China Carbon Black Prices Hit Record High on Coking Coal Supply Tightness

China's domestic carbon black market has set a record high. On September 14, 2026, mainstream N330 carbon black in Shandong was quoted at RMB 11,500 to 12,000 per tonne, up RMB 3,650 from early September, a gain of 45%, with both the unit price and the weekly increase setting record highs for the industry. The price rise was mainly driven by across-the-board increases in upstream coal-based raw materials. Tight coking coal supply in Shanxi pushed coking coal prices steadily higher, and some coking plants cut production because of losses, leaving coal tar supply tight.

China's carbon black capacity stood at 9.507 million tonnes per year in 2025, with output of 6.08 million tonnes, up 4.2% and 8.4% year on year, respectively. China is the world's largest carbon black producer. With environmental policy tightening and higher barriers to industry entry, measures to eliminate small capacity and restrict new construction have accelerated the exit of outdated capacity. Black Cat Carbon Black is a domestic carbon black industry company that is also focusing on developing capacity for specialty carbon black and new materials, including conductive carbon black and carbon nanotubes. Longxing Technology's core products cover carbon black, white carbon black and other categories, with current designed carbon black capacity of 645,000 tonnes per year.