From July 10th to 17th, 2026, the domestic toluene market rose, with the price of toluene in the Shandong region increasing from 5977.67 yuan/ton to 6500 yuan/ton, an increase of 8.74% during the period.
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During the cycle, favorable market factors were concentrated, with strong cost support and tight supply of on-site goods, jointly driving up the price of toluene. Overall, this round of price increases is driven by both cost and supply and demand. However, as prices continue to rise, the market’s incremental momentum weakens, and downstream purchases tend to be cautious. Currently, the spot market is fluctuating at a high level.
Cost aspect: Crude oil oscillation weakens, support strength continues to be insufficient
The international crude oil trend is relatively strong this cycle, and the cost support of the aromatic hydrocarbon industry chain is significant. The steady increase in crude oil prices has driven up the prices of upstream raw materials such as naphtha, and the production cost of toluene continues to rise. The bulk aromatics showed strong synchronicity during the night trading, although the intraday fluctuations were limited, the overall atmosphere was positive, providing sustained cost support for the spot price of toluene and becoming one of the core driving factors for this round of price increases. As of July 16th, the settlement price of the August contract for WTI crude oil futures in the United States was $78.28 per barrel. The settlement price of Brent crude oil futures for September contract is $84.23 per barrel.
Supply side: Continuous tight supply and low inventory levels
Domestic toluene supply continues to be tight, and inventory remains at a low level. On the one hand, the maintenance of mainstream refinery facilities continues to have an impact, and the output of domestic sources of goods is limited; On the other hand, there is insufficient replenishment of imported resources, significant depletion of port inventory, and the tight distribution of goods in the spot market has not changed. Spot resources are scarce in major production areas such as Shandong and East China, and industry players have a strong willingness to raise prices. This further strengthens their price action power, coupled with cost benefits, supports a significant increase in toluene prices in this period.
Demand side: Urgent replenishment of inventory
Downstream demand is showing a trend of “stable demand and cautious pursuit of high demand”. Traditional fields such as coatings, inks, adhesives, etc. require stable demand to support basic procurement needs; However, after the continuous and rapid rise in toluene prices, downstream enterprises have faced increased cost pressure, and their willingness to replenish at high levels has weakened. They mainly follow up on small orders for urgent needs, and their buying sentiment tends to be cautious. The performance of oil blending and export demand is still acceptable, forming a certain marginal support for the market, but it is difficult to drive large-scale centralized procurement, and the overall trading activity is average, failing to form incremental benefits that can continuously drive the market.
Market forecast:
The short-term toluene market is likely to maintain a high range oscillation pattern. On the positive side, the support for crude oil costs remains, and the fundamentals of tight domestic supply and low inventory continue, with stable price support at the bottom; On the negative side, there is a lack of new positive stimuli after consecutive gains, and there is insufficient downstream willingness to chase higher prices. The risk of high-level pullbacks is gradually accumulating. It is expected that the pace of toluene price increase will slow down in the short term, mainly characterized by high-level consolidation and range fluctuations. It is necessary to focus on the trend of crude oil, refinery operation dynamics, and changes in downstream procurement rhythm.
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