Glacial Acetic Acid Industry Weekly Report

China Glacial Acetic Acid Weekly Market Analysis

The glacial acetic acid industry chain saw mixed price movements this week. The average weekly price of glacial acetic acid in East China was 2928 yuan/ton, a decrease of 5 yuan/ton from the previous week's average of 2933 yuan/ton.

Most prices in the glacial acetic acid industry chain rose, but the prices of glacial acetic acid and ethyl acetate declined somewhat. During the period, Glacial Acetic Acid prices varied across regions, with some rising, some falling, and some remaining stable. Specifically, the price in North China rose by 10 yuan/ton, an increase of 0.17%; prices in South China remained stable, while prices in East China saw a slight decrease. Among downstream products, the price of butyl acetate rose, while the price of ethyl acetate fell.

The Glacial Acetic Acid market price eased somewhat, with some localized price declines. With the lifting of the shipping ban in East China, factories have resumed shipping shipments, and recent exports have been relatively good, leading to a significant reduction in enterprise inventories. However, in the Northwest region, due to the influx of goods from other regions and the restart of local factories after maintenance, shipments from factories in the region have been sluggish, prompting them to lower prices to boost sales. The Northwest region continues its downward trend, while other factories mostly maintain stable prices. However, in East China, constrained by weak demand, traders have successively lowered prices to boost sales, causing the market to gradually decline.

Downstream profits for glacial acetic acid have shown mixed trends. Ethyl acetate producers have seen a decline in profitability due to relatively firm raw material prices and weak supply and demand, leading to lower prices and reduced profits. Butyl acetate profits have also declined, with weak end-user demand and sluggish factory sales resulting in lower profits.

Looking ahead, with the strait remaining closed, attention should be paid to fluctuations in raw material prices.

Downstream Capacity Utilization of Mainstream Products

The capacity utilization rates of most downstream products for glacial acetic acid declined. At the end of the last PTA cycle, a 2.25 million tonnes/year plant in Northeast China restarted, with no other changes reported, resulting in a slight increase in the weekly average capacity utilization rate. Ethyl Acetate plants at Yankuang Lunan and Anhui Huayi remained shut down for maintenance, while Guangxi Xintiande restarted, Guangxi Jinyuan temporarily shut down, and Jiangsu Suopu and Guangdong Lieran plants experienced load fluctuations, leading to a continued decline in ethyl acetate capacity utilization. Butyl acetate plants at Yankuang Lunan remained shut down for maintenance, while the Dongying plant operated at low capacity, resulting in a decrease in butyl acetate capacity utilization.

As of July 20, 2026, glacial acetic acid producers' inventory was 161,400 tons, a decrease of 41,700 tons from the previous period, a drop of 20.53%. This period saw a significant decline in glacial acetic acid production inventory, with the East China and Northwest regions experiencing the largest decreases. In East China, with the resumption of shipping routes, factories have been gradually shipping goods, leading to a significant decrease in overall inventory. Coupled with relatively positive export sentiment recently, inventory reduction has been rapid. In Northwest China, due to plant maintenance, inventory is mainly being depleted. Other regions are shipping according to their own schedules, and overall inventory is under control. Longzhong Information predicts that glacial acetic acid inventory may decrease in the next period.

Ethyl Acetate

The price of ethyl acetate is gradually declining. In East China, the lowest price this week was 5605 yuan/ton (cash ex-factory), and the highest price was 5655 yuan/ton (cash ex-factory). The weekly average price was 5615 yuan/ton, a decrease of 93 yuan/ton from the previous week, a decrease of 1.63 percentage points.

The price of raw material acetic acid is weak and stable. Cost support is unclear, and downstream buyers are mostly adopting a wait-and-see attitude. High-priced factories are experiencing sluggish sales, and new order negotiations are weak. Although some factories are fulfilling export orders, the overall market supply is sufficient, demand is slow, and the willingness to accept goods is weak, leading to a continued decline in trading volume. Subsequently, the price of raw material acetic acid continued to decline in some areas, resulting in weak cost support for the market. Downstream enthusiasm for entering the market was sluggish, and demand continued to drag down market sentiment. Intermediaries slowed their purchasing pace, focusing mainly on fulfilling previous orders. Market negotiations continued to weaken, and transactions were sluggish.

The raw material acetic acid market may still see further declines in the short term, with cost support showing a further weakening trend. The fundamentals are generally weak, with ample market supply but slow downstream demand, mainly consisting of inquiries for immediate needs. The supply-demand imbalance is difficult to alleviate effectively, and industry players are not optimistic about the future market performance. The market lacks positive drivers. Longzhong predicts that the price of ethyl acetate may still have room for a slight downward shift next week.

Butyl Acetate

The price of butyl acetate fluctuated narrowly. In the East China market, the lowest price this week was 6500 yuan/ton (cash ex-factory), and the highest price was 6550 yuan/ton (cash ex-factory). The weekly average price was 6525 yuan/ton, an increase of 5 yuan/ton from the previous week, a week-on-week increase of 0.08 percentage points.

Prices of raw materials acetic acid and n-butanol remained stable, providing some cost support to the market. However, downstream consumption was slow, limiting market entry. Factory shipments were flat, and transactions were scarce, resulting in a slightly weaker market. Mid-week, n-butanol prices remained firm, with some cost support.

Some local markets even saw further price increases, but weak end-user demand and slow downstream consumption led to low purchasing intentions, suppressing price adjustments. Subsequently, acetic acid prices continued to decline in some areas, and n-butanol prices retreated somewhat. Cost changes significantly influenced market sentiment, coupled with low downstream operating rates and poor factory shipments, leading to a stagnant market after the price drop.

The price trends of acetic acid and n-butanol diverged, with limited overall cost support. Localized declines in acetic acid prices dragged down market sentiment. Fundamentals lacked positive drivers; slow downstream consumption meant demand was unlikely to improve significantly in the short term, and factories continued to face pressure to ship. Longzhong predicts that the butyl acetate market price will likely maintain a weak and volatile pattern next week.

Market Outlook for Next Week

The glacial acetic acid market is expected to consolidate within a narrow range next week, driven by anticipated supply recovery. Cost fluctuations are likely to be relatively limited. While glacial acetic acid supply is expected to recover, unexpected plant malfunctions are providing some support to the market. Demand is expected to continue its upward trend, with both supply and demand improving simultaneously. Attention should be paid to the recovery strength in different regions.

Key Focus Areas:

1. Supply Side: Next week, the Thorpe Phase III plant, Yankuang, and Celanese are expected to see recovery, leading to higher capacity utilization rates.

2. Demand Side: A 3.75 million tons/year PTA plant in Northeast China is scheduled for maintenance at the end of next week, but several other plants are expected to restart at the end of the month, resulting in increased capacity utilization. The Xintiande ethyl acetate plant will operate normally next week, while the Jiangsu Thorpe plant will operate at below-average capacity, keeping ethyl acetate capacity utilization at a low level. The Xintiande butyl acetate plant is scheduled to restart next week, while the Dongying plant may have maintenance plans, resulting in minimal fluctuations in butyl acetate capacity utilization.

3. Cost of methanol: Supply and demand will both increase next week, but the increase in supply will be larger, and the loose situation will continue. The continued rise in port inventory will exert strong downward pressure. The recovery of traditional downstream consumption will drive a significant increase in total demand, limiting the downside potential of prices.