Aluminum chloride

Market Intelligence Report on Anhydrous Aluminum Chloride – Recent Commodity Market Dynamics

I. Price Dynamics

1. Benchmark Price:
- As of July 7, 2026, the business-society benchmark price for anhydrous aluminum chloride stood at RMB 5,533.33 per ton, unchanged from the beginning of the month.
- Recent price fluctuation range: minimum RMB 5,450.00/ton, maximum RMB 5,600.00/ton, median RMB 5,525.00/ton.

2. Regional Quotations:
- Hengjiu Chemical Co., Ltd. (Wuhan, Hubei Province): RMB 7,100.00/ton (AlCl? content ≥99.2%).
- Multiple enterprises in Shandong Province quoted prices ranging from RMB 5,200 to RMB 5,700/ton—for example, Shandong Hongyang Chemical Co., Ltd. quoted RMB 5,600–5,700/ton (AlCl? content 99–99.5%), while Shandong Langcheng Chemical Co., Ltd. quoted RMB 5,200/ton (AlCl? content ≥99%).
- Gongyi Hengyi Water Treatment Co., Ltd. (Gongyi City, Henan Province): RMB 5,400/ton (GB standard, AlCl? content ≥99%).

3. Price Trend:
- Prices briefly rose to RMB 5,600/ton in mid-to-late June but subsequently stabilized around RMB 5,533.33/ton, indicating relatively balanced market supply and demand.

II. Market Supply and Demand

1. Supply Situation:
- China is the world’s largest producer of anhydrous aluminum chloride, accounting for over 40% of global output.
- The industry comprises numerous manufacturers, predominantly small- and medium-sized enterprises; large-scale, integrated producers remain relatively few, resulting in low overall market concentration.
- Production technologies have continuously evolved—from traditional crystallization methods to advanced techniques such as membrane separation and freeze crystallization—enhancing product purity and quality.

2. Demand Situation:
- Anhydrous aluminum chloride finds broad application across petroleum & chemical refining, pharmaceuticals, electronics, environmental protection, and other sectors.
- Demand from the pharmaceutical industry has grown significantly, primarily for use as a desiccant and catalyst. Annual demand stands at approximately 100,000 tons, with roughly 80% utilized as a desiccant.
- Electronic-grade anhydrous aluminum chloride—representing a high-end segment—exhibits sustained demand growth; however, domestic production capacity remains limited, necessitating partial imports.

3. Supply-Demand Balance:
- Globally, the anhydrous aluminum chloride market is currently in overall supply-demand equilibrium, although localized or time-specific imbalances may occur.
- Increasingly stringent environmental regulations are constraining production at certain facilities, reducing supply volumes and exerting upward pressure on prices.

III. Industry Developments

1. Policy Support:
- National policies provide strong support for the anhydrous aluminum chloride industry. For instance, the \"Catalogue of Priority New Materials for First-Batch Application Demonstration (2024 Edition)\" lists \"ultra-high-purity chemical reagents—aluminum chloride\" under the category of \"advanced semiconductor materials and new display materials\" as a key strategic material.

2. Technological Advancements:
- Enterprises are intensifying R&D investment, launching high-performance, high-purity anhydrous aluminum chloride products to meet growing market demands.
- Preparation of anhydrous aluminum chloride from high-alumina coal fly ash has emerged as a prominent domestic research focus, with novel process theories recently reported.

3. Market Competition:
- Intense competition characterizes the domestic anhydrous aluminum chloride market, accompanied by severe product homogenization.
- Leading enterprises are pursuing mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring to expand scale, enhance market concentration, and achieve synergistic advantages in resources, cost efficiency, and technology.

IV. Analysis, Outlook, and Forecast

1. Price Outlook:
- In the short term, anhydrous aluminum chloride prices are expected to remain stable, supported by balanced supply-demand fundamentals and cost pressures, with only limited price volatility anticipated.
- Over the longer term, tightening environmental regulations and expansion of new-energy industries will further broaden applications in environmental protection sectors, unlocking substantial market potential—and likely driving a gradual upward price trend.

2. Demand Outlook:
- Demand from high-end sectors—including pharmaceuticals and electronics—will continue rising, expanding overall market demand.
- As downstream application fields develop further, international demand for anhydrous aluminum chloride is also projected to increase notably.

3. Industry Trends:
- The anhydrous aluminum chloride industry will advance toward greener, lower-carbon, higher-purity, and application-specific product development, with premiumization emerging as the central strategic direction.
- Digital and intelligent technologies will be deeply integrated into production and management processes, serving as critical enablers for enhanced quality, efficiency, and productivity.
- Horizontal industry consolidation is accelerating, with leading firms expanding scale through M&A and restructuring to strengthen market concentration.