【Needle Coke】Surging Orders, Strong Demand

Recent trends in the needle coke market have been favorable, with significant increases in orders. Both negative electrode material companies and needle coke enterprises are actively negotiating orders, leading to several producing enterprises facing a shortage of needle coke orders. Industry insiders have stated, "Negative electrode companies have already filled their orders for April, and needle coke for negative electrodes is already sold out." Preparation of uhp graphite electrodes using needle coke for short process steelmaking. 

However, the continuous rise in raw material pitch prices has exerted significant cost pressure on needle coke enterprises. Additionally, with some needle coke enterprises starting maintenance work, the supply of needle coke is decreasing. An industry insider remarked, "Demand is good now, but costs are too high. The price of pitch delivered to our factory is nearly 4700 yuan/ton, so we have been forced to raise prices."

Consequently, several needle coke enterprises have begun to adjust their transaction prices. Specifically, coal-based needle coke is priced between 7500-8500 yuan/ton, while mainstream prices for petroleum-based needle coke range from 5800-8200 yuan/ton. The prices of coal and petroleum-based coking coal are between 4800-5200 yuan/ton.

Regarding the import and export market: there is currently no coal-based needle coke available in Japan, while Korean coal-based needle coke is priced at 850 USD/ton. As for petroleum-based needle coke, prices are around 1100-1300 USD/ton in Japan, 1000-1150 USD/ton in the UK for calcined needle coke, and 650-800 USD/ton for needle coke used for negative electrodes.

In summary, recent demand for needle coke from negative electrode materials has been strong, while overall supply in the needle coke industry has decreased. Continuous upward pressure on raw material prices has led to significant cost pressures for petroleum-based needle coke enterprises. In the short term, needle coke may continue to see upward adjustments in transaction prices. Contact us to learn more about needle coke market analysis.