“A small increase occurs in two days, and a large increase occurs in five days!” At the beginning of 2021, the prices of various raw materials have soared, and chemical raw materials, cartons, etc. that are closely related to ceramic production have also risen sharply. .
The "across the board" rise in raw material prices is undoubtedly a huge challenge for ceramic factories that have resumed production or are about to resume production. Industry insiders said: “Every year there will be a wave of price increases for raw materials. If the current upward trend is followed, the price of ceramic tiles will also rise.”< /strong>
Chemical material prices continue to rise:
Daily "zinc" price, caustic soda "gets off to a good start"
"Although construction has started, we dare not quote a price." A zinc oxide supplier told "Ceramic Information" that since January 2021, the price of zinc oxide has fluctuated frequently and is still running at a high level. One price per day.
According to industry insiders, it is normal for metal chemical materials to rise slightly after the Spring Festival every year. "But it will not be as crazy as this year. The increase is astonishing, but it is also expected."
One-third of domestic zinc oxide is produced in Hebei. When the new crown epidemic broke out in Hebei in January 2021, the local zinc oxide factory had to suspend production, resulting in a sharp drop in output. Although most ceramic factories also shut down their kilns and production during the Spring Festival, and the demand for zinc oxide has also decreased, the current output cannot fully meet production needs.
According to common practice, ceramic factories will have a certain amount of inventory before stopping the kiln or production. In mid-January 2021, a ceramics factory in Guangdong prepared to prepare more than 20 tons of zinc oxide inventory. However, the price of zinc oxide at that time was much higher than expected, so it changed its plan: wait until the price stabilizes and falls after the beginning of the new year before purchasing. As everyone knows, the current price It is more than 1,000 yuan/ton higher than that at that time.
In addition, caustic soda, which is used in large quantities by ceramic factories, is also a "good start". On the one hand, it is driven by the trend of the entire chemical market. On the other hand, the output of caustic soda is reduced, but the demand is growing: before the Spring Festival, some manufacturers began to reduce production lines, and actual output dropped. , and with the successive signing of pre-sale orders, the number of orders for caustic soda has increased.
This week, the domestic caustic soda market is stable and upward. Some manufacturers in the northwest region have seen price increases, followed by other regions, ranging from 50 to 100 yuan/ton. At present, the mainstream price in Inner Mongolia is 1,600-1,650 yuan/ton.
As of February 24, the reference prices of the caustic soda market in mainstream domestic regions are as follows:
Currently, the inventory of some caustic soda manufacturers in the northwest is not high. As downstream factories gradually resume operations, alumina orders are approaching, and there is good support on both the supply and demand side. In view of this, the domestic caustic soda market will still show a steady upward trend in the short term.
In addition, the prices of materials such as strontium carbonate, cobalt oxide, alumina, and zirconium silicate have also increased to varying degrees. The increase in cobalt oxide is even more unexpected.
Raw paper prices soared by 1,200 yuan/ton,
Cardboard and carton manufacturers set off a price increase storm
At the beginning of 2021, paper prices have ushered in an overall rise, and domestic paper mills of all sizes have started price increase mode. A few days ago, many raw paper mills frequently issued price increase letters, with continuous sharp increases, and some increases were as high as 1,200 yuan/ton.
Relevant analysis pointed out that the three major factors of banning the import of waste paper, restricting the use of plastic products, and skyrocketing pulp prices will lead to an overall surge in raw paper prices in 2021.
1. Ban on the import of waste paper: China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment stated that starting from January 2021, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will no longer accept and approve import applications for solid waste, which means that my country will completely ban the import of solid waste in 2021 ( Contains waste paper).
According to relevant data, in 2020, the demand gap for domestic waste paper pulp will be 3.8 million tons. This gap will take some time to be adjusted by the market.
2. The positive factors brought by the new version of the plastic restriction order have further increased the demand for paper.
3. The price of raw material pulp has risen sharply: the main 2103 contract of pulp futures has risen from the lowest price of 4,620 yuan/ton on November 2 last year to the current (early February) highest price of 7,250 yuan/ton. In less than 4 months In March, the futures price of pulp increased by more than 2,600 yuan/ton, an increase of 56.9%.
Currently, a wave of price increases initiated by raw paper mills has quickly spread to downstream cardboard carton mills. According to incomplete statistics, in just one week from February 17th to 23rd, about 50 price increase letters for cardboard and cartons have been released on the market, covering Zhejiang, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Fujian, Sichuan, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, In Hebei, Jiangxi and other provinces and cities, the increase is generally concentrated at 5 to 8%. Among them, the products of a carton factory in Jiangsu increased by as much as 25% in a single transaction.
For ceramic factories that have resumed production or are about to resume production, the "across the board" increase in raw material prices will be a huge challenge, especially ceramic companies that have stably produced bricks.
The heads of many ceramic companies in production areas such as Shandong Zibo and Jiangxi Gao'an told "Ceramic Information" that since the end of 2020, the price of packaging boxes has been rising, and now the price has increased by at least 20%, as well as the price of coal There will also be a certain increase, which will further increase the overall cost of the product.
In addition, due to factors such as the epidemic, coal-to-gas conversion, and high gas prices, many ceramic factories shut down their kilns for maintenance ahead of schedule at the end of 2020, and their inventories were smaller than in previous years.If the prices of raw materials and other materials continue to rise, ceramic companies’ production Costs will rise significantly and will boost the arrival of the first wave of ceramic tile price increases in 2021.
(The article is reproduced from Ceramic Information)
