Calcium Sulfate Price Trend and Forecast

Calcium Sulfate Regional Price Overview

Get the latest insights on price movement and trend analysis of Calcium Sulfate in different regions across the world (Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa).

Calcium Sulfate Price Trend for the Second Half of 2023

Asia

The market for calcium sulfate had a significant drop in price in the last months of 2023. The main causes of this downturn were a cautious consumer mindset and a decline in demand from downstream industries. A downturn in industrial activity and erratic economic conditions added to the market's downward trend.
 

Calcium Sulfate Price Chart

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Foreign inquiries were also hindered by delays in the Red Sea route. But by the fourth quarter, the market was seeing a comeback driven by higher demand, which caused inventory to deplete faster than supply could keep up with demand. By year's end, there was a sharp increase in bulk orders, which raised the price of calcium sulfate.

Europe

Calcium sulfate prices declined throughout the European region due to excess supply and rising stock levels. In response, traders restocked to restore supply and demand dynamics. Calcium sulfate prices declined due to lower manufacturing prices, which were also influenced by lower raw material costs. Additionally, the domestic stockpiles of calcium sulfate rose in the European countries as the loss of export volumes due to the Israel-Hamas crisis put additional pressure on the trading sector.

North America

The price for calcium sulfate remained low in North America during the third quarter due to weak demand and economic difficulties, especially in the United States. The cautionary behavior of consumers in the face of economic uncertainty affected the profitability of manufacturers and traders. Nonetheless, when consumption increased in the last quarter, the market saw a notable comeback. Prices for calcium sulfate increased in tandem with rising production costs.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the price trend of Calcium Sulfate is estimated to decline in the upcoming quarters, given the persistent trade challenges presented by the ongoing geopolitical crisis.
 

Calcium Sulfate Price Trend for the First Half of 2023

Asia

In the first quarter of 2023, the market was able to sustain its upward trajectory as the healthy demand from the downstream industries, particularly in India, and the stabilization of production rates favored the maintenance of supply-demand equilibria.

Amid the economic slowdown in a number of Asian countries, the freight charges declined, and the cost of upstream materials also relaxed, resulting in a mixed trend in the second quarter. In the initial phase of this period, the fundamentals showcased resilience as the cost of sulfuric acid and other feedstock materials declined, but soon, the supply rates overpowered the demand, and with the loss of exports, the pricing patterns of calcium sulfate moved southwards.

Europe

The rise in inflationary pressure and sluggish nature of the downstream agrichemical industries kept the calcium sulfate price trend on the lower end of the spectra. The feedstock materials also failed to extend any support to the market, and with tight banking regulations, the traders registered a downfall in their profit margins. Similarly, in the second quarter, the insufficiency of demand and exceeding pressure from the poor economic fundamentals and the decline in imports kept the market trend of calcium sulfate on the lower end of the spectrum.

North America

In North America, the tight labor conditions, and limited borrowing activities due to a significant rise in the interest rates charged by banks resulted in a stunted growth of calcium sulfate price trend. The failure of two major banks further weakened the market's economic conditions, negatively influencing the calcium sulfate price trend. On the other hand, during the Q2 of 2023, the bleak confidence of consumers and the fall in the cost of transportation, along with insufficient demand from the downstream industries, eventually led to the decline in the calcium sulfate price trend.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the price trend of Calcium Sulfate is estimated to struggle with the changing dynamics of the downstream agrochemical industries and negligible support from the economic parameters.
 

Calcium Sulfate Price Trend for the Second Half of 2022

Asia

The Asia-Pacific market saw a sluggish trend in terms of prices of calcium sulfate in the third and fourth quarters of 2022. The region witnessed stockpiling of inventories, declining production costs of calcium powder, and reduced uptakes from the end-user industries.

The fourth quarter in specific observed a significant dip as the market for calcium and its related salts such as citrate, carbonate, etc., struggled to gain momentum. The industries had to lower their cost of production and the implication of covid restrictions further worsened the situation and led to the declining price trend for calcium sulfate.

Europe

The downward trajectory in the prices of calcium and its derivatives was observed in Europe as the prices fell majorly due to high inflation rates, reduced offtakes, and reduced demand from the end-user pharmaceutical industries in the third quarter of 2022. The prices also plunged owing to low prices requested by significant importing nations, rising inventories, and rising uncertainties in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries in the fourth quarter, thereby continuing the declining trend for calcium sulfate prices.

North America

The North American market was also not much different from the European and Asia-Pacific regions as a remarkable drop in the prices of calcium salts was observed in the third quarter of 2022. The weak demand from the end-user industries, high supply rates, and reduced support from feedstock prices played a major role in this drop in the prices of the commodity in both the third and fourth quarters of 2022.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the prices of calcium sulfate are likely to rise sharply in the upcoming quarters as the prices trend of calcium powder and other derivatives are expected to register an upward trajectory as the demand returns from the end-user markets.
 

Calcium Sulfate Price Trend For the First Half of 2022

Gypsum is a natural mineral that is the dihydrate form of calcium sulfate. It is subject to further treatment to get the anhydrous calcium sulfate. Hence, the price trend for calcium sulfate closely follow that of gypsum. In the Chinese domestic market, feedstock gypsum prices surged due to supply-side constraints and rising inflation.

Gypsum is marketed at different rates depending on the final setting time. In China, the price of gypsum powder with 15 min final setting time averaged 370 RMB/MT, whereas the price of high-quality gypsum powder with 40 min final setting time averaged 660 RMB/MT.

In Mexico, gypsum's price and demand have increased by 12% since April 2022. In the USA, the producer price index for gypsum has risen from 315.51 in January to 338.09 in June 2022, indicating a constant price rise. The material shortages, rising prices and labour shortages have caused the building costs to increase by 10% between March to June 2022 in the US domestic market. Thus, the price trend of calcium sulfate remained anchored globally owing to the increased prices of feedstock gypsum.

Procurement Resource provides latest prices of Calcium Sulfate. Each price database is tied to a user-friendly graphing tool dating back to 2014, which provides a range of functionalities: configuration of price series over user defined time period; comparison of product movements across countries; customisation of price currencies and unit; extraction of price data as excel files to be used offline.