Sodium Hydroxide Market Heats Up

May 12, 2020

As summer nears, the Sodium Hydroxide (Caustic) market is heating up.

For three consecutive months, producers have tabled increases, and they appear to be sticking.

Here’s how the COVID-19 virus led to a domino effect for Sodium Hydroxide prices… and how the dominoes fell.

  1. Amid the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 virus, governments worldwide order lockdowns, business closures, and other drastic measures to slow the spread of the disease. Quickly, the world finds itself in an economic downturn.
  2. Construction projects (i.e. new home construction) and the automotive industry are particularly vulnerable in a downturn, and are significantly affected. The automotive industry virtually shut down worldwide. New home construction saw it’s largest monthly decline in decades.
  3. Construction and automotive industries are both major consumers of PVC plastics. Suddenly, demand for PVC is down 30-40%.
  4. PVC is one of the largest consumers of Chlorine, and essentially drives Chlorine production. Although Chlorine is also used to make Bleach, and demand for disinfectants is high, the significant reduction in demand for PVC has overshadowed the increased demand for Bleach. (Bleach is only one small outlet for Chlorine.)
  5. With 30% less Chlorine demand worldwide, Chlor-Alkali plants cut operating rates to 70%. With Sodium Hydroxide being a beneficial co-product of Chlorine production, it is now in shorter supply.
  6. Demand for Sodium Hydroxide is more stable than Chlorine, and has not taken such a hit. Certain markets for Sodium Hydroxide, especially pulp & paper, are in great demand (think toilet paper, packaging for online sales).
  7. With supply dropping more than demand drops, Sodium Hydroxide tightens. Increases from producers, rolled out for three consecutive months, are noticeable. Sodium Hydroxide is widely on allocation.

With questions about your Sodium Hydroxide supply/price, feel free to reach out to your Sales Representative. The team at CORECHEM is here to support our customers during this unprecedented time, and look forward to hearing from you!