According to monitoring by the Business News Agency, the domestic sulfuric acid market price rose first and then fell in March. The market price of sulfuric acid rose from 253.33 yuan/ton on March 1 to 273.33 yuan/ton on March 17, an increase of 20 yuan/ton or 7.89%; Later, it fell to 250.00 yuan/ton on March 29, a decrease of 8.54%. In March, the overall market price of sulfuric acid fell by 1.31%. The price at the end of the month decreased 77.61% year-on-year compared to the same period last year.

The sulfuric acid commodity index stood at 39.95 on March 28, unchanged from yesterday, down 78.76% from the cycle’s highest point of 188.07 (2022-04-13), and up 26.74% from the lowest point of 31.52 on June 6, 2019. (Note: The cycle refers to 2011-09-01 to now)

From the supply side, the prices of mainstream domestic sulfuric acid manufacturers have fluctuated with each other this month, and the inventory of manufacturers is low.

Cost side: sulfur market rises first and then falls

In March, the factory price of sulfur rose first and then fell. The price of sulfur rose from 1126.67 yuan/ton on March 1 to 1223.33 yuan/ton on March 8, an increase of 8.58%; Sulfur prices fluctuated in a narrow range in mid March. The sulfur price at the end of March fell 9.81% compared to the middle of the month. In March, the overall price of sulfur decreased by 2.07%, and the price at the end of the month decreased by 67.26% compared to the same period last year. The trend of sulfur market is basically consistent with that of sulfuric acid market, and the sulfuric acid market in March was greatly affected by sulfur market. Insufficient cost support at the end of the month has a negative impact on sulfuric acid prices.

Demand side: titanium dioxide market rises slightly

In March, the hydrofluoric acid market fell first and then rose, with a slight fluctuation. The market of hydrofluoric acid in early March continued its downward trend at the end of February, with the factory price dropping from 9828.57 yuan/ton on March 1 to 9714.29 yuan/ton on March 2, a decrease of 1.16%. Then operate at low position. Towards the end of the month, the price of hydrofluoric acid only slightly increased to 9800.00 yuan/ton, an increase of 0.88%. The overall price of hydrofluoric acid increased by 0.29% in March. The price at the end of the month decreased by 11.07% compared to the same period last year. In March, the titanium dioxide market rose slightly, with the price of titanium dioxide rising from 16683.33 yuan/ton at the beginning of the month to 17116.67 yuan/ton at the end of the month, an increase of 2.60%. Compared with the same period last year, the price at the end of the month decreased by 18.88% year-on-year. Overall, the downstream market of sulfuric acid has risen slightly, and downstream manufacturers are more enthusiastic about purchasing sulfuric acid.

Looking at the future market: In the first ten days of mid April, the domestic sulfuric acid market may fluctuate slightly, with consolidation being the main trend. Upstream sulfur prices fell slightly at the end of the month, resulting in insufficient cost support. Downstream hydrofluoric acid and titanium dioxide market prices rose slightly, while ammonium sulfate market prices fell slightly. Downstream purchasing enthusiasm for sulfuric acid was moderate, and product trends declined due to supply and demand conflicts. According to the sulfuric acid analysts of the Business Society, the short-term sulfuric acid market may suffer from a small fluctuation and decline under the influence of various factors such as supply and demand and raw materials, with consolidation being the main factor.