In the mid-to-late October of 2026, the structural divergence pattern of China’s precipitated silica market has become more prominent. The supply of standard precipitated silica is sufficient with prices under pressure, while various high-end modified precipitated silica products maintain steady orders driven by the continuous expansion of downstream new material industries. Industry commodity monitoring data shows that the mainstream ex-factory quotation of ordinary rubber-grade precipitated silica stays within the range of 6350–6450 CNY/ton, fluctuating narrowly without strong upward support. The overall operating rate of traditional downstream rubber miscellaneous parts and footwear industries remains weak. Terminal product enterprises suffer from insufficient orders and extended payment collection cycles, bringing relatively heavy operational pressure to downstream purchasers. Buyers remain highly cautious in procurement, generally adopting the hand-to-mouth purchasing model and refusing large stockpiles to avoid inventory impairment risks caused by price fluctuations. Traders hold a wait-and-see attitude and are reluctant to build inventories. Circulating goods in the market are mostly supported by annual and quarterly long-term framework orders from long-term regular customers, and there is substantial bargaining room for sporadic small orders. Most factories producing standard grades cut operating rates and implement flexible production scheduling to strictly control finished product inventory, reduce working capital occupied by stockpiled goods and ease current operational pressure. In terms of regional market conditions, East China, the core production area of precipitated silica in China, has abundant spot supply, fierce market competition and relatively low quotations. Affected by long-distance raw material transportation and high regional energy consumption costs, spot transaction prices in Southwest and Central China are slightly higher than those in East China.

　　On the supply side, the overall capacity structure of domestic precipitated silica is undergoing in-depth adjustments. New construction and renovation capacity projects are concentrated on high-value-added categories such as high-dispersion precipitated silica specially for tires, hydrophobic fumed silica and various specialty modified precipitated silica. Approval for new projects of low-end standard precipitated silica continues to be tightened. Coupled with the continuous implementation of regular supervision on environmental protection and work safety, small and medium-sized manufacturers with incomplete production supporting facilities and substandard energy consumption face continuous production restrictions. Backward capacity in the industry is phased out steadily and market industrial concentration keeps rising. Raw materials including sodium silicate and sulfuric acid as well as energy costs such as electricity experience periodic minor fluctuations, continuously squeezing profit margins of ordinary precipitated silica manufacturers, while small and medium-sized producers struggle with profitability. Leading enterprises in the industry keep accelerating intelligent and green transformation of production lines, phasing out outdated and inefficient production equipment, and prioritizing capital and R&D resources for the R&D and mass production of high-value specialty precipitated silica. The industrialization of low-carbon precipitated silica technology based on rice husk ash resource utilization is steadily advanced. Products from this process feature remarkable carbon footprint advantages and comply with overseas carbon control policies, continuously attracting attention from buyers in Europe and Southeast Asia, and gradually becoming a brand-new technical competition track of the industry. Meanwhile, many leading enterprises deploy supporting deep processing, provide formulation supporting technical services for downstream clients, and transform from simple material suppliers into comprehensive solution service providers.

　　The demand side still presents a distinct polarization trend. Demand in traditional fields such as traditional rubber products, shoe materials and matting powder for ordinary coatings remains sluggish. Downstream product enterprises have limited order volume and maintain low-volume essential procurement of precipitated silica. Green new energy tires remain the largest growth market for precipitated silica. The market penetration rate of new energy vehicles in China rises steadily. Tire enterprises keep optimizing formulation systems. With core advantages of reducing tire rolling resistance, improving wet skid resistance and extending service life, high-dispersion precipitated silica accounts for an increasing proportion in tire formulations, and orders for related tire-grade grades are delivered stably. Demand from the organosilicon industrial chain grows steadily. As the most critical reinforcing filler for silicone rubber, fumed silica greatly benefits from rising demand in photovoltaic sealing, electronic potting, cable sealing, new energy device packaging and other fields. In addition, emerging application scenarios including lithium battery separators, industrial adhesives, composite materials, pharmaceutical carriers, high-end daily chemicals and polishing materials keep expanding, and demand for various surface-modified specialty precipitated silica maintains an upward trend. The persistently high price of carbon black forces rubber product enterprises to accelerate the verification and implementation of filler substitution schemes, which significantly benefits the market promotion of high-performance precipitated silica in the medium and long term.

　　In foreign trade, the overall export structure of domestic precipitated silica continues to optimize and upgrade. Overseas inquiries for tire-grade high-dispersion precipitated silica grow steadily, and purchasing enthusiasm of tire and rubber product buyers from Europe and Southeast Asia keeps rising with expanding order scales. After the implementation of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, precipitated silica produced by low-carbon processes boasts carbon footprint advantages, and overseas brand buyers are willing to pay premium prices for such products. In contrast, exports of standard precipitated silica are under pressure due to low-price competition from local precipitated silica manufacturers in Southeast Asia, leading to sluggish export growth of conventional grades. Fluctuations in international ocean freight rates and exchange rates bring considerable uncertainties. Foreign trade enterprises become more prudent in accepting large forward orders, shortening quotation cycles and showing low willingness to lock orders. The high-end specialty precipitated silica market still relies on imports to a certain extent, mainly applied in high-end fields such as pharmaceutical carriers, high-end cosmetics and precision polishing. Domestic enterprises keep increasing investment in technical research, and the import substitution process of high-end grades moves forward steadily.

　　Market outlook: The structural trend of China’s precipitated silica market is unlikely to witness fundamental changes in the short run. Prices of standard precipitated silica will probably maintain weak and volatile performance with slow inventory digestion. Demand for high-dispersion tire silica and high-end hydrophobic fumed silica remains firm, and product prices fluctuate within a high range. In the medium and long term, the continuous expansion of new energy vehicles, high-end organosilicon and electronic new material industries will continuously drive the demand growth of high-performance precipitated silica. The competition logic of the industry has shifted. It has evolved from simple product price competition into comprehensive competition covering formulation supporting capacity, powder modification technology and low-carbon green production. Small and medium-sized manufacturers with single product structures and weak R&D capability will face mounting survival pressure. Industrial capacity, customer and R&D resources will keep converging to leading enterprises. Follow-up attention should be paid to the chain effects brought by raw material price fluctuations, changes in operating rates of downstream tire industry and updates of overseas carbon policies.