During the week of August 7–13, 2026, the domestic acetic acid market demonstrated a minor downward adjustment. Following the successful restart of major production facilities in North China and the resumption of select turnarounds, spot supply expanded across the market. Coupled with cautious purchasing sentiment from downstream buyers, transaction price centers for both ex-factory and delivered offers shifted slightly lower, with sellers offering price concessions to facilitate trade.

As of Thursday, the domestic acetic acid market average price fell to 2,858 RMB/ton, down 62 RMB/ton (a decrease of approximately 2.12%) compared to the same period the previous week.

I. Weekly Market Breakdown

1. Supply: Operating Rates Rise; Spot Cargo Circulation Accelerates

The average operating rate across the industry rose by 6.53% week-on-week to 78.83%, with total weekly production reaching 257,650 tons (a 9.03% increase week-on-week).

• Facility Operations: Mainstream facilities in Shandong ramped up to full capacity, while plants in Anhui successfully restarted, significantly boosting national output. Additionally, lower-priced spot supplies from Northeast China continued to flow into regional markets, keeping overall spot availability ample.

• Regional Disparity: Although East China received supplementary inflows from surrounding regions, spot availability remained tight due to low initial inventory levels. This provided baseline support for local prices, slowing down the pace of price drops.

2. Demand & Pricing: Regional Quotes Soften; Realized Trades Depend on Negotiations

Terminal demand remained quiet, with end-users sticking strictly to hand-to-mouth replenishment and maintaining a cautious wait-and-see stance. Suppliers expanded price concessions to boost cargo turnover.

Mainstream spot price references across key regions in China were as follows:

• East China: Shanghai and Jiangsu spot offers were quoted at 2,850–2,900 RMB/ton (ex-factory, banker's acceptance), with delivered prices to neighboring areas referenced at 2,900–2,950 RMB/ton (banker's acceptance). Zhejiang spot offers stood at 2,900–2,950 RMB/ton (ex-factory, banker's acceptance).

• North China & Shandong: Shandong spot offers ranged from 2,800–2,900 RMB/ton (ex-factory, banker's acceptance), with delivered prices to surrounding areas referenced at 2,850–2,940 RMB/ton (banker's acceptance). North China spot offers stood at 2,750–2,800 RMB/ton (ex-factory, banker's acceptance), with neighboring delivered prices at 2,800–2,940 RMB/ton (banker's acceptance).

• Central China: Henan spot offers were quoted at 2,750–2,850 RMB/ton (ex-factory, banker's acceptance); Hubei spot offers stood at 2,900–2,950 RMB/ton (ex-factory, banker's acceptance).

• Northwest & Southwest China: Shaanxi spot offers were referenced at 2,650 RMB/ton (ex-factory, cash); Ningxia stood at 2,750 RMB/ton (ex-factory, banker's acceptance). In Southwest China, local delivered prices were referenced at 3050–3,100 RMB/ton (banker's acceptance), with long-distance delivered offers at 3,150–3,200 RMB/ton (banker's acceptance).

• South China: Guangxi spot offers ranged from 2,800–2,850 RMB/ton (ex-factory, banker's acceptance); Guangdong stood at 2,900–2,950 RMB/ton (ex-factory, banker's acceptance).

II. Market Outlook & Forecast

Looking ahead to next week, supply-demand negotiations are expected to intensify, keeping the acetic acid market in a short-term range-bound stance. Mainstream transaction prices are projected to hover steadily between 2,700 and 3,000 RMB/ton.

• Firm Cost Support: Upstream methanol market fundamentals remain healthy with low factory inventories, keeping producers determined to hold quotes firm. High-level raw material costs will continue to provide a solid price floor for acetic acid.

• Supply Growth Meets Planned Maintenance: No planned turnarounds are scheduled for next week, and previously under-utilized plants in Anhui and Jiangsu are expected to ramp up production further, ensuring abundant market supply. However, as typhoon disruptions fade and regional logistics normalize, social inventories are expected to draw down slightly. Furthermore, planned maintenance at select facilities in Henan around August 25 may tighten regional supply later in the month.

• Modest Pickup in Downstream Demand: Operating rates across key downstream sectors—including PTA, vinyl acetate monomer (VAM), acetic esters (ethyl, butyl, and sec-butyl acetate), and acetic anhydride—are expected to recover slightly, providing a minor boost to raw material consumption.

Summary: Backed by firm raw material costs and recovering downstream operating rates, room for significant price declines in acetic acid remains limited. However, as market supply recovers smoothly and demand growth stays relatively mild, the market is poised for a steady, range-bound consolidation next week. Market participants should closely monitor cargo arrivals in East China; if spot deliveries exceed expectations, minor localized price adjustments of 10–20 RMB/ton cannot be ruled out.