Significant Cost Pressure: Weekly Average Price of Cyclohexanone in China Rises (Oct 23–29, 2026)

1. Key Market Focus This Week

① Raw material pure benzene remained volatile at high levels, exerting significant pressure on production costs.
② The integration rate between cyclohexanone and caprolactam is high, resulting in a weak balance of supply and demand for spot cyclohexanone.

2. Weekly Market Analysis

This week, the average market price of cyclohexanone experienced minor adjustments. The weekly average spot price in East China was 11,685 RMB/ton, representing an increase of approximately 0.65% compared to the previous week’s average. During the week, the raw material pure benzene market fluctuated within a range, maintaining cost-side pressure. Cyclohexanone plant operating rates remained low, and given that producers were facing losses, the market price trended slightly stronger.

3. Next Week Market Forecast

The spot cyclohexanone market is expected to follow pure benzene trends with continued volatility next week. Key points to monitor include:

1. Supply Side: Overall operating rates for domestic commercial cyclohexanone plants remain low, leading to limited spot availability. Inventory pressure among enterprises is not severe, and there persists a reluctance to sell at lower prices.
2. Demand Side: Domestic integrated capacity linking cyclohexanone and caprolactam accounts for a large proportion, meaning most caprolactam producers have sufficient self-supplied raw materials. Order flow from the chemical fiber sector remains weak, while the solvent segment continues to purchase based on immediate needs. Consequently, overall demand performance is sluggish.
3. Cost Side: Although inventory buildup expectations are weighing on the market, strong crude oil prices provide support against downstream restocking demands, limiting significant downside potential. The market is projected to maintain wide-range fluctuations at elevated levels. The reference negotiation range for spot transactions in the East China market is estimated at 9,500–10,200 RMB/ton. Overall, robust cost support combined with continuous de-stocking at ports suggests that the East China pure benzene market will maintain a strong upward bias next week, thereby providing substantial cost-side support for cyclohexanone.