Daily Chemical Market Price Overview — August 19, 2026
The latest daily chemical price update highlights significant and highly differentiated movements across major sectors including
Basic Chemicals,
Fine Chemicals,
Energy,
Plastics, and
Rubber. This report summarizes daily, weekly, and monthly price fluctuations to help manufacturers, traders, and procurement professionals better assess short-term market volatility, feedstock cost pressures, and broader pricing trends across the chemical supply chain.
Market focus today centered on the exceptional rebound in
Calcium carbonate, the sharp rally in
PTMEG and
Dimethyl sulfoxide, and continued strength in selected energy and petrochemical products. Meanwhile,
WTI Crude Oil remained elevated on a weekly and monthly basis despite its latest daily decline, while gasoline, ABS, aromatics, and selected olefin derivatives continued to benefit from stronger upstream cost support and supply-side uncertainty.
Top Price Movers
Calcium carbonate recorded by far the largest daily move in today’s dataset, rising from CNY 500/ton to CNY 1,350/ton. However, the magnitude of the move is highly unusual: weekly and monthly prices remain down 26.47% and 41.00%, respectively, while external Chinese market references have recently shown calcium carbonate quotations around several hundred yuan per ton depending on grade and specification. This suggests that the sharp daily increase may reflect a
low-base effect, benchmark or quotation adjustment, grade change, or data-series normalization rather than a broad-based 170% surge in the physical market.
Price jumped 170% today — Verify benchmark, grade and quotation basis before treating the move as a market-wide rally.
PTMEG posted the second-largest daily increase, climbing to CNY 24,500/ton and extending its weekly gain to 2.43%. The sharp rebound comes against a relatively stable monthly increase of 1.43%, indicating that the move is more likely related to short-term supply and cost expectations than a broad structural repricing. Industry data shows that
BDO/PTMEG supply conditions remain an important market driver, with multiple BDO units undergoing maintenance during July-August and downstream spandex operating at relatively high rates. Meanwhile, the planned addition of new PTMEG capacity keeps the medium-term supply outlook competitive, limiting the likelihood of an unchecked sustained rally.
Price surged 24.57% today — Strong short-term momentum, but supply expansion remains a key medium-term risk.
Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) rose 11.63% to CNY 12,000/ton, becoming the third-largest daily mover across all products. The latest increase follows a 4.08% weekly gain, although prices remain 3.04% below the monthly level, suggesting a developing short-term recovery rather than a confirmed long-term uptrend. Recent market references place Chinese domestic DMSO prices around CNY 12,000/ton, while industry research highlights the importance of
feedstock DMS supply, coal-chemical environmental controls, and pharmaceutical and semiconductor demand to DMSO pricing.
Price increased 11.63% today — Short-term supply and feedstock costs are providing support, while monthly prices remain below the recent peak.
Basic Chemicals Prices
| Product |
CAS |
Price (CNY/TON) |
Daily |
Weekly |
Monthly |
| Acetic acid prices |
64-19-7 |
3,127 |
0.87% |
1.05% |
-2.51% |
| Acetic anhydride prices |
108-24-7 |
5,253 |
0.63% |
-0.19% |
-1.6% |
| Acetone prices |
67-64-1 |
6,625 |
0.29% |
1.58% |
12.66% |
| Acetonitrile prices |
75-05-8 |
7,500 |
0.44% |
0.15% |
-6.6% |
| Benzene prices |
71-43-2 |
8,124 |
1.79% |
5.29% |
-0.72% |
| Cobalt prices |
7440-48-4 |
315,200 |
-2.87% |
-0.98% |
-9.5% |
| Dichloromethane prices |
75-09-2 |
1,880 |
-2.03% |
-4.96% |
-1.57% |
| Ethanol prices |
64-17-5 |
5,521 |
-0.02% |
-0.34% |
-0.79% |
| Ethyl acetate prices |
141-78-6 |
5,843 |
4.4% |
-2.9% |
0.45% |
| Formaldehyde prices |
50-00-0 |
1,345 |
6.07% |
2.51% |
-2.12% |
| Formic acid prices |
64-18-6 |
1,950 |
2.63% |
1.64% |
-12.78% |
| Hydrochloric acid prices |
7647-01-0 |
175 |
-2.78% |
0% |
1.08% |
| Hydrogen peroxide prices |
7722-84-1 |
583 |
1.04% |
-3.35% |
-10.3% |
| Isopropyl alcohol prices |
67-63-0 |
7,250 |
1.4% |
0.13% |
4% |
| Lithium carbonate prices |
554-13-2 |
149,000 |
-1.97% |
1.93% |
-4.93% |
| Methanol prices |
67-56-1 |
2,880 |
2.49% |
4.64% |
-0.08% |
| Nickel prices |
7440-02-0 |
128,217 |
-0.5% |
0.33% |
0.17% |
| Phenol prices |
108-95-2 |
8,325 |
3.03% |
-1.89% |
3.94% |
| Propylene prices |
115-07-1 |
8,834 |
2.32% |
0.5% |
1.31% |
| Propylene glycol prices |
57-55-6 |
9,733 |
4.1% |
1.82% |
4.13% |
| Urea prices |
57-13-6 |
1,703 |
-0.12% |
-0.76% |
-2.81% |
Basic chemicals showed a broadly firm tone, with
Benzene,
Methanol,
Phenol,
Propylene, and
Propylene glycol posting daily gains of 1.79%, 2.49%, 3.03%, 2.32%, and 4.10%, respectively.
