Introduction: In the first half of 2026, China's bisphenol A (BPA) capacity continued to expand. Two new units—Jilin Petrochemical's 240,000-ton/year and Shandong Ruilin's 240,000-ton/year—were brought on stream in May, further boosting domestic production. Data show that from January to June 2026, China's cumulative BPA capacity reached 6.681 million tons/year, with cumulative production of 2.3488 million tons, up 1.82% year-on-year.

Table 1: China's New BPA Capacity in 2026 (Unit: 10,000 tons/year)

| Producer | Capacity | Region |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Jilin Petrochemical | 24 | Jilin |
| Shandong Ruilin | 24 | Zibo |
| Total | 48 | -- |
Source: chempricehub

From January to June 2026, China's cumulative BPA production was 2.3488 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 1.82%. Looking at the monthly trend, March output reached 420,300 tons, the highest for the first half of the year. This was mainly driven by the outbreak of the US-Iran war, which pushed up prices across the industry chain. The BPA industry temporarily turned profitable, boosting producers' willingness to operate and significantly raising operating rates.

However, as cost increases were difficult to effectively pass downstream, coupled with weak end-user demand, the supply-demand imbalance gradually worsened. BPA prices continued to decline, and industry losses deepened. As a result, in May and June most producers chose to reduce loads or shut down for maintenance, resulting in significant production losses during the first half. Meanwhile, although the 480,000-ton/year new capacity came on stream in May, its contribution to current supply was limited. Consequently, June output fell to 366,700 tons, the lowest monthly level in the first half of 2026.

In the first half of 2026, the correlation coefficient between BPA price and output changed from negative in the same period of 2025 to a positive 0.33. This shift was mainly due to the US-Iran conflict driving unilateral cost increases in the first half, which pushed BPA prices sharply higher. Subsequently, as costs fluctuated downward and supply-demand fundamentals weakened, BPA prices also corrected.

In January-February 2025, BPA output fell while prices rose, mainly due to significant prior losses. The BPA industry reduced production to support prices; declining supply became the dominant factor, pushing BPA prices higher. Then, at the end of February, the US-Iran war broke out, triggering a strong cost-side pass-through that drove up prices along the industry chain. Industry profits recovered, BPA operating rates improved, leading to higher output. Subsequently, BPA decoupled from crude oil prices; high costs could not be shifted downstream, and BPA prices fell faster than costs, causing the industry to slip into theoretical losses. From April to June, most producers reduced loads or shut down, with production losses exceeding the contribution from new capacity, thus resulting in an overall decline in production.

Table 2: China's BPA Unit Maintenance Schedule in 2026 (Unit: 10,000 tons/year)

| Province | Company Name | Capacity | Remarks |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Guangdong | Huizhou Zhongxin (Phase II) | 24.0 | Feb 5 to end-March, 54 days |
| Henan | Pingmei Shenma | 13.0 | Shut since Oct 24, 2025; restart TBD |
| Jiangsu | Jiangsu Ruihang (Phase II) | 24.0 | Mar 16-25, Phase II technical revamp, 9 days |
| Hebei | Cangzhou Dahua | 20.0 | May 7-31 shutdown for maintenance |
| Shanghai | Covestro | 60.0 | Shut Apr 16 for 40 days; PC also shut |
| Shandong | Luxi Chemical | 20.0 | Restarted Feb 11; later shut at end-March |
| Shandong | Wanhua Chemical | 57.6 | Temporary shutdown May 20 for 3-4 days |
| Shanghai | Gaohua Materials | 12.0 | Shut May 15, expected restart early July; phenol/acetone also shutdown |
| Zhejiang | Zhejiang Petrochemical (Phase I) | 24.0 | Shut May 15 for 40-45 days |
| Northeast | Longjiang Chemical | 20.0 | Shut Jun 30 for 20-day maintenance; phenol/acetone also shutdown |
| Zhejiang | Nan Ya (Ningbo) | 17.0 | Single-line operation since Jun 1 (one line maintenance for 2 months) |
| Jiangsu | Changchun Chemical | 27.0 | Lines 1 & 2 shut Jun 20-Jul 31 for maintenance |
| Guangxi | Guangxi Huayi | 20.0 | Planned shutdown in July |
| Shandong | Wanhua Chemical | 57.6 | Planned shutdown in August for ~40 days |
Source: chempricehub

Note: This is an incomplete list, focusing on planned and unplanned long-cycle shutdowns. Brief shutdowns by some producers are not included.

As the maintenance table shows, BPA shutdowns in the first half of 2026 were mostly concentrated in May and June. Compared to 2025, some producers brought forward their maintenance schedules. The main reason is that deep industry losses prompted some producers to advance their shutdown plans.