected in the last quarter even though the import enquiries were there due to the rise in demand for detergent and glass industry products.

Soda Ash Prices (Q1-Q3 2021)

Asia

The soda ash industry, which was impacted by COVID in 2020, recovered in the first three quarters. Because of the government and private sector's strong investments in renewable energy, the demand was particularly affected by solar applications. Flat glass demand was seen, as was the demand for soda ash too. In India, there was an increase of 110% in the price in the first three quarters. In China, stocks were up by 22% in September. The post-covid soda ash industry bounced back, as per Tata Chemicals officials. The price remained constant for three quarters at 312 USD/MT.

Europe

The European market for soda ash was balanced in the first quarter. There was a transportation lag on the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp route amid the cold weather. The Belgian market recovered in the second quarter after lifting restrictions on COVID. In the third quarter, a sudden rise in the price of electricity affected its overall production cost. There was a mixed trend observed in the prices of raw materials, which led to very thin profit for regional manufactures. Demand remained constant for three quarters from the downstream and glass and detergent industries. The price in Germany was 266 USD/MT FOB Stassfurt at the end of September.

North America

In early quarters, there was a huge demand for the compound in the downstream industry. There was an effect of freezing weather that hit the supply chain, resulting in major shutdowns in Texas like the Olin Group for weeks. There was no effect on prices in the first quarter. The operating rates recovered after the shutdown due to freezing weather. On a monthly basis, the chloride industry decreased by 6%. The agreement between Tata chemicals and ANSAC ended in January due to constraints in the supply chain of the region. Demand became high due to the excess consumption of soaps and detergents. The rates of shipping had increased, so the price rose by 25 USD/MT. Demand was very high in Q3 due to the climate calamities in the US Gulf region.

Soda Ash 2020 Prices Overview

Asia

The market was initially affected due to COVID and lower consumption by chemical industries. In the Asia-Pacific region, prices were affected by rising construction and developing nations. China and India were the main consumers of the product due to its major use in air purification and water softening. In the 2020 final quarter, the price rose by 972.5 RMB/MT (Rs 11,150) to 2312 RMB/MT (Rs 26,475). Soda ash is heavily used in glass production. The recovery was going on after the hit of COVID in all application sectors.

Europe

In 2020, the EU market grew due to the increased use of soda ash in the glass industry. It was imported by major EU countries such as France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Germany, and the UK. Due to environmental concerns and government regulation, industries demand wastewater treatment. There was a little change in pricing that was seen in the market in the third quarter. The Roman unit in Govera had suspended operations and affected its overall supply. Some of the players saw their margins squeezed due to weak demand across the EU, and they were hardly seeing any improvement in demand for the next quarter. During 2020, the market in the United Kingdom rose only once, to 254 USD/MT in February, and the rest of the year was 224 USD/MT.

North America

Demand was high in the glass industry during 2020, which also increased the demand for the inorganic compound which increased its production in the US. In 2020, the market was calculated at USD 2,749.24 million. Many producers were reported to be operating at very low capacities in order to manage inventory levels. The genesis alkali was on hold for three quarters of the trona-based plants, consequently reducing the export. There was a rise in demand that was seen for some exceptional months. The overall demand was high due to the economic fallout. In the United States, the price was 202 USD/MT in January and 209 USD/MT in February, which declined to 201 USD/MT in March.

Latin America

The rapid spread of coronavirus had a significant impact on Latin American economies, with big markets locked up until 2020. The consumer market had begun to demonstrate zero interest in purchasing soda ash materials as a result of this massive lockout. One of the industry's key challenges was the shutdown of all means of domestic transportation within the countries. In addition, the temporary shutdown of large segments of the construction and automotive industries in several countries due to an increase in COVID-19 cases, slowed the market growth significantly.