High Cost Pressure Drives Up Weekly Average Price of Cyclohexanone in China (Oct 16–22, 2026)

1. Key Market Focus for the Week

① Raw material pure benzene fluctuated at high levels, creating significant cost pressure.
② The integration rate between cyclohexanone and caprolactam is relatively high, resulting in weak supply-demand equilibrium in the cyclohexanone spot market.

2. Weekly Market Analysis

This week, the average weekly market price of cyclohexanone adjusted within a narrow range. The average weekly spot price in East China was 11,610 RMB/ton, representing an increase of approximately 0.91% compared to the previous week’s average. During the week, the raw material pure benzene market fluctuated within a specific range, maintaining significant cost pressure. Operating rates for cyclohexanone spot production remained low, and given that producers were operating at a loss, market prices trended firm.

3. Next Week Market Forecast

The cyclohexanone spot market is expected to follow pure benzene trends with oscillating movements next week. Key factors to watch include:

1. Supply Side: Operating rates for domestic commercial cyclohexanone units remain low, limiting spot market availability. Additionally, enterprise inventories are present, and there remains reluctance to sell at lower prices.
2. Demand Side: A high proportion of domestic cyclohexanone capacity is integrated with caprolactam production. Most caprolactam enterprises have sufficient self-supplied feedstock. Order momentum from the chemical fiber sector is weak, while the solvent sector maintains procurement based on immediate needs, resulting in overall sluggish demand.
3. Cost Side: Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East remain elevated, with ongoing US-Iran stalemate and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia making short-term risks persistent. This leaves room for international crude oil prices to rise, providing strong cost support for pure benzene. Although domestic pure benzene production has increased slightly, port inventories are expected to continue declining due to pickup pace constraints. Consumption by major downstream sectors is stable with slight growth; essential demand for phenol and aniline remains adequate, keeping overall demand resilient. Overall, robust cost support combined with continued destocking at ports suggests that the East China pure benzene market will maintain a high-level, firm trend next week, thereby continuing to provide strong cost support for cyclohexanone.

For more detailed weekly market analysis, please refer to the Chempricehub Cyclohexanone Weekly Report.