2023 China carbon black industry Annual report

The concept of carbon black

Carbon black, also known as carbon black, is an amorphous carbon, light, loose and very fine black powder, can be understood as the image of the bottom of the pot ash. It is coal, natural gas, heavy oil, fuel oil and other carbon substances under the condition of insufficient air by incomplete combustion or thermal decomposition of the product.

Preparation method of carbon black

The raw materials of carbon black in our country are coal tar, anthracene tar and ethylene tar. The purchasing cost is about 80% of the total cost. Coal tar is the main raw oil of most carbon black enterprises.

The classic oil furnace method to produce carbon black is to supply the raw material with an appropriate amount of air, burn and crack at high temperature in the reactor, and the temperature in the high temperature area of the reactor is 1200-1900 degrees, and the carbon black is suspended in the flue gas. Usually, water is used as the reaction terminator of carbon black raw material, after cooling, the carbon black is separated from the waste gas by separator or filter, and finally granulated in the granulator.

The classification and application of carbon black are very wide, mainly include:

N330

The most widely used high wear resistant carbon black.

Mainly used for tire tread, cord rubber, tire side and various rubber products.

N220

Suitable for all kinds of rubber.

It is mainly used for tread rubber of load tire and passenger tire, and rubber products that need high strength and high wear resistance.

N550

Suitable for natural rubber and all kinds of synthetic rubber.

It is mainly used in tire cord rubber, tire side, inner tube and pressing and calendering products.

N660

Suitable for all kinds of rubber.

It is mainly used for tire and wheel curtain tape, inner tube, bicycle, hose, cable, footwear and rolling products, model products, etc.

China carbon black industry chain diagram

Main upstream products: high temperature coal tar, anthracene oil, ethylene tar, etc.

Main downstream products are: tires, paint, ink, other rubber products, etc.

Consumption structure of carbon black downstream market

Among them, the main consumption proportion of carbon black in the downstream market is carbon black for tires, carbon black for rubber, and plastics, accounting for 66.7%, 22.2%, and 6.3%, respectively.

Overview of carbon black market in China in 2023

The market trend of carbon black in 2023 is ups and downs. The price at the beginning of the year is the highest, and the price falls to the low point in mid-May. Taking carbon black N330 as an example, the highest price at the beginning of the year is 10600 yuan/ton, and the lowest price in the year is 6450 yuan/ton.

For the whole year, the market price of carbon black at the end of 2023 fell sharply from the beginning of the year, with the price falling by 2,200 yuan/ton, or 20.75%.

Analysis of carbon black production capacity in China from 2017 to 2023

According to Tu Duodo data statistics, the total production capacity of China's carbon black market in 2023 is about 9.765,500 tons, an increase of 937,500 tons compared with last year, an increase of 10.6%, and the overall production capacity increased slightly.

Among them, East China and North China accounted for the largest proportion of carbon black production capacity, accounting for 36% and 35% of the total carbon black production capacity respectively.

According to Tu Duoduo data statistics, China's carbon black production from January to November 2023 was 4,913,500 tons, an increase of 9.5% over the same period last year, and an increase of about 426,500 tons.

Analysis of China's carbon black import volume in 2023

According to customs data, China's total carbon black imports from January to October of 2023 increased significantly from last year, with the most obvious increase in August. China imported 227,300 tons of carbon black, 151,200 tons more than the same period last year, an increase of 198.67%.

Forecast of China's carbon black market in 2024

On the supply side: the domestic carbon black production capacity is expected to increase slightly in 2024. At present, the carbon black industry has shifted from the stage of rapid growth to the stage of high-quality development. With the increasing constraints of resources and environment on the carbon black industry, the competition pattern of the carbon black market in the future may continue to intensify.

Cost: In 2024, under the implementation of the national environmental protection and energy consumption double control industrial policy, the old coke oven capacity continues to be eliminated, and the green environmental protection coke oven continues to expand. In the short term, the supply of raw material high temperature coal tar may continue to be tight, and the demand gap of raw material end is large, which has certain positive support for the high temperature coal tar market. However, there is still some support for the cost of carbon black. It is expected that the high temperature coal tar market may fall first and then rise in 2024, and the overall operation is strong.

Demand side: tire raw material prices continue to rise, the price policy of some tire enterprises continue to increase, the tire industry to save a certain profit space, the future market or good operation;

The domestic economy is running steadily, automobile production and sales continue to record high, the terminal demand of the tire industry must just need support, the output of the tire industry or continue to increase, the demand for raw material carbon black or improved.