According to the Commodity Market Analysis System of the Business Society, there were a total of 2 products that rose and 4 products that fell on the list of fluorine chemical prices in April 2023. The main commodities on the rise include fluorite and hydrofluoric acid; The main commodities falling include chloroform, aluminum fluoride, R22, and R134a. The fluctuation range of various fluorine chemical products in April is as follows:

Fluorite, also known as “fluorite”, is a strategic mineral and one of the scarce resources in China. It is a source product of the fluorine chemical industry. In April, the price of fluorite slightly increased, and domestic fluorite enterprises had a low operating rate. Backward mines will continue to be phased out, and in terms of adding new mines, mineral investigation work remains challenging. Mining enterprises are facing increasingly strict safety and environmental requirements, and the operation of fluorite mines is severely insufficient. In addition, in some areas, non-metallic mine accidents have occurred, and the requirements of environmental protection and emergency management departments have become stricter. The difficulty of mining operation has increased, and domestic fluorite raw materials are tightening. The operation of fluorite flotation devices is limited, and the price trend of fluorite has slightly increased:

Hydrofluoric acid: In April, the domestic price of hydrofluoric acid rose slightly. At the end of the month, the domestic market price of hydrofluoric acid was 10271.43 yuan/ton. The price of hydrofluoric acid rose 4.81% in April. At the beginning of April, the price of hydrofluoric acid rose sharply. Later, it was in the stage of digesting the increase, but the market trend of hydrofluoric acid declined at the end of the month. In April, some units were still shut down, but the hydrofluoric acid market was fully supplied. In addition, the downstream refrigerant purchase order was poor at the end of the month, and the price trend of hydrofluoric acid declined. On the whole, the price trend of hydrofluoric acid market rose in April.

Refrigerant: The market for downstream refrigerant products at the terminal has slightly declined, and the operating rate of the refrigerant industry has not changed much. Recently, there has been sufficient refrigerant supply, which has led to a slight decrease in the price of domestic refrigerant R22. The load of refrigerant R22 manufacturers is not high, and inventory is within a reasonable range. There is a strong wait-and-see sentiment. Domestic R134a manufacturers are operating at low loads, and the price trend of R134a is declining. Currently, on-demand procurement is the main trend, while downstream enterprises are not operating high. Traders have a strong wait-and-see attitude, and the actual transaction situation is light. Currently, the market quotation for refrigerant R134a is mostly in the range of 25000-25500 yuan/ton, and some enterprises have not resumed production. Demand orders are still small, and the market is stagnant and declining. Overall, the refrigerant market is not good.

Aluminium fluoride: In April, the price of aluminium fluoride declined. At the end of the month, the price was 9525 yuan/ton, and the price fell 2.81% in April. The sharp contradiction between supply and demand of aluminium fluoride, serious overcapacity, and poor downstream demand led to the decline of aluminium fluoride market price. Recently, about 50% of aluminum fluoride enterprises have started construction, with downstream procurement mainly focused on rigid demand and a two-way low sentiment. The demand for aluminum fluoride remains weak, and the trend of aluminum fluoride has declined.

Cryolite: In April, the domestic market trend of cryolite remained temporarily stable, with raw materials facing environmental and safety requirements, resulting in tight spot prices. Although prices have slightly decreased in the early stage, cost support is still present. Cryolite enterprises are mainly wait-and-see, and some manufacturers adjust based on their own shipment situation. Terminal downstream destocking is weak, demand for cryolite is weak, and the cryolite market is weak and stable.

Trichloromethane: In April, the market for trichloromethane plummeted significantly. At the end of the month, the price of trichloromethane bulk water in Shandong was 2362 yuan/ton, a significant decrease of 11.68% from 2675 yuan/ton at the beginning of the month. The price of raw material methanol fluctuates weakly, and the cost support for trichloromethane is weak; The price of downstream refrigerant R22 slightly decreased at the end of the month, and there is a strong demand for support for trichloromethane but no new support; Methane chloride production fluctuates slightly, while the supply of trichloromethane is generally loose; At the beginning of the month, due to the decrease in methanol prices and the restart of the Meilan plant, the market for trichloromethane fell. In April, the factory price of enterprises was significantly reduced, and later transactions were light, leading to a decline in the market for trichloromethane.

Prediction: The supply of fluorite ore is unlikely to improve in May, and the operating rate of the fluorite industry is slowly increasing. The confidence of fluorite enterprises in raising prices remains strong, and fluorite prices remain high. However, the downstream market price of hydrofluoric acid products fell slightly, the high price was insufficient, the trend of the hydrofluoric acid market declined, the refrigerant industry started in a downturn, raw material procurement was not active, and the refrigerant market declined slightly. Fluorochemical industry was affected by downstream demand. It is expected that the fluorochemical industry market in May will be difficult to be optimistic.