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China is the dominant global exporter of ammonium bicarbonate, accounting for the vast majority of international shipments, while India, Vietnam, and Bangladesh represent the largest importers in Asia. The United States and several EU member states also consistently import modest volumes, primarily for food and pharmaceutical applications. Global ammonium bicarbonate prices have remained relatively stable over the past two years, reflecting balanced supply from Chinese producers and steady demand across key importing markets.
Recent Market Intelligence Report on Ammonium Bicarbonate
I. Price Trends
- Base Price: According to Shengyishe (Business Society), the benchmark price for ammonium bicarbonate remained unchanged at RMB 1,833.33 per metric ton on both July 1 and July 6, 2026—flat compared to the beginning of the month and at a yearly low.
- Regional Prices:
- Zibo City, Shandong Province: The average price of ammonium bicarbonate in Q2 2026 was RMB 0.72 per kilogram (i.e., RMB 720 per metric ton), down 1.36% quarter-on-quarter.
- Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region: The monthly average price in June 2026 was RMB 0.79 per kilogram (i.e., RMB 790 per metric ton), down 1.25% month-on-month and 12.2% year-on-year.
II. Supply-Demand Dynamics
- Supply Side:
- Industry concentration is increasing, with leading enterprises consolidating market position through economies of scale and resource synergy. For example, Shandong Hualu-Hengsheng Chemical Co., Ltd. maintains stable annual capacity at 450,000 metric tons; Hubei Yihua Group Co., Ltd. leverages its integrated production line to sustain regional competitiveness.
- Stricter environmental regulations have accelerated the exit of small- and medium-sized producers: In 2025, a total of 17 industrial-grade ammonium bicarbonate production lines were shut down or suspended nationwide, representing a combined annual capacity of approximately 280,000 metric tons.
- Demand Side:
- Agricultural demand exhibits pronounced seasonality, with downward price pressure during the summer off-season for fertilizer application. Data from Inner Mongolia shows relatively weak agricultural fertilizer demand in June, contributing to the month-on-month price decline.
- Industrial demand remains steadily robust, particularly expanding in food additives, pharmaceutical intermediates, and environmental applications (e.g., flue gas desulfurization).
III. Industry Developments
- Corporate Competition:
- Leading firms are enhancing competitiveness via technological upgrades and industrial chain integration. For instance, Jiangsu SAPCO Chemical Co., Ltd. has entered the high-end electronic-grade cleaning agent market with high-purity products, achieving gross margins 4.7 percentage points above the industry average.
- Cross-regional M&A activity is accelerating: Sichuan Meifeng Chemical Co., Ltd.’s acquisition of Ordos Haohua Chemical Co., Ltd. in Inner Mongolia lifted its market share in Northwest China to 8.9%.
- Policy Impact:
- Environmental policies are driving green transformation across the sector. Newly commissioned facilities widely adopt Distributed Control Systems (DCS) for full-process automation and MDEA-based decarbonization technology, achieving ammonia recovery rates ≥92% in exhaust gases.
- Adjustments to agricultural subsidy policies influence downstream procurement timing; some distributors have pre-stocked ahead of anticipated guidance-price increases, providing short-term price support.
IV. Regional Market Divergence
- Price Divergence:
- Prices remain relatively stable in North China and East China due to concentrated production capacity and favorable logistics infrastructure; whereas Southwest and Northwest regions exhibit greater price volatility, driven by supply fluctuations.
- Inner Mongolia’s 12.2% year-on-year price decline in June 2026 exceeded the national average, reflecting regional supply-demand imbalance.
- Demand Structure:
- In major agricultural provinces (e.g., Shandong, Henan), agricultural demand accounts for over 60% of total consumption; industrial demand growth is faster in coastal regions (e.g., Jiangsu, Zhejiang).
Analysis & Outlook
1. Short-Term Price Pressure: With summer being the off-season for agricultural fertilizer use and industrial demand remaining steady, ammonium bicarbonate prices lack upward momentum; prices are expected to remain range-bound at low levels throughout July.
