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China, the United States, and Germany are the leading exporters of acrylamide (CAS 79-06-1), collectively accounting for over 60% of global exports in 2023–2024, while India, South Korea, and Brazil represent the largest importers. Trade volumes have remained broadly stable year-on-year, though regional shifts in sourcing—particularly increased imports by Southeast Asian manufacturers—are coinciding with modest upward pressure on acrylamide prices.
Acrylamide Market Dynamics Report – Recent Commodity Market Intelligence
I. Price Trends
- **Recent Benchmark Price**: According to Shengyishe (Business Society) data, the benchmark price of acrylamide in June 2026 remained stable at RMB 9,833.33 per ton, with no significant fluctuations observed.
- **Historical Price Comparison**: In 2025, the annual average market price of acrylamide stood at RMB 13,400/ton at the beginning of the year and declined to RMB 13,000/ton by year-end—a full-year decline of 2.99%. Prices continued their low-level trajectory in 2026, easing cost pressures across the industry.
II. Supply and Demand
- **Supply Side**:
- Domestic capacity continues expanding: global polyacrylamide (PAM) capacity reached approximately 2.8 million tons/year in 2025, with China accounting for 64% (1.8 million tons/year); this is projected to increase to 2.2 million tons/year in 2026, while capacity utilization remains steady at ~89%.
- Capacity growth for high-end products (e.g., cationic, salt- and temperature-resistant grades) accelerated to 15% year-on-year, whereas conventional anionic PAM capacity growth slowed to 5%, reflecting ongoing industrial structural optimization.
- **Demand Side**:
- Apparent consumption in 2025 totaled approximately 1.35 million tons, representing over 8% year-on-year growth; demand is forecast to reach 1.45 million tons in 2026.
- Water treatment accounts for 45% of total demand—remaining the largest application segment—driven steadily by environmental policy enforcement; oilfield applications represent 21%, exhibiting structural divergence in demand; papermaking accounts for 18%, with rising demand for high-end, customized solutions; mining applications constitute 10%, with demand growth exceeding 12%—fueled by increased extraction of new-energy metals.
III. Cost and Profitability
- **Raw Material Prices**:
- Acrylonitrile: Prices dropped sharply in 2025, falling 20.43% from the beginning to end of the year; in 2026, prices are expected to remain range-bound between RMB 7,000–10,000/ton, significantly alleviating cost pressure on PAM producers.
- Acrylic acid: Prices declined 22.52% in 2025; in 2026, mainstream market prices are projected to oscillate within RMB 5,800–7,800/ton, supported by a firm floor anchored at the industry’s average cash cost level.
- **Profit Margins**: Low raw material prices have expanded PAM producers’ profit margins; however, intensified competition in the conventional product segment has heightened the risk of price wars.
IV. Import and Export Situation
- **Exports**: Cumulative exports from January to November 2025 reached 344,600 tons; full-year 2025 exports are projected at ~380,000 tons—down 4.5% year-on-year. Exports consist predominantly of conventional anionic PAM (>60%), commanding relatively low export prices.
- **Imports**: Cumulative imports from January to November 2025 totaled 6,800 tons; full-year 2025 imports are projected at ~7,500 tons—down 14.8% year-on-year. Imported products are primarily high-end specialty grades (e.g., high-temperature/high-salinity oilfield PAM), priced at roughly twice the export average, underscoring persistent structural supply gaps in China’s high-end domestic market.
Analysis and Assessment
1. **Market Supply-Demand Balance**: While domestic PAM production capacity continues expanding, high-end product supply remains insufficient, necessitating reliance on imports. Demand, underpinned by environmental regulations and new-energy resource development, sustains steady growth. Overall, supply-demand equilibrium holds—but pronounced structural imbalances persist.
2. **Cost-Driven Pricing**: Sustained low pricing for key feedstocks—acrylonitrile and acrylic acid—constitutes the primary support for PAM price stability. A rebound in raw material costs could trigger upward price adjustments in PAM.
3. **Competitive Landscape Divergence**: Industry concentration continues rising, with the top ten enterprises now commanding 67% of total capacity. SMEs are gradually exiting the market due to mounting environmental compliance and cost pressures. Competition intensifies in the high-end segment, while price-war risks mount among conventional product suppliers.
Outlook and Forecast
1. **Price Trend**: PAM prices in 2026 are expected to maintain their low-level trajectory, with minor fluctuations driven by raw material volatility and supply-demand dynamics; overall upside potential remains limited.
2. **Demand Growth**: Demand will continue expanding across water treatment, oilfield services, papermaking, and mining sectors—with high-end product demand growing particularly rapidly, becoming the core engine of industry expansion.