Ethyl acetate and
Formaldehyde were the strongest movers, rising 4.40% and 6.07% day on day, while
Formic acid and
Isopropyl alcohol also advanced, suggesting firmer short-term procurement and cost support across selected chemical chains. The rebound in Benzene is consistent with ongoing tightness expectations in the aromatics chain, while higher Methanol and Propylene prices provided additional feedstock support to downstream derivatives.
Meanwhile,
Cobalt
,
Dichloromethane
,
Lithium carbonate
, and
Nickel
weakened, with Cobalt falling 2.87% and Lithium carbonate declining 1.97% on the day. The pullback in Lithium carbonate appears to reflect profit-taking after a strong August rally, as the market had already risen sharply on inventory destocking and improving spot fundamentals. Recent industry commentary also points to a still-tight energy-metals supply-demand balance, although short-term price volatility remains elevated.
Acetonitrile
edged up 0.44% to CNY 7,500/ton, but its monthly decline of 6.60% indicates that the recent correction has not yet fully reversed. Overall, the market remains characterized by differentiated cost and supply dynamics, with upstream aromatics and olefins relatively stronger while several battery and chlor-alkali-related materials remain under pressure.
Fine Chemicals Prices
Fine chemicals showed a highly divergent price pattern, with
PTMEG and
Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) recording the strongest daily gains of 24.57% and 11.63%, respectively. The sharp increase in PTMEG appears to be mainly related to short-term supply and cost expectations in the BDO/PTMEG chain, although broader market reports indicate that PTMEG prices had been under pressure in the preceding months and remained relatively stable during early August. Meanwhile, demand from spandex, TPU, and other specialty polymer applications continues to provide structural support for PTMEG consumption. Recent industry coverage also indicates that PTMEG and BDO had entered a more stable pricing phase in August after earlier declines.
DMSO
rose 11.63% to CNY 12,000/ton, extending its weekly gain to 4.08% despite remaining 3.04% below the monthly level. Recent China market data also placed domestic DMSO around CNY 12,000/ton, suggesting that the reported increase is consistent with a firmer spot market. The recovery can be linked to improved procurement in pharmaceutical, specialty chemical, and industrial applications after earlier inventory adjustments, while domestic supply and replacement costs remain important price drivers.
Melamine
edged up 1.33% day on day to CNY 5,700/ton, but the weekly change remained slightly negative at -0.43%. This suggests that the latest rebound is more consistent with short-term stabilization than a confirmed reversal. Recent market analysis reported that Chinese melamine prices had been trending lower because raw-material cost support weakened while downstream demand remained sluggish; the benchmark price had fallen 1.97% over the week through August 18.
Oleic acid
declined 2.56% on the day, although it remained up 14.87% over the month, indicating a short-term correction after a substantial rally. Oleic acid pricing is closely linked to vegetable-oil feedstocks, particularly crude palm oil (CPO), and market data for 2026 shows a strong relationship between CPO movements and oleic acid prices. The latest decline therefore appears more consistent with profit-taking and feedstock-price fluctuations than a fundamental deterioration in the longer-term market.
Potassium permanganate
slipped 1.59% to CNY 15,500/ton but remained 1.21% higher on a weekly basis. The market continues to be supported by its applications in water treatment, chemical synthesis, and other industrial uses, while manganese availability and raw-material costs remain important supply-side variables. The latest correction therefore appears relatively modest compared with its recent weekly performance.
Finally,
Calcium carbonate
showed an exceptional reported increase of 170%, rising from CNY 500/ton to CNY 1,350/ton in one day, while its weekly and monthly changes remained deeply negative at -26.47% and -41%, respectively. The combination of an unusually low previous-day base and a sharp one-day rebound suggests that this movement may reflect a
benchmark, grade, quotation, or data-series adjustment
rather than a conventional market-wide price surge. External August 2026 calcium carbonate benchmarks do not indicate a comparable 170% market-wide jump, so this data point should be treated cautiously when interpreting the daily trend.
