In October, the price trend of domestic fluorite continued to rise. As of the end of the month, the average price of domestic fluorite was 3750 yuan/ton, an increase of 5.63% compared to the initial price of 3550 yuan/ton, and a year-on-year increase of 18.81%.

Supply side: mine safety inspection, shortage of fluorite in stock

In October, the gaming situation in the domestic fluorite industry still exists, and overall, the operating rate of enterprises remains low. The main reason is that upstream mining is tight, backward mines will continue to be phased out, new mines will be added, and mineral investigation work is still difficult. In addition, mining accidents have occurred in some areas, and fluorite mining enterprises are facing increasingly strict safety and environmental requirements. Some mines are undergoing safety hazard inspections, which has increased the difficulty of operating fluorite mines, The shortage of raw materials has restricted the operation of fluorite enterprises, making it difficult for fluorite flotation enterprises to improve their operations. The spot supply of fluorite is tight, and the increase in fluorite is mainly concentrated in the early ten days. In the late ten days, the upstream and downstream game intensifies, and the fluorite market has slightly declined.

On the demand side: The price of hydrofluoric acid is rising, and the starting point of refrigerants is low

In October, the price trend of domestic hydrofluoric acid increased. The mainstream price of hydrofluoric acid discussed by various regions in China was 11400-11800 yuan/ton, and the increase in hydrofluoric acid in October was 8.03%. Recently, some devices are still in shutdown, and the spot supply of hydrofluoric acid has not changed much. The order situation of manufacturers’ hydrofluoric acid is relatively normal. The rise in hydrofluoric acid prices to some extent supports the upward trend of the fluorite market. In addition, as winter storage approaches, the news surface supports the upward trend of fluorite prices in October.

The market for downstream refrigerant products in the terminal market has slightly increased, but the operating rate of the refrigerant industry remains low. The procurement of raw materials is not active, and the load of refrigerant R22 manufacturers is not high. Downstream procurement needs to be followed up, and some enterprises’ quotas are digested in advance. The monthly average quantity of remaining quotas is relatively small, and the price trend of R22 is mainly stable. The domestic R134a manufacturers are operating at low loads, but the actual high-end offers have fallen, and the purchasing atmosphere has cooled. Currently, the market quotation for refrigerant R134a is mostly in the range of 25000 to 27000 yuan/ton. The demand for the refrigerant industry in the off-season is insufficient, and transactions are relatively flat, which to some extent suppresses the increase in fluorite.

In addition to the traditional demand of the refrigerant industry, fluorite, as an important mineral raw material in modern industry, is constantly developing in emerging fields. It is also applied in strategic emerging industries such as new energy and new materials, as well as in fields such as national defense and nuclear industry, including lithium hexafluorophosphate, PVDF, graphite negative electrodes, photovoltaic panels, etc. With the demand driven by new energy and semiconductor industries, fluorite applications have received certain support, and the fluorite market has risen.

Future Market Forecast: It is difficult to improve the supply of domestic fluorite mines in the near future, and some mines have stopped production to undergo safety inspections. However, the purchasing sentiment of hydrofluoric acid enterprises is poor, and the upstream and downstream game situation is intensifying. Chen Ling, an analyst at Business Society, believes that the upward trend of fluorite in the future will be hindered, and fluorite prices may slightly decrease.