With the continuous implementation of low‑carbon management in global supply chains, the competition logic of China’s precipitated silica industry is undergoing profound changes in the fourth quarter. The business model that simply relies on low‑price high‑volume sales is becoming increasingly unsustainable. The market for ordinary filler‑grade precipitated silica is adequately supplied, while downstream purchasers remain cautious and buy only as needed. The digestion speed of social inventory is relatively slow, product prices fluctuate at low levels over the long run, and corporate profits keep being squeezed. In contrast, high‑end precipitated silica products with low‑carbon production qualifications and customized modification schemes have secured stable orders from the sectors of new‑energy tires, photovoltaic sealing systems, high‑end anti‑corrosion coatings and electronic packaging materials. Many overseas clients are willing to pay higher premiums for green‑compliant and performance‑stable powder, and the profitability of high‑end product lines remains outstanding. Driven by a combination of environmental policies, overseas carbon tariffs and domestic new‑material upgrading, the industry is forced to shift from capacity expansion to green process R&D, customized formulation development and one‑stop material technical services.

　　On the cost side, prices of bulk raw materials including sodium silicate, sulfuric acid, coal and steam stay stable in the fourth quarter, and cost fluctuations cannot drive an overall market upturn. Low‑end precipitated silica has low production barriers and numerous market participants. Long‑term low‑price competition means enterprises can hardly improve profitability even when raw‑material costs decline. The whole production workflow of green high‑end modified precipitated silica, ranging from raw‑material pretreatment and synthetic reactions to surface modification, requires refined control. Enterprises have made huge upfront investments in wastewater recovery, by‑salt recycling and waste‑gas treatment. Its product performance and green attributes are hard to replicate, granting manufacturers stronger pricing power when serving high‑quality downstream customers. Routine inspections on environmental protection and energy consumption are carried out nationwide. Small‑and‑medium‑sized production capacities with backward techniques and unqualified green renovation keep exiting the market, and high‑quality client resources are gradually gathered by leading enterprises with complete low‑carbon industrial chains.

　　As the largest downstream application market for precipitated silica, the tire industry witnesses concentrated delivery of low‑carbon tire export orders in the fourth quarter. The domestic new‑energy vehicle market maintains growth momentum. Tire manufacturers keep optimizing low‑rolling‑resistance formulations and raising the proportion of high‑dispersity low‑carbon precipitated silica, so as to improve fuel efficiency, wear resistance and wet‑skid performance of tires. Overseas brands have set strict audit standards for supply‑chain carbon footprint, batch‑to‑batch stability and environmental compliance qualifications. Export orders of high‑performance precipitated silica produced by domestic leading enterprises increase steadily. By comparison, conventional reinforcing‑grade precipitated silica faces fierce homogeneous competition with constant impact from low‑price supplies, and its overall profitability stays at a low level.

　　Non‑tire niche tracks have become the core growth driver of the industry. Continuous capacity expansion of the photovoltaic industrial chain pushes up demand for sealants, resulting in a shortage of low‑impurity and high‑weather‑resistance modified precipitated silica. High‑end water‑based matte paints and heavy‑duty anti‑corrosion industrial coatings drive steady growth in purchasing volume of matting‑type precipitated silica. The food, feed and pharmaceutical industries maintain stable rising demand for safe high‑purity precipitated silica. Emerging applications such as lithium‑battery separator coatings and high‑performance composite materials keep expanding, opening up brand‑new growth tracks for functional green precipitated silica.

　　The supply‑side landscape keeps optimizing. Most newly built production capacities in recent years are deployed for low‑carbon high‑end specialty precipitated silica, while new projects for low‑end filler grades are basically suspended. Leading enterprises accelerate the transformation of digital green production lines. They adopt automatic intelligent control systems to precisely regulate various production parameters, effectively reducing performance deviations among different batches and continuously expanding quality advantages. Restricted by capital, small‑and‑medium factories are unable to complete a full set of green technical renovation and suffer unstable operating rates. High‑quality orders keep concentrating on leading enterprises, and the Matthew effect in the industry becomes more prominent.

　　The structure of foreign‑trade exports continues to upgrade. Export products gradually shift from low‑end general‑purpose powder to green high‑value‑added modified precipitated silica. As overseas carbon tariffs and low‑carbon procurement rules are successively implemented, domestic enterprises with green factory certifications and closed‑loop recycling processes enjoy remarkable advantages in international bidding. Domestic high‑end precipitated silica speeds up import substitution and steadily strengthens its discourse power in the global market.

　　Looking ahead to market trends, conventional precipitated silica lacks upward momentum in the fourth quarter and is likely to fluctuate within a narrow price range. High‑end grades including low‑carbon silica for high‑dispersity tires, silica dedicated to photovoltaic sealants, coating‑matting silica and high‑purity safe‑grade silica will maintain firm prices supported by year‑end downstream stocking and demand release from emerging industries. In the medium and long term, low‑carbon manufacturing capacity, rapid customized R&D capability and complete technical service solutions will form three core competitive strengths of the industry. Enterprises that can meet the requirements of the global green supply chain will continuously capture market dividends in high‑end segmented sectors. With the sustained breakthrough and upgrading of China’s domestic new‑material industry, high‑end green precipitated silica boasts broad import‑substitution space, and the whole industry has officially stepped into a new stage of low‑carbon and high‑quality development.