① Multiple plants were concentrated in maintenance turnaround with slow restarts, leaving producers holding low inventories and reluctant to sell, leading to a notable contraction in market circulation.
② Stable downstream essential demand coupled with export order pickups provided support through the co-movement of domestic and overseas demand; multiple upward adjustments of pure benzene prices further expanded the industry profit margin.
[Figure 1 omitted] — [Image caption and credit omitted]
The domestic aniline market showed a strong upward trend in August, with a cumulative monthly increase exceeding 12%. By the end of the month, the Shandong price had risen to 13,400 CNY/ton, hitting a new high for the year. The core driver came from the supply side: multiple plants in North China and East China underwent concentrated maintenance turnarounds compounded by delayed restarts, causing spot supply to keep shrinking. Producers held low inventories and were reluctant to sell, and the "goods hard to come by" pattern persisted throughout the month. On the demand side, downstream rubber additives maintained stable operating rates, and export orders were picked up on schedule—domestic and overseas demand supported the market together, with essential demand being released steadily to absorb the supply gap. On the cost side, pure benzene listed prices were raised multiple times within the month, and the aniline–pure benzene price spread widened. Ample industry profitability further strengthened producers' willingness to hold prices firm. In August, the aniline market was characterized by "tight supply with rising prices, supported by essential demand," with prices pushed up in a stepwise fashion. Downstream players passively followed orders and then actively raised their own prices, allowing the price increase to transmit smoothly down the industrial chain.
Comparative Table of Regional Price Movements
Unit: CNY/ton
| Region | Current Average Price | Previous Average Price | Year-Ago Price | MoM Change | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East China | 12,330.53 | 11,001.74 | 7,708.57 | +12.08% | +59.96% |
| North China | 12,205.26 | 10,886.96 | 7,585.71 | +12.11% | +60.90% |
[Source line omitted]
▲ Aniline output and capacity utilization rate declined this month. The domestic aniline capacity utilization rate stood at 76%, down 5.5 percentage points from the previous period and up 0.19 percentage points from the same period last year. Five plants were idled during the month, involving a combined annual processing capacity of 1.06 million tons.
▲ The maintenance-related production loss this month amounted to 72,600 tons, up 21,000 tons from the previous month, an increase of 40.7%, and up 39,100 tons year-on-year, an increase of 116.72%.
Looking at next month, multiple plants under maintenance are expected to resume operations, indicating an increase in spot supply and overall industry supply. In addition, Sinopec Nanjing Chemical's Zhangzhou project is expected to commence production in September, contributing a small amount of output, so industry output is set to rise considerably in September. However, other plants also have maintenance plans, and plant operational changes in September will remain a key focus of market trading. On the demand side, MDI output is expected to see limited changes, while other downstream sectors and exports are expected to remain relatively stable, suggesting little change in demand in September. On the cost side, pure benzene is expected to retreat from its high levels in September, with a relatively firm outlook in the first half of the month and weaker conditions expected in the latter half. Overall, the aniline market is likely to continue its upward trend in September, trading within a range of 13,400–14,000 CNY/ton.
For more monthly market analyses, please refer to the Chempricehub Aniline Monthly Report.
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