Strong Cost Support Drives Market Prices Higher (September 4–10, 2026)

1. Key Market Focus This Week

• Feedstock pure benzene rose further from an already high level, providing strong cost support.
• With a relatively high cyclohexanone-caprolactam integration rate, the cyclohexanone spot market remains in a weak supply-demand balance.

2. This Week’s Market Review

This week, the average weekly market price of cyclohexanone increased. The average weekly spot price in East China was RMB 10,230/mt, up 6.73% from the previous week’s weekly average. During the week, the feedstock pure benzene market ran firm, and Sinopec raised its pure benzene list price several times to RMB 9,900/mt. Cost support was strong; driven by costs, low-priced offers in the cyclohexanone market decreased.

3. Next Week’s Market Forecast

The cyclohexanone spot market is expected to follow pure benzene and trend firm next week. Key focus:

1. Supply side. Operating loads at mainstream domestic cyclohexanone units are expected to remain generally stable, and spot supply in the market will remain stable.
2. Demand side. A relatively high proportion of domestic cyclohexanone-caprolactam capacity is integrated, and most caprolactam producers are sufficiently self-sufficient in feedstock; order follow-through in the chemical fiber segment is weak, providing limited pull for cyclohexanone.
3. Cost side. Next week, both supply and demand for pure benzene are expected to increase, and the balance sheet is expected to show destocking. Continued US-Iran maritime friction and rising navigation risks in the Strait of Hormuz will further support crude oil prices, providing strong cost support for pure benzene. Overall, with both supply and demand rising and cost support, the pure benzene market may continue to trend firm next week.

Overall, cost-side support is relatively strong, while downstream demand lacks obvious improvement; however, driven strongly by costs, the cyclohexanone market is expected to follow pure benzene and trend firm next week.

For more weekly market analysis, please see Chempricehub’s Cyclohexanone Weekly Report.