Market Dynamics Intelligence for Wooden Powdered Activated Carbon (Recent Commodity Market Report)

I. Market Price Dynamics
1. **Benchmark Price**: As of April 25, 2026, the Business Society’s benchmark price for activated carbon stands at RMB 12,866.67 per ton, down 0.52% from the beginning of the month, and remains within the upper range of the past year (historical low: RMB 11,733.33/ton; historical high: RMB 13,000/ton).
2. **Specific Quotations**:
- Henan Sentie Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd.:
Wooden powdered activated carbon, methylene blue value 10: RMB 4,500/ton
Wooden powdered activated carbon, methylene blue value 8: RMB 4,900/ton
Wooden powdered activated carbon, iodine number 400: RMB 3,800/ton
Wooden powdered activated carbon, iodine number 600: RMB 4,600/ton
Wooden powdered activated carbon, iodine number 700: RMB 4,800/ton
Wooden powdered activated carbon, iodine number 900: RMB 5,650/ton
Methylene blue value 14: RMB 9,400/ton
Methylene blue value 18: RMB 12,200/ton
- Henan Baoxin Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd.:
Methylene blue value 14: RMB 6,600/ton
Methylene blue value 12: RMB 5,500/ton
- Henan Qianyuexing Chemical Technology Co., Ltd.:
Decolorizing methylene blue value 14: RMB 6,500/ton
Decolorizing methylene blue value 12: RMB 4,400/ton
Decolorizing methylene blue value 8–10: RMB 3,650/ton
Decolorizing methylene blue value 5–7: RMB 2,150/ton
325-mesh, iodine number 1000: RMB 5,500/ton
325-mesh, iodine number 800: RMB 3,000/ton
200-mesh, iodine number 400–500: RMB 2,100/ton
200-mesh, iodine number 200–300: RMB 1,180/ton
- Henan Huiyihai Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd.:
Industrial wooden powdered activated carbon (iodine number 700–1300; methylene blue value 13–18; ash content 9%): RMB 6,000/ton
Coal-wood blended activated carbon (methylene blue value 3–12; iodine number 300–950; moisture content 5%): RMB 2,000–2,200/ton
Coal-based/wood-based powdered activated carbon: RMB 1,500/ton
- Gongyi Hengyi Water Treatment Co., Ltd.:
Decolorizing methylene blue value 10: RMB 3,300/ton

II. Market Drivers
1. **Raw Material Costs**: Fluctuations in prices of wood raw materials (e.g., hardwood chips) and chemical agents (e.g., phosphoric acid) directly affect production costs. The current average price of broadleaf wood chips is RMB 1,280/ton—up 23.5% compared to 2023—contributing to higher manufacturing costs.
2. **Environmental Policy**: China’s “Dual Carbon” goals (carbon peak and carbon neutrality) have intensified environmental regulation, raising compliance costs for activated carbon producers. Simultaneously, these policies accelerate the shift from chemical activation methods toward physical activation (which leaves no chemical residue). Physical activation’s market share is projected to exceed 30% in 2026.
3. **Demand Recovery**: Post–Spring Festival demand recovery has progressed steadily but remains subject to multiple influencing factors. The water treatment sector accounts for 43% of total demand and benefits from steady growth driven by policies such as the *14th Five-Year Plan for Urban and Rural Sewage Treatment*. The food & pharmaceutical segment (23.2% of demand) sees rising demand for high-purity, low-impurity products due to consumption upgrades. Meanwhile, purification demand from emerging sectors—including new energy, semiconductors, and electronics—is growing rapidly and has become a key growth engine.
4. **Capacity Expansion and Structural Optimization**: From 2021 to 2025, China’s wooden activated carbon output rose from 486,000 tons to 673,000 tons, achieving a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5%. Leading enterprises are strengthening competitive advantages through vertically integrated strategies—such as establishing dedicated timber plantations—and technological upgrades (e.g., phosphoric acid activation now accounts for over 65% of production capacity). Adoption of spent activated carbon regeneration technology is expected to rise from 20% in 2025 to 40% by 2026, alleviating supply-side pressure.

III. Competitive Landscape
1. **Market Concentration**: The CR5 (combined market share of the top five firms) increased to 34.2% in 2025. Industry leaders—including Fujian Yuanli Activated Carbon Co., Ltd. and Jiangxi Xinsen Carbon Co., Ltd.—have built strong barriers to entry via proprietary timber plantations and advanced process technologies. In 2025, Fujian Yuanli reported RMB 1.24 billion in revenue from wooden activated carbon—representing 68.3% of its total revenue—and commands a 41.6% share in the premium food-grade and pharmaceutical-grade segments.
2. **Regional Distribution**: The East China region remains the industrial core, accounting for 41.6% of national output in 2025—with Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu provinces collectively contributing 29.3%. Southwest China—leveraging abundant forestry resources—is emerging rapidly: output from Sichuan and Yunnan provinces grew by 11.8% year-on-year in 2025, the highest growth rate nationwide. By contrast, North and Northeast China saw their combined market share decline slightly—from 18.2% in 2020 to 15.7% in 2025—due to environmental production restrictions and higher raw material transportation costs.

IV. Import–Export Situation
1. **Export Volume and Value Growth**: In 2025, China exported 316,900 tons of wooden activated carbon—a 4.86% increase year-on-year—with export value reaching USD 480 million, up 29.1% YoY.
2. **Major Export Markets**: The European Union (41%), Japan (23%), and Southeast Asia (19%).
3. **Rising Export Prices**: New EU REACH regulations—introducing mandatory testing for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metal migration in activated carbon—have enhanced the pricing power of high-quality domestic manufacturers certified under FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and ISO 22000 standards. Examples include Fujian Yuanli Activated Carbon Co., Ltd. and Ningxia Huahui Activated Carbon Co., Ltd. Consequently, China’s average export price rose from RMB 21,000/ton in 2024 to RMB 26,000/ton in 2025, and is projected to reach RMB 29,000/ton in 2026.

V. Analysis and Outlook
1. **Price Trend**: Supported by eased supply-side pressure (e.g., wider adoption of spent-carbon regeneration) and robust demand growth from emerging applications, prices are expected to remain range-bound at elevated levels—though high-iodine-number, low-ash products will maintain relative price stability.
2. **Demand Structure**: Traditional application sectors continue to grow steadily, while demand from emerging fields is surging—becoming the primary growth driver.
3. **Green Transformation**: Broader use of alternative biomass feedstocks (e.g., bamboo, crop straws); reduced reliance on chemical activators; and lower waste-acid emissions.
4. **Intelligent Manufacturing**: Widespread deployment of digital smart factories improves production efficiency and accelerates industry transformation from labor-intensive to technology-intensive operations.
5. **Functionalization**: Rising share of customized, high-performance products—including nano-scale, antibacterial, and selective-adsorption variants—to meet sophisticated requirements in premium applications.
6. **Internationalization**: Leading enterprises are accelerating overseas expansion. In 2025, high-value-added product exports accounted for 34.8% of total exports, with demand from Belt and Road Initiative partner countries emerging as a new growth pole.
7. **Global Market**: The global wooden activated carbon market is projected to surpass USD 15 billion by 2030, growing at an approximate CAGR of 8%.
8. **Domestic Market**: China’s wooden activated carbon market size is forecast to reach RMB 2.85 billion in 2026—a 23.4% YoY increase—matching the 2025 growth rate, signaling that this niche segment has entered a phase of high predictability and stable growth.