As temperatures gradually drop in northern China, the stockpiling season for road de-icing salt has entered a critical window. As the key raw material for de-icing agents, calcium chloride has seen its market prices pick up steadily since September. According to SunSirs monitoring data, the benchmark price of anhydrous calcium chloride stood at RMB 1,310/ton on September 15, with prices fluctuating within a range of RMB 950–1,310/ton over the past 30 days, showing a rising bottom.
Looking at corporate quotations, national-standard dihydrate Type II 74% powder products are priced at around RMB 750–950/ton ex-works in Henan, while dihydrate 74% flake products are quoted at about RMB 900/ton; anhydrous 94% products are quoted at around RMB 1,400/ton in Jiangxi. Price gaps across specifications and regions remain evident, presenting an overall pattern of “anhydrous higher than dihydrate, and eastern China higher than central China,” reflecting market divergence between high-end industrial-grade products and ordinary de-icing grade products.
The current price recovery is mainly driven by seasonal demand. Calcium chloride is widely used in road de-icing, desiccants, oil drilling, refrigeration, and food processing. Among these, de-icing demand shows a distinct seasonal pattern — municipal authorities and traders in northern China typically stock up intensively between September and October to prepare for winter snowfall, making this the primary driver of the recent surge in inquiries and transactions. Demand from desiccant and oil drilling sectors, meanwhile, remains relatively stable, providing underlying support for prices.
On the supply side, calcium chloride is mostly a by-product of the combined soda ash process and the chloride-process titanium dioxide route, with major production concentrated in Shandong, Henan, Hebei and other provinces. Overall supply remains stable. As a by-product resource, its output is linked to the operating rates of the main products and is unlikely to expand significantly in the short term, making prices more sensitive to seasonal swings in demand.
From a global perspective, industry institutions forecast that the average global calcium chloride price will range between USD 210–245/ton in 2026, with the Chinese market at about USD 145–165/ton, trending steadily upward; Europe is expected to perform relatively strongly on the back of winter de-icing and construction demand, while Asian demand remains moderate, and regional price gaps persist.
Looking ahead, the de-icing stockpiling season is expected to last until the end of October, and calcium chloride prices are likely to remain firm in the near term, with some tight specifications still having room for upward adjustment. That said, caution is warranted: as the stockpiling peak passes and given the uncertainty of winter snowfall, seasonal demand may retreat, putting downward pressure on prices. Overall, the current rally is largely a reflection of the “peak-season effect,” and the medium-to-long-term trend will still depend on weather conditions and the pace of downstream demand in infrastructure and petroleum.
Post time: Oct-08-2026