This week, the domestic fluorite price trend showed a slight increase. By the end of the week, the average domestic fluorite price was 3,425 yuan per ton, up 0.18% from 3,418.75 yuan per ton at the beginning of the week, but down 5.29% year-on-year.

Supply Side: Increased Factory Holidays for Fluorite Producers, Reduced Spot Supply
The competitive landscape in the domestic fluorite industry persists. Overall, there has been little change in the operating rates of enterprises. Upstream mining operations remain constrained, with outdated mines continuing to be phased out. In terms of new mines, mineral exploration efforts still face significant challenges. Additionally, national authorities are implementing rectifications in fluorite mining, subjecting fluorite mining enterprises to increasingly stringent safety and environmental requirements, thereby increasing the difficulty of mine operations. However, the domestic fluorite market overall exhibits a pattern of weak supply and demand, with a stalemate and wait-and-see attitude. Due to low temperatures and the impact of the Spring Festival holiday, some mines have limited operations. Furthermore, current market prices have not met the psychological expectations of most mining enterprises and processing plants, leading to a predominantly volatile fluorite market.

Demand Side: Stable Hydrofluoric Acid Prices, Moderate Refrigerant Market Conditions
This week, domestic hydrofluoric acid prices remained stable, with mainstream negotiated prices across regions ranging from 12,500 to 13,000 yuan per ton. Some downstream hydrofluoric acid facilities are still shut down, and spot supply of hydrofluoric acid has seen little change. Manufacturers are primarily purchasing hydrofluoric acid based on demand, with overall operating rates maintained at just over 50%. Hydrofluoric acid enterprises are fulfilling rigid demand orders but are operating at a loss. Recently, hydrofluoric acid merchants have not been actively purchasing. The fluorite market is caught in an intense tug-of-war between supply and demand,陷入“有价无市”僵局陷入 a "price without market"僵局僵局. In the absence of strong demand support, despite the traditional stockpiling phase for downstream industries such as refrigerants, high prices have suppressed procurement demand, thereby affecting the digestion节奏 of upstream raw materials. As a result, fluorite prices have shown little change.

The terminal refrigerant market has overall maintained stable operations. Policy support in the refrigerant industry is expected to drive substantial demand growth. Within quota controls, fluorochemical enterprises have strong confidence in maintaining refrigerant prices. However, current high prices have slowed procurement节奏, with downstream channels primarily stocking up based on刚性需求. Industry inventory has dropped to near two-year lows. On the supply side, constrained by the quota system and叠加 the highly concentrated industry structure, market confidence remains稳固. Nevertheless, there is still a cautious attitude toward upstream procurement, leading to generally stable fluorite market prices.

Beyond traditional demand from the refrigerant industry, fluorite, as an important mineral raw material in modern industry, is seeing growing demand in emerging fields. It is also applied in strategic emerging industries such as new energy and new materials, as well as in defense and nuclear industries, including lithium hexafluorophosphate, PVDF, graphite anodes, and photovoltaic panels. Driven by demand from sectors like new energy and semiconductors, fluorite applications have gained some support.

Future Market Forecast:
Recently, domestic fluorite ore supply has been difficult to improve, with some mines suspending operations for safety inspections. Tight fluorite ore supply serves as a favorable支撑 for the fluorite market. However, an increasing number of fluorite enterprises are taking holidays, while downstream hydrofluoric acid enterprises are primarily purchasing based on demand, with some procurement extending beyond the Spring Festival. Overall, in the short term, fluorite market prices are expected to remain stable.