Activated Carbon: Recent Market Intelligence, Analysis, and Forecast

I. Market Intelligence
(A) Price Trends
1. Overall Price Stability: As of May 22, 2026, the activated carbon market remains stable overall, with prices unchanged at RMB 12,833 per ton from the beginning to the end of the week.
2. Significant Price Differentials Across Product Segments:
– Coconut Shell Activated Carbon: For iodine number 900 coconut shell activated carbon, Henan Kaijie Water Treatment Co., Ltd. quotes RMB 7,800/ton, while Henan Senti Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd. quotes RMB 11,000/ton.
– Coal-Based Activated Carbon: For iodine number 900 granular coal-based activated carbon, Henan Kaijie Water Treatment Co., Ltd. quotes RMB 7,600/ton; for cylindrical activated carbon with iodine number 1000, the quoted price is RMB 9,300/ton.
– Other Activated Carbon Types: Powdered activated carbon (methylene blue value 10) is quoted at RMB 5,200/ton by Henan Kaijie Water Treatment Co., Ltd.; another specification (pH 5–7.5, ash content 8–10%) is quoted at RMB 7,500/ton.
3. Premium Products Maintain Pricing Resilience: Genuine pure coconut shell activated carbon remains priced stably above RMB 20,000/ton—no reversion to the RMB 10,000–15,000/ton range has occurred. Lower-priced offerings are predominantly blends, regenerated products, or non-pure coconut shell feedstock. For gold extraction applications, high-iodine-number coconut shell activated carbon (1000–1200 mg/g) trades at RMB 20,000–24,000/ton, while medium-iodine-number grades (800–1000 mg/g) command RMB 18,000–20,000/ton.

(B) Supply-Demand Dynamics
1. Supply Side:
– Raw Material Supply: Southeast Asia and Africa serve as primary sources of premium coconut shells. In recent years, Indonesia and the Philippines have tightened export policies on raw coconut shells, causing raw material price volatility of 15%–20%. Although imported carbonized coconut shell material prices remain stable for now, increased rainfall in the Philippines and Indonesia may disrupt collection logistics and raise future procurement costs. Domestic activated carbon manufacturers currently hold relatively large inventories and exhibit low near-term purchasing intent.
– Production Capacity Distribution: China’s activated carbon manufacturing enterprises are concentrated in Shanxi, Ningxia, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangxi provinces. Shanxi and Ningxia leverage abundant coal resources to form large-scale coal-based activated carbon industrial clusters; Zhejiang and Fujian benefit from coastal geographic advantages and mature wood-based activated carbon processing traditions, enabling strong competitiveness in high-end product segments; Guangxi, endowed with rich domestic coconut resources, has emerged as a key production base for coconut shell activated carbon.
2. Demand Side:
– Stable Demand from Traditional Sectors: Steady growth in food & beverage, condiments, pharmaceuticals, and chemical industries continues to drive consistent demand for activated carbon. Traditional water treatment and air purification applications maintain stable and incremental demand—forming the market’s foundational “base.”
– Rapidly Growing Demand from Emerging Sectors: Incremental demand from emerging sectors—including new energy, health & wellness, and advanced manufacturing—is expanding at an even more robust pace. For instance, in new energy storage applications, demand for ultra-high specific surface area (>3,000 m2/g) and precisely tailored pore-structure activated carbon is continuously intensifying. In catalyst support applications, precise control over activated carbon’s surface chemical properties has become a critical technological bottleneck.

(C) Industry Developments
1. Technological Advancements: The industry exhibits two prominent technical evolution pathways: (i) industrial-scale mass production of high-specific-surface-area (>1,800 m2/g) coconut shell activated carbon, meeting stringent requirements of pharmaceutical and supercapacitor applications; and (ii) broader adoption of spent-carbon regeneration technologies, accelerating the sector’s transition toward a circular economy. Regeneration processes can reduce users’ activated carbon procurement costs by 40%–60% while cutting associated carbon emissions by approximately 35%.
2. Industry Consolidation: The institutionalization of environmental inspections has forced numerous small- and medium-sized producers failing to meet environmental standards to exit the market, resulting in elevated industry concentration. Concurrently, downstream customers increasingly prioritize product quality consistency, reliable supply capacity, and comprehensive technical service capabilities—further accelerating the replacement of outdated capacities by high-quality, technologically advanced producers.
3. Market Standardization: To improve industry governance, the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, in collaboration with multiple accredited testing institutions, conducted systematic performance evaluations of mainstream formaldehyde-removal activated carbon products on the market—based on national standards and regulatory guidelines—and published an official industry ranking to guide consumer purchasing decisions.

II. Analysis and Judgment
(A) Persistent Price Stratification
Coal-based activated carbon faces relatively ample supply and intense price competition, compressing profit margins. In contrast, premium coconut shell activated carbon and specialty functional activated carbons—such as those engineered for catalytic supports or energy storage—maintain comparatively healthy profitability due to higher technological barriers and weaker downstream bargaining power. The structural imbalance of “l(fā)ow-end oversupply and high-end shortage” remains the defining feature of the market.

(B) Strengthening Demand Pull from Emerging Sectors
Ongoing implementation of China’s “Dual Carbon” goals (carbon peak and carbon neutrality), tightening environmental regulations, and continuous expansion of downstream application scenarios will sustain rapid growth in activated carbon demand from new energy, health & wellness, and advanced manufacturing sectors—serving as the new engine for market growth and propelling industry transformation toward higher value-added, functionally specialized products.

(C) Further Rise in Industry Concentration
Elevated environmental compliance thresholds and heightened downstream expectations regarding product quality and service levels will compel more environmentally non-compliant and technically underperforming SMEs to withdraw from the market. Leading enterprises—with competitive advantages in technology, scale, and brand reputation—will expand their market share further, driving continued improvement in overall industry concentration.

III. Outlook
(A) Price Trend Forecast
In the short term, high domestic inventory levels of coconut shell activated carbon suggest a likely sideways-to-slightly-weak price trend. Over the longer term, however, growing demand from emerging sectors—combined with sustained technological barriers for premium products—will support stable or modestly rising prices for high-end activated carbon, whereas ordinary coal-based activated carbon may continue facing downward pricing pressure.

(B) Supply-Demand Relationship Forecast
On the supply side, manufacturers will increase investment in capacity expansion and R&D for high-value products. Simultaneously, enhanced raw material supply stability and wider adoption of spent-carbon regeneration technologies will gradually strengthen overall supply capacity. On the demand side, traditional applications will sustain steady growth, while emerging applications will deliver accelerated demand expansion. Consequently, total market demand will continue to grow, and the overall supply-demand relationship will trend toward greater balance—though localized shortages may persist in high-end product categories.

(C) Industry Development Trend Forecast
The activated carbon industry will evolve toward three strategic directions: functionality, green sustainability, and intelligent manufacturing. Functional activated carbons featuring precisely engineered pore-size distributions, controllable surface functional groups, and superior selective adsorption capabilities will become focal points of R&D and market competition. Internal industry green transformation will accelerate, with production processes placing greater emphasis on environmental protection and long-term sustainability. Smart manufacturing technologies—including digital process control, real-time quality monitoring, and AI-driven optimization—will permeate the entire production chain, enhancing both product consistency and operational efficiency. Concurrently, domestic enterprises will intensify brand-building initiatives and actively expand into overseas markets to elevate China’s global influence in the activated carbon industry.