-
We detected your language preference as English. Would you like to switch to the English version for a better experience?
Switch to English
Stay here
Glycerin Market Intelligence Report (May 27, 2026)
I. Price Trends
1. Domestic Market
- Industrial-grade 99.5% glycerin: Prices in the East China region range from RMB 9,600–10,000 per metric ton (MT), and in the South China region from RMB 10,200–10,600 per MT—down 7.14% compared to the end-of-April level of RMB 10,500/MT. As of May 21, quotations from some producers remained stable, though downward adjustment momentum weakened.
- Industrial-grade 95% glycerin: Prices in East China range from RMB 9,600–10,000/MT, down approximately 5% month-on-month.
- Crude glycerin: Domestic spot price stands at ~RMB 7,200/MT; Southeast Asian 80% crude glycerin CIF China offers are quoted at USD 860–880/MT, down 2.84% from end-of-April levels.
2. International Market
- Southeast Asian industrial-grade 99.5% refined glycerin CIF China price is USD 1,230/MT, down 7.87% from USD 1,335/MT at end-April—exhibiting a steeper decline than the domestic market.
- Average import refined glycerin price is projected to decline 4.15% month-on-month to USD 1,155/MT in May; average crude glycerin import price is expected to fall 6.59% to USD 760/MT.
II. Supply-Demand Dynamics
1. Supply Side
- Import volumes: Cumulative imports of refined glycerin in Jan–Feb 2026 totaled 128.94 kilotons (+18.91% YoY); crude glycerin imports reached 305.19 kilotons (+12.19% YoY). Imports were expected to rise both in volume and value in March, but declined 13.80% month-on-month in April—suggesting easing of the oversupplied market conditions.
- Domestic production capacity: Plant operating rates have declined; some manufacturers, facing cost inversion (i.e., theoretical on-the-spot losses), have reduced their willingness to cut prices further—though inventory pressure remains.
2. Demand Side
- Downstream industries: Operating rates of glycerin-based epichlorohydrin (ECH) plants have decreased; as of May 21, East China ECH prices fell 8.18% MoM, weighing on glycerin demand.
- Seasonal factors: June marks the traditional off-season with weak terminal demand; however, summer heat may stimulate demand for sunscreens and other personal care products (glycerin being a key humectant ingredient).
III. Costs & Profitability
1. Raw Material Costs
- Crude glycerin pricing is supported by Indonesia’s export tariff policy, slowing its rate of decline; nevertheless, falling offshore prices continue to erode cost support.
- Domestic producers face theoretical cost inversion—most enterprises are operating at a loss based on current spot prices—constraining further price reductions.
2. Profit Margins
- The price spread between refined and crude glycerin has narrowed, compressing processing margins. Some producers have responded by lowering operating rates or shifting output toward crude glycerin to sustain operations.
IV. Market Sentiment & Outlook
1. Short Term (1–2 weeks)
- Price trend: Prices expected to stabilize at low levels; East China 99.5% refined glycerin likely to trade within RMB 9,300–9,500/MT.
- Key variables: Potential rebound in offshore prices; supply tightening due to reduced arrivals expected in June.
2. Medium Term (1–3 months)
- Upside opportunity: Should June import volumes decline owing to reduced procurement intent—and combined with seasonal growth in personal care demand—prices may stage a short-term rebound.
- Downside risk: Prolonged off-season demand weakness and further declines in offshore prices could extend the downtrend.
3. Long Term (6+ months)
- Supply-demand balance: With significantly higher YoY import volumes in 2026, the oversupplied market structure is unlikely to change, and the price center may remain below 2025 levels.
- Policy impact: Rising demand for bio-based glycerin carbon footprint certification may foster green supply chain premiums—but near-term impact remains limited.
V. Operational Recommendations
1. Buyers:
- Adopt a “small-batch, frequent-purchase” strategy during the off-season to mitigate price volatility risks.
- Monitor signals of reduced June arrivals and lock in competitively priced supplies opportunistically.
2. Producers:
- Optimize inventory management—reduce high-cost raw material stockpiles—and utilize futures hedging to manage price risk.
- Expand into high-value-added downstream applications (e.g., pharmaceutical-grade glycerin) to enhance profitability.
3. Traders:
- Leverage regional price arbitrage—particularly between South China and East China—to capture margin opportunities.
- Closely track policy developments regarding Southeast Asian crude glycerin exports and proactively secure low-cost sourcing channels.
Glycerol's properties make it useful for numerous applications. The three hydroxyl groups in glycerol allow extensive hydrogen bonding that gives glycerol its characteristic syrupy viscous texture and hygroscopic character. Approximately 40% of glycerol's use is for personal care products such as cosmetics, soaps, shampoos, lotions, mouthwash, and toothpaste. Glycerol's hygroscopic properties make it a good moisturizer in skin products. Another 25% of glycerol's annual production is used in food production. In the food industry glycerol is used as a moistening agent, as a solvent for food coloring and syrups, to prevent crystallization of sugar in candies and icings, as a preservative, and as a sweetening agent. Approximately 10% of glycerol's use goes into tobacco processing, where it is sprayed on tobacco leaves before they are shredded to serve as a moistening agent. Glycerol has the added benefit of imparting a sweet taste to chewing tobacco. The remaining 25% of glycerol's use is distributed among various industrial uses. It is used in cough syrups and elixir medicines. In industry, glycerol is found in lubricants, plasticizers, adhesives, antifreezes, resins, and insulating foams. At one time it was used almost exclusively in its nitrated form as an explosive (see Nitroglycerin), which today accounts for about 3% of its use.
Pure glycerol appears as colorless, odorless and sweet viscous liquid. Boiling point: 290 ° C, melting point: 17.9 ° C, the relative density: 1.2613. It can be miscible with water infinitely. It can be dissolved in 11 times ethyl acetate, about 500 times ether. It is insoluble in benzene, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, carbon disulfide, petroleum ether and oil. Anhydrous glycerol has a strong water absorption property.Glycerol is weakly acidic, being able to react with alkaline hydroxide. For example, it reaction with copper hydroxide can produce bright blue cupric glycerinate (can be used to identify polyols). Glycerol can react with nitric acid to generate glyceryl trinitrate, also known as nitroglycerin, being a strong explosive.Because glycerol has water absorption property, it is often used as the moisturizing agent of cosmetics, leather, tobacco, food and textile. Glycerol also has effect on lubricating the intestine, being able to be used for enema or suppository treatment of constipation. Nitroglycerides have the effect of dilating coronary arteries and can be used to treat angina. Nitroglycerin can be used as an explosive and propellant. Glycerol can react with binary acid to generate alkyd resin, widely being used in paints and coatings.In nature, glycerol is widely presented in the form of esters. For example, a variety of animal and vegetable oils are glycerol carboxylate with hydrolyzing grease being capable to generate fatty acids and glycerol. At present, one of the major sources of glycerol is the byproduct of the soap industry (grease is hydrolyzed under alkaline conditions). The other major source is from petroleum pyrolysis gas, propylene.
This chemical is included in Basic Chemicals. See more about what is Glycerol and Glycerol SDS information.
Find Glycerol supply and Glycerol suppliers on Guidechem to meet your sourcing needs from 993 trusted and certifedsuppliers.
Guidechem assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this site. The information contained in this site is provided on an “as is” basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness, fitness for purpose or timeliness.
EN