Energy, Rubber, Plastic and other chemicals Prices
Energy markets remained the key source of upward pressure, with
WTI Crude Oil standing at USD 84/barrel after a short-term correction, while its weekly and monthly gains remained solid at 3.70% and 3.85%. The broader oil market has been supported by renewed geopolitical risk in the Middle East, particularly uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, as well as disruptions affecting Russian oil flows. On August 19, WTI settled at around USD 85.83/barrel, its highest level since late July, despite U.S. commercial crude inventories rising by 4.4 million barrels. This combination indicates that
geopolitical and refined-product supply risks are currently outweighing the bearish impact of higher U.S. crude inventories. Refinery utilization also remained high, while global fuel inventories were described as relatively tight, reinforcing the near-term support for crude and refined products.
Within refined products,
Gasoline
rose 0.83% to CNY 8,858/ton and remained up 7.03% month on month, making it one of the strongest performers in the Energy group.
Kerosene
also increased 2.44% to CNY 8,400/ton, although its monthly change remained slightly negative. The divergence between the two products suggests that gasoline is benefiting more directly from the current crude-price environment and seasonal driving demand. Recent U.S. market data showed gasoline prices rising sharply week on week, while high refinery utilization and strong refined-product demand have kept product markets relatively firm.
Anthracite
was the most notable coal-related mover, jumping 11.11% day on day to CNY 1,750/ton, although its weekly and monthly changes remained negative. The extreme daily rebound should therefore be interpreted as a
short-term correction from a depressed base rather than a confirmed structural uptrend
. Nevertheless, the broader Chinese coal complex has shown signs of firming: recent market reports indicate that imported coking coal prices rose sharply in August, with Australian, Canadian and Russian low-sulfur coking coal prices increasing by around CNY 30–70/ton in recent sessions. This points to improving sentiment in upstream coal markets, although anthracite fundamentals remain distinct from coking coal.
Asphalt
remained unchanged at CNY 4,350/ton, with only a marginal 0.39% weekly increase and a 0.73% monthly decline. The flat daily performance indicates that higher crude costs have not yet translated into significant downstream asphalt repricing. Demand from infrastructure and construction remains an important variable, while the relatively weak monthly trend suggests that
downstream demand is still limiting the transmission of higher energy costs into asphalt prices
.
Plastics showed a generally stable-to-firm tone
.
ABS
increased 1.49% to CNY 10,200/ton and was up 4.46% over the week, making it the strongest conventional plastics performer in the dataset.
HDPE
edged up 0.24% to CNY 10,575/ton and remained modestly positive on both weekly and monthly horizons. The relative strength of ABS is consistent with higher upstream costs, particularly the recent firming of benzene and propylene, combined with restocking and improved near-term sentiment in selected downstream applications. However, the moderate monthly gain in HDPE indicates that the broader polyolefin market remains relatively balanced rather than strongly bullish.
POM
remained unchanged at CNY 6,100/ton, but its monthly performance was exceptionally weak at -28.14%. The large monthly decline suggests that the current stabilization is occurring after a substantial repricing rather than representing a new bullish cycle.
PVC
was also unchanged at CNY 4,600/ton, with a marginal 0.75% weekly increase and a 0.59% monthly decline. The lack of daily movement in both POM and PVC points to cautious downstream purchasing, with buyers remaining reluctant to chase prices despite some improvement in upstream energy and chemical costs.
For
Rubber
,
Silica
increased 0.55% to CNY 6,033/ton, with weekly and monthly gains of 0.27% and 0.62%, respectively. The modest but consistent appreciation suggests relatively stable demand and cost conditions rather than a major supply shock. Recent Chinese rubber-market reports have described downstream buyers as maintaining mostly just-in-time procurement and a cautious purchasing stance, which is consistent with the limited magnitude of the current price increase.
Overall, the most important market signal is the widening influence of energy costs on the broader chemicals and materials complex.
Crude oil remains firmly supported by geopolitical risk and refined-product tightness, while gasoline has already translated this strength into a substantial monthly increase. However, the transmission into plastics, asphalt and rubber-related materials remains uneven:
ABS is showing the clearest upstream-cost pass-through, while POM, PVC and asphalt remain constrained by weak or cautious downstream demand
. As a result, the current market is best characterized as an
energy-led cost recovery rather than a broad-based synchronized rally across industrial materials
.
Data Source & Update Methodology
The above pricing data is compiled from multiple market channels including domestic ex-works quotations, distributor transaction references, port prices, and mainstream spot market assessments. Data was updated on
August 19, 2026, based on the latest available trading activity and real-time market feedback collected by GuideTrends analysts and industry participants.
All prices are for reference purposes only and may vary depending on region, transaction volume, specification, and contract terms.
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