The price of hydrochloric acid keeps rising, making it quite challenging for polyaluminium chloride this year

Today, I received another notice of hydrochloric acid price increase, marking another round of upward adjustment since the beginning of April. The pace of the price increase has shifted from a small increase of 10 yuan/ton every few days initially to a single large increase of 40 yuan/ton. In just two months, the overall increase in hydrochloric acid prices has exceeded 200 yuan/ton.
Hydrochloric acid, as the core raw material for the production of polyaluminium chloride, has seen a significant increase in price, directly driving the ex-factory price of polyaluminium chloride to rise by nearly 200 yuan/ton. For the polyaluminium chloride industry, such an increase is substantial.
   In the article I posted a few days ago, I mentioned that the price of polyaluminium chloride has entered a "surge mode" this year. I initially thought that after a brief increase, the price would stabilize and then decline. However, the upward trend in price has continued to this day, showing no signs of abating.
   In the current market situation, maintaining stability without any increase is already the best scenario. The prices have just stabilized for a week, and a new round of price hikes has struck again, with market fluctuations being very frequent.
For us, it is essential to understand various situations in both upstream and downstream industries in order to better expand the market and maximize customer benefits. To clarify the fundamental reason for the current round of continuous price increases and to avoid immediately adjusting prices after providing a quote to customers, which could affect customer trust, I specifically engaged in in-depth communication with upstream chlor-alkali raw material suppliers to ascertain the core reason for this round of price increases and the subsequent market trend.
   The core reason for the current round of continuous price hikes lies in the severe imbalance between supply and demand.
On the one hand, the overall market situation of the upstream chlor-alkali industry is sluggish, with profits being squeezed for most enterprises. Factories in many regions have been forced to reduce production and undergo maintenance, directly leading to a significant reduction in the supply of industrial hydrochloric acid and a continuous shortage of supply.
   On the other hand, currently, polyaluminium chloride (PAC) manufacturers on the market are still continuously expanding production, with market production capacity increasing steadily. Hydrochloric acid is a rigid raw material required for PAC production, and the expansion of production capacity has directly driven up the market demand for hydrochloric acid, leading to a situation of supply shortage.
   In April and May of previous years, it was generally the beginning of the price reduction cycle for polyaluminium chloride, with the market steadily declining and prices falling. This is a regular downward turning point in the industry.
However, the market in 2026 completely broke the previous patterns, bucking the trend and continuing to rise in price. The current industry is already fiercely competitive, with the end-use market gradually shrinking, while the production and supply market continues to expand. Amidst intensifying internal competition, coupled with the continuous surge in raw material prices, both manufacturers and end customers are under dual pressure.
    In the face of the continuously volatile raw material market, what we can do is to synchronize the real-time market situation, inform customers of risks in advance, suggest reasonable stocking, and calmly cope with this round of price hikes together with customers, helping them avoid the risk of cost increases to the greatest extent.
    Today's weather forecast predicts heavy rain in the afternoon. After dinner, I will immediately head to the factory to monitor the progress of vehicle loading on site. I will repeatedly remind the drivers to ensure proper protection with waterproof covers.
Polyaluminium chloride products must be strictly protected from moisture and water. Once exposed to rain, it will directly affect the product quality. With years of experience in the industry, I have always insisted that all foreseeable issues should be resolved before the products leave the factory.
    This is not only our responsibility towards every customer to prevent quality issues during transportation and reduce unnecessary losses for both parties, but also our fundamental original intention as an industrial enterprise, which is to control quality and provide excellent service from every minor detail.