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Weekly Outlook for the Soda Ash Market

Published on 2026-10-19

I. Market Focus

  1. Adjustments and magnitude of changes in spot soda ash prices.
  2. Changes in soda ash inventories and maintenance schedules for production units.
  3. Volume of futures-spot arbitrage purchases and pending orders at alkali plants.
  4. Adjustments to downstream production lines and new capacity additions.
  5. Changes in import/export order volumes and prices.

II. Price Table

Product Region Oct 15 Oct 8 Change Rate
Raw Coal East China 1025 999 +2.60%
Crude Salt East China 220 215 +2.33%
Light Soda Ash East China 1000 1000 0%
Dense Soda Ash East China 1100 1100 0%
Float Glass National Avg. 1076 1076 0%
Notes: 1. Prices refer to domestic premium-grade products. 2. Unit: CNY/ton. 3. All RMB prices are ex-works, cash, inclusive of tax. 4. The two price points represent snapshot prices from the previous two working weeks prior to this week, not weekly averages. 5. Change rate refers to the period-over-period percentage change.

III. Data Table

Soda Ash Industry Supply-Demand Data Table

Data Type Oct 15 Oct 8 Change Rate Expected This Week
Capacity Utilization Rate 64.59% 76.15% -11.55% ↘
Enterprise Sales-to-Production Ratio 124.74% 97.28% +27.46% ↘
Plant Inventory (10k tons) 162.89 177.87 -8.42% ↘
Notes: 1. Capacity utilization rate reflects the ratio of actual output to total capacity for production enterprises, indicating production levels. 2. The enterprise sales-to-production ratio represents the proportion of total weekly sales to total production for sample enterprises, reflecting order status. 3. Plant inventory indicates the ratio of current stock to total storage capacity, showing inventory trends and pressure.

IV. Market Outlook

Last week, the domestic soda ash market trended weakly, with prices adjusting within a narrow range, characterized mainly by stability with minor fluctuations. Due to unit maintenance, supply remained at low levels. Downstream demand was moderate; however, high trading volumes were observed due to the price advantage of futures-spot arbitrage. This week, maintenance expectations for soda ash plants persist, though some units are expected to resume operations, leading to a slight increase in production. Downstream demand remains lukewarm, with purchasing pace expected to slow down. Overall, the soda ash market is projected to fluctuate sideways.

V. Data Calendar

Data Item Release Time Previous Data Expected Trend This Period
Soda Ash Utilization Rate Every Monday 16:00 64.59% ↘
Soda Ash Production Every Monday 16:00 60.56 ↘
Soda Ash Inventory Thursday 16:00 PM 162.89 10k tons ↘
Notes: 1. ↑↓ indicates significant volatility, highlighting data dimensions with changes exceeding 3%. 2. ↗↘ indicates narrow-range volatility, highlighting data dimensions with changes within 0-3%.

Data Source: Chempricehub Information

Comments

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  • Priya Kapoor 2026-10-19 10:01
    Soda ash prices held flat while capacity utilization dropped due to maintenance. Surging sales ratios from futures-spot arbitrage mask the reality of lukewarm downstream demand. With inventories falling, any price reboun..
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