According to the Commodity Market Analysis System of Shengyi Society, the toluene market fluctuated and rose from April 7th to April 14th, 2025. On April 7th, the benchmark price of toluene was 6230 yuan/ton, and on April 14th, the benchmark price of toluene was 5840 yuan/ton, a decrease of 6.26%. This week, crude oil prices have fallen sharply, with good sales in Shandong region and generally low inventory in factories. Therefore, the downward adjustment this week is relatively small. Due to the drag of crude oil, prices in the East China region have fallen sharply, and the market sentiment is weak. Overall, due to the overall decline in crude oil and aromatic hydrocarbon markets, the toluene market generally declined during the week.

Cost wise: The international oil price market has experienced a significant decline. As of April 11th, the settlement price of the main contract for WTI crude oil futures in the United States was $61.50 per barrel, and the settlement price of the main contract for Brent crude oil futures was $64.76 per barrel. On the one hand, the US tariff trade war and tariff trade barriers have had a huge impact on the global economy, increasing uncertainty in the future. The market believes that the risk of the United States falling into an economic recession has increased, and this will have a huge negative impact on global economic growth. On the other hand, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) announced future production increases, which also had a negative impact on crude oil and led to a significant decrease in international oil prices.
Supply side:
Sinopec’s toluene enterprise is operating normally, with stable production of equipment and many products for personal use, resulting in stable production and sales. As of April 14th, East China Company quoted 5700 yuan/ton, North China Company quoted 5850 yuan/ton, South China Company quoted 5800-5900 yuan/ton, and Central China Company quoted 5850 yuan/ton.
Demand side:
On April 14th, the price of xylene in the petrochemical sales company was temporarily stable, and the current execution price is 6800 yuan/ton. This price is implemented in East China, North China, Central China, and South China. Yangzi Petrochemical, Zhenhai Petrochemical and other units are operating stably and selling normally, with a price reduction of 400 yuan/ton compared to April 7th. As of April 11th, the closing prices of the xylene market in Asia were 709-711 US dollars/ton FOB Korea and 734-736 US dollars/ton, a decrease of 69 US dollars/ton from the 4th price.
Market forecast: Affected by the news of US tariffs, the overall commodity market will weaken, crude oil prices will decline widely, the atmosphere in the spot market will be weak, and the bearish sentiment in the aromatics market will be strong in the future. On the demand side, the downstream overall maintains on-demand procurement, but the demand is urgent. Overall, the toluene market is still under pressure, and it is expected that the market will mainly operate weakly in the short term.