3. **Import-Export Trend**: Export volumes may fluctuate with shifts in international demand but are expected to remain broadly stable; import volumes are likely to decline further as domestic high-end production capacity scales up, widening China’s trade surplus in this sector.
4. **Industry Consolidation**: Stricter environmental policies and intensifying market competition will accelerate industry consolidation. Leading enterprises are expected to expand market share via mergers, acquisitions, and strategic reorganizations, while SMEs face increasing risk of exit.
Acrylamide is a white, crystalline, odorless solid at room temperature, with a melting point of 84.5 °C and moderate water solubility. It is an organic chemical classified as an unsaturated amide and serves primarily as a reactive monomer and chemical intermediate. Its principal industrial use is in the production of polyacrylamide polymers, which are employed in water treatment, enhanced oil recovery, papermaking, and mineral processing. Acrylamide is also utilized in the synthesis of grouting agents, soil conditioners, and certain specialty chemicals for coatings and adhesives.
1. It can be used as a monomer of polyacrylamide. Its polymer or copolymer is used as chemical grouting materials, soil conditioners, flocculants, adhesives and coatings. 2. Polyacrylamide, when used as a kind of additive, can improve the oil recycling efficiency. When used as flocculants, it can be used for sewage treatment. It can also be used as a paper strength agent. 3. Acrylamide is the most important products in acrylamide and methacrylamide-based products. Since its application in industry in 1954, the demand gradually increase. It is mainly used for the preparation of water soluble polymers which can be used as additives to improve oil recovery; as a flocculant, thickening agents, and paper additives. A small amount of acrylamide is introduce the hydrophilic center into the lipophilic polymer to improve the viscosity, increase the softening point and improve anti-solvents ability of resin, and can aso introduce a center for the coloring property of dye. Acrylamide is also often used as a component of the photopolymer. For the vinyl polymer, its crosslinking reaction can take advantage of this kind of reactive amide groups. Acrylamide can co-polymerizze with certain monomers such as vinyl acetate, styrene, vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, and acrylonitrile to obtain a polymer with a variety of applications. The main application areas: (1) used for the oilfield; the materials can be used in oilfield injection of wells for adjustment of the injection profile. Mix this product with initiator, and deaerator and inject into the high permeability layer part of water wells. This will lead the formation of high-viscosity polymer unearth of the stratum. This can plug the large pore, increase the swept volume of oil, and enhance the oil recovery. In addition, the product polymer or copolymer can be used for tertiary oil recovery, fracturing, water shutoff, drilling mixing process and chemical grouting. (2) It can be used as flocculants. Its partially hydrolyzed product and its graft copolymer of methyl cellulose can be used in wastewater treatment and sewage treatment. (3) Soil conditioner; using the hydrolyzed product as soil amendments can aggregate soil and can improve air circulation, water permeability and water retention. (4) Modification of fiber and resin processing; using acrylamide for carbamylation or graft polymerization can improve the resin arrangement of a variety of fiber containing synthetic fiber, as well as for warp and printing paste in order to improve the basic physical properties of fabrics as well as preventing wrinkle, shrink and keeping a good hand feeling. (5) It can be used as paper enhancer; copolymer of acrylamide and acrylic acid or partial hydrolysis products of polyacrylamide can be used as paper strength reinforcing agent for either replacing or combining with starch, and water-soluble amino resin. (6) it can be used as an adhesive agent including glass fiber adhesive agent with the combination of phenolic resin and polyacrylamide solution, as well as pressure sensitive adhesive combined with synthetic rubber.4. It is the raw material for producing polyacrylamide and related products. 5. It can be used as the monomer of polyacrylamide. Its polymer or copolymer can be used as chemical grouting materials, soil conditioners, flocculants, adhesives and coatings. Polyacrylamide, as an additive, can improve oil recovery. As a kind of flocculants, it can be used for waste water treatment as well as paper strength enhancer can. It is the raw material for producing polyacrylamide and related products. It can also used for determining the relative molecular weight of acid.
Acrylamide is odorless and colorless crystal. It is soluble in water, ethanol, acetone, ether, and methyl chloroform, and slightly soluble in toluene but insoluble in benzene. Acrylamide is a water-soluble monomer with two reactive centers (a vinyl group - with its reactive double bond, and an amide group). Because of its high reactivity, aqueous acrylamide monomer is stabilized with dissolved cupric salts and oxygen to prevent polymerization during shipping and storage.
This chemical is included in Fine Chemicals. See more about what is Acrylamide and Acrylamide SDS information.
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