2. Rising Industry Concentration: Environmental regulation and technological barriers continue to accelerate the exit of small- and medium-sized producers. Leading enterprises’ market shares are expanding steadily; the CR3 (combined market share of the top three companies) is projected to rise from 50.6% in 2025 to 53.2% by end-2026.
3. Intensifying Regional Divergence: Southwest and Northwest regions may see prices above the national average due to supply shortages and elevated transportation costs; competition among producers in North and East China is expected to intensify further.
Forecasts
1. Price Trends:
- Q3 2026: Supported by expectations of increased autumn fertilizer demand, prices may rebound modestly to the RMB 1,850–1,900 per metric ton range.
- Full-Year Average: Expected to hold within RMB 1,830–1,850 per metric ton, representing a 2–3% year-on-year decline, primarily attributable to lower upstream synthetic ammonia costs and overall supply surplus.
2. Demand Structure Shift:
- Agricultural demand share is projected to decline from the current ~70% to 65%, while industrial demand (especially in environmental protection and advanced manufacturing sectors) is expected to rise to 35%.
3. Industry Trends:
- Technological Upgrading: DCS-based automation and MDEA decarbonization processes will become industry standards, reducing production costs by 10–15%.
- Green Transformation: Consumption of ammonium bicarbonate in environmental applications is forecast to reach 25,000 metric tons in 2026—accounting for 13.8% of total consumption—and grow 5% year-on-year.
Ammonium bicarbonate is a white, crystalline solid with a strong, characteristic ammonia odor; it is highly volatile and decomposes readily above 36 °C, releasing ammonia, carbon dioxide, and water vapor without a distinct melting point. It is classified as an inorganic salt and a thermally unstable ammonium compound. Industrially, it serves primarily as a leavening agent in food production (e.g., biscuits and crackers) and as a nitrogen source in fertilizer formulations. It is also used as a buffering agent and pH regulator in pharmaceutical manufacturing and as a precursor or intermediate in the synthesis of dyes, pigments, and fire retardants. Typical application areas include food processing, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and specialty chemicals.
1. Ammonium bicarbonate is used as nitrogen fertilizer, being applicable to a variety of soils, can simultaneously provide the ammonium nitrogen and carbon dioxide demanded by crop growth. However, it contains low nitrogen content and is also easy to caking. 2. It can be used as analytical reagent as well as being used in synthesizing ammonium salt and fabric degreasing. 3. It can promote crop growth and photosynthesis; trigger seedlings and the growth of leaves. It can be used as topdressing as well as being directly applied as ground fertilizer as food leavening agent and bulking agent.4. Ammonium bicarbonate can be used as a senior food fermentation agent. Its combination with sodium bicarbonate can be used as the raw materials of leavening agent such as bread, biscuits and pancakes. It can also be used as raw material of foam powder juice, as well as being used for the blanching of green vegetables and bamboo shoots. Moreover, it can be used as medicine and reagents.5. Alkali; leavening agent; buffer; aerating agent.Its combination with sodium bicarbonate can be used as the raw materials of leavening agent such as bread, biscuits and pancakes. Baking powder also takes this product as the main ingredient, together with the acidic substances. It can also be used as raw material of foam powder juice. The dosage of the blanching of green vegetables and bamboo shoots should be 0.1% to 0.3%.6. It can be used as analytical reagent; used for ammonium salt synthesis. Pharmaceuticals; baking powder; dyeing; It can be used for fabric degreasing. It can also be used as foamed plastics.
Ammonium bicarbonate appears as white monoclinic or orthorhombic crystals. It is soluble in water, but insoluble in ethanol, carbon disulfide and concentrated ammonia.It dissolves in water to give a mildly alkaline solution. It is insoluble in most organic solvents. While it is stable at room temperature (25 °C), it decomposes at temperatures above 36 °C to form ammonia, carbon dioxide, and water in an endothermic reaction (absorbs energy for the reaction from the surroundings).NH4HCO3 → NH3 + CO2 + H2OAmmonium bicarbonate reacts with acids to produce carbon dioxide, and reacts with bases to produce ammonia.
This chemical is included in Basic Chemicals. See more about what is Ammonium bicarbonate and Ammonium bicarbonate SDS information.
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