This week, the focus of the domestic acetone market shifted upwards, breaking away from the previous weak and volatile pattern. According to monitoring data from Business Society, market prices slightly increased on January 13th compared to last week. The mainstream price in East China climbed from around 4100 yuan/ton on January 7th to 4350 yuan/ton on January 13th, an increase of 6.10% compared to last week, ending the downward trend since 2025 and improving the trading atmosphere.
Trend chart of acetone prices in the East China market
Marginal improvement on the demand side provides impetus. The demand for terminal replenishment and trader stocking will continue to be released, and the growth of demand in emerging green fields will become a new increment – the accelerated penetration of bio based acetone glycerol in water-based polyurethane coatings and other fields; In addition, the operating rates of downstream industries such as MIBK and MMA have slightly increased, and the increase in demand has boosted trading activity.
Cost side support. The core raw materials for acetone, propylene and pure benzene, have stabilized narrowly this week, easing the pressure of weakened cost support. As key raw materials for the production of isopropylbenzene, the stabilization of their prices has reduced the cost pressure on enterprises and increased the willingness of non integrated enterprises to start production; Combined with the resource integration and efficiency improvement of domestic integrated refining and chemical enterprises, the stable supply of raw materials further enhances market confidence.
The potential contraction expectation on the supply side has boosted market sentiment. Although the total domestic production capacity is high, some phenol ketone units have undergone short-term maintenance recently, resulting in a moderate industry operating rate and alleviating the pressure of oversupply; By the end of 2025, imported cargo at the port will gradually be digested, port inventory will be reduced, and coupled with traders’ reluctance to sell at low levels, the tight supply of circulating goods will drive up the quotation.
From the perspective of Business Society, whether the acetone market can continue to rise still depends on multiple factors: the cost side needs to track the price trends of propylene and pure benzene; The development of new industries on the demand side is worth paying attention to, but there is still uncertainty in the increase of traditional downstream operating rates; The restart progress of the supply side maintenance equipment and the arrival of imported cargo at the port affect the supply-demand balance. The short-term market may experience strong fluctuations, but in the long run, it depends on fundamental improvements in the supply and demand pattern.
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