In September 2026, China’s fine chemical and new‑material industries officially entered the traditional peak season of “Golden September”. Downstream manufacturing enterprises accelerated the resumption of production, and centralized restocking demand for raw materials was released, pushing the overall activity of the chemical market to rise month‑on‑month. As a core essential filler for rubber, coatings, new energy and electronic materials, the precipitated silica sector has stepped out of the downturn of the traditional summer off‑season. Inquiries, sample orders and bulk transaction volumes have maintained a steady upward trend. Different from the overall price surge across all product grades in previous peak seasons, the precipitated silica market in 2026 presents a brand‑new pattern of extreme structural differentiation, stable low‑end prices and strong high‑end performance. The industry has bid farewell to the extensive competition for production capacity and entered a new stage of high‑quality development marked by technological iteration, product upgrading and scenario segmentation, with an increasingly obvious trend of industrial transformation and upgrading.

　　In terms of upstream core raw materials and production fundamentals, the domestic supply chain of precipitated silica operates steadily at this stage, while raw material prices diverge, further widening profit gaps among different products. Sodium silane, the key feedstock, has sufficient domestic production capacity. Large‑scale production facilities of leading manufacturers run at full capacity with smooth product circulation, and mainstream national market prices remain stable without sharp fluctuations. Only production zones for small‑and‑medium‑sized capacities experience slight fluctuations in operating rates due to regular environmental inspections, dual‑control policies for energy consumption and seasonal production restrictions. Short‑term tight supply of niche products occurs in partial regions, which imposes no substantial impact on the national supply pattern. Sulfuric acid, another major raw material, shows notable regional differentiation. Driven by centralized procurement from the fertilizer, fine chemical and metallurgical industries in core chemical production areas of East and South China, its market price keeps edging up, directly lifting production costs for general‑grade precipitated silica. In contrast, sulfuric acid prices fluctuate at a low level in North and Northwest China, and regional differences in production costs further accelerate market stratification across the sector.

　　On the manufacturer side, the overall operating rate of China’s precipitated silica industry stays within a reasonable range of 75%‑85%. Listed market leaders and large‑scale factories maintain stable operation without planned shutdowns for maintenance. No new large‑capacity projects are scheduled for commissioning in the third quarter, so the overall basic supply remains loosely balanced. Nevertheless, inventory structures diverge sharply across the industry. General precipitated silica suffers from obvious inventory backlogs, with most small‑and‑medium‑sized producers holding medium‑to‑high stock levels for low‑end products and facing persistent destocking pressure. By comparison, modified silica, high‑dispersity silica and fumed silica tailored for new‑energy and high‑end manufacturing maintain low inventory levels. Order backlogs keep extending and products are in short supply. Meanwhile, continuously upgraded domestic standards for environmental protection and energy consumption eliminate backward high‑pollution and high‑energy‑intensive low‑end capacities. The quality of supply‑side products is continuously optimized, and market resources are further concentrated among leading technology‑oriented and large‑scale enterprises.

　　Differentiated growth in end‑user downstream demand constitutes the core driving force behind the structural market trend of precipitated silica, with widening gaps in demand growth and prosperity among various application tracks. The tire industry, the largest downstream consumer, sees steady restocking demand from tire manufacturers in autumn alongside the sustained recovery of domestic automobile production and sales and the rising penetration of new‑energy vehicles. Growing market demand for green low‑rolling‑resistance and wear‑resistant energy‑saving tires forces tire producers to upgrade formulations. As a result, high‑dispersity special‑purpose precipitated silica stands out for its outstanding reinforcing, wear‑resistant and anti‑aging properties, serving as a core raw material for tire formulation upgrading with robust market demand. However, fierce competition and limited profit margins in the terminal tire sector push enterprises to adopt conservative procurement strategies. Abandoning large‑scale stockpiling in previous peak seasons, manufacturers generally adopt small‑batch and high‑frequency on‑demand replenishment, effectively curbing speculative price hikes for low‑end products.

　　Traditional rigid‑demand fields such as shoe materials, ordinary rubber, conventional industrial coatings and daily‑chemical additives maintain stable demand without incremental growth. The saturated market cannot drive price increases for general‑grade precipitated silica. In sharp contrast, emerging new‑energy tracks act as the core engine fueling the growth of the precipitated silica industry. Sectors including photovoltaic module sealants, energy‑storage equipment insulating materials, lithium‑ion battery separators, electronic packaging materials and high‑end thermal‑conductive composite materials are undergoing rapid industrial expansion, generating massive demand for high‑functional precipitated silica. High‑purity hydrophobic modified ultrafine fumed silica and other premium products meet stringent production standards for new‑energy new materials by delivering excellent insulation, reinforcement, weather resistance and moisture‑proof performance. These products maintain full order books and steadily improved premium capacity, becoming the core profit driver of the whole industry.

　　From the perspective of foreign‑trade exports, the export mix of China’s precipitated silica keeps optimizing, and the international substitution process for high‑end products accelerates continuously. Amid the restructuring of the global supply chain, overseas downstream enterprises diversify supplier portfolios to avoid supply‑chain risks and gradually reduce reliance on imported raw materials from European and American brands. Relying on cost‑effective performance, stable delivery capacity and customized R&D services, high‑quality domestic precipitated silica keeps capturing overseas market share. The booming rubber, tire and building‑material industries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Latin America provide stable overseas export channels for domestic general‑grade precipitated silica. High‑end markets in Europe, Japan and South Korea mainly source domestic modified, high‑dispersity and electronic‑grade precipitated silica, with the export proportion of premium products climbing year by year. Despite fluctuations in international shipping costs, cross‑border trade tariffs and low‑carbon certification policies, domestic leading enterprises equipped with complete production capacity, compliant qualifications and low‑carbon production systems gain growing competitive advantages in overseas markets and steadily expand export orders.

　　In terms of industrial policies and long‑term development logic, dual‑carbon targets, green trade barriers and supportive policies for new materials reshape the development landscape of the precipitated silica sector. China strictly controls the expansion of backward low‑end capacities, prohibits new capacity for ordinary precipitated silica and encourages enterprises to invest in the R&D and production of high‑end functional customized products. Many overseas countries have successively implemented carbon‑tariff and carbon‑footprint verification policies, restricting exports of low‑end precipitated silica without low‑carbon certifications and forcing the industry to phase out extensive production modes. Against this backdrop, industrial competition has shifted completely from cost and price rivalry to comprehensive strength competition covering technological R&D, quality control, customized services and green‑low‑carbon production. Enterprises with formulation‑development capabilities, technical support and stable quality control will continue to dominate the market.

　　Based on the market outlook prediction, the domestic precipitated silica market will continue the structural trend of weak low‑end prices and firm high‑end quotations during the traditional peak season from September to October 2026, without a universal price surge in general. In the short run, affected by overcapacity, high inventory and insufficient demand growth, ordinary precipitated silica prices will fluctuate narrowly at low levels, squeezing corporate profit margins continuously. Supported by rigid demand from downstream new‑energy and high‑end manufacturing industries, high‑dispersity tire‑special silica, photovoltaic electronic‑grade modified silica and fumed silica will maintain firm market conditions with potential room for further premium expansion. In the medium and long term, the popularization of green tires, continuous expansion of the new‑energy industry and accelerated localization of high‑end new materials will further deepen the industrial upgrading, product iteration and high‑end substitution trend of the precipitated silica industry.