Off-season surge of 23%! Bromine price skyrockets by 8,000 yuan/ton in 30 days.

Since 2026, the domestic bromine market has experienced a rare "off-season surge," with prices skyrocketing by over 20% within just one month, breaking the industry's traditional operational patterns and drawing widespread attention across the industrial chain. Industry insiders caution that behind the frenzied price increase lie multiple uncertainties, and downstream enterprises need to be wary of potential subsequent pullback risks.

Bromine Price Trend Chart (Shengyishe)

Data shows that the average domestic bromine market price was 34,500 yuan/ton in early January. By February 9, the price had surged to 42,500 yuan/ton, accumulating an increase of 8,000 yuan/ton within 30 days, a rise of 23.19%. More notably, this occurred during the traditional off-season for bromine demand, starkly contrasting with the typical pre-Spring Festival pattern of "weak supply and demand with stable prices."

"The period before Spring Festival is usually characterized by weak supply and demand for bromine. It's rare to see such a significant price surge like this year," said a manager from a chemical company in Shandong. Some enterprises quoted bromine prices around 45,000 yuan/ton in early February, nearly doubling from last year's low, making such a rise particularly反常 during the off-season. According to relevant data, the intended transaction price range for bromine in the Shandong market by late January had reached 39,000-44,000 yuan/ton, with a large price span highlighting tight market supply and demand and increased volatility.

Interviews with various parties in the industrial chain revealed that the dual impact of production halts and restrictions in domestic main production areas and the "cutoff" of overseas supply are the core reasons for this round of bromine price surges. Deep contraction on the supply side has become the main driver of price increases.

On the domestic supply front, winter production halt policies in main production areas are the primary constraint. As a major bromine production area, Weifang, Shandong, implements a winter production suspension system from December 1 to February 28 each year. This year, brine bromine producers in Weifang's Binhai, Changyi, and Shouguang areas started production halts and restrictions ahead of schedule from December 26, 2025. As a result, domestic bromine production in January 2026 decreased by 22% year-on-year and 44% month-on-month. Manufacturers generally had no spot inventory, and downstream enterprises had not stockpiled in advance, leading to extremely tight market circulation and amplifying the supply gap.

More severely, overseas supply channels were simultaneously obstructed. China is the world's largest bromine importer, with an import dependency as high as 56.79%. Over half of the market demand relies on imported supply, with Israel and Jordan being the main sources. Israel alone accounts for 48.92% of China's bromine imports.

Since 2025, Israel Chemicals Ltd. (ICL), a global bromine industry leader, has proactively reduced bromine exports, shifting production capacity focus to downstream bromide products, directly leading to a decrease in imports from Israel to China. Concurrently, on January 21, 2026, heavy rains triggered floods in southern Jordan, causing supply disruptions at Jordan Bromine Company (JBC), the world's second-largest bromine production base. It is reported that JBC has an annual production capacity of 100,000 tons, accounting for 13%-14% of global total capacity. Its supply disruption further exacerbated tightness in the global bromine market and plunged China's import supply into difficulty.

Regarding future bromine price trends, Zhao Qianqian, a bromine analyst at SCI, stated that the bromine market will continue to maintain a tight supply态势 before the Spring Festival, with holders明显 reluctant to sell at low prices, making high-price fluctuations highly probable. As supply conditions gradually improve, the bromine market may see a price拐点 in March, with prices expected to stabilize and decline, and the monthly average price likely lower than February's level. After April, China will gradually enter the peak production season for seawater bromine, coupled with expected stabilization in imported bromine supply, further alleviating market supply pressure, and prices may continue to weaken.

Industry experts caution that despite the惊人的 current bromine price surge, multiple downside risks lurk behind the scenery. On the supply side, the domestic winter production halt period will end by late February, and subsequent gradual resumption of work and production by main production area enterprises will effectively increase market supply. Overseas, Jordan Bromine Company's supply is expected to gradually recover, and ICL's export strategy may also adjust according to market changes. On the demand side, downstream industries such as flame retardants and pharmaceutical intermediates have limited acceptance for high-priced bromine. Rigid demand procurement难以持续支撑高价; if prices continue to soar, it may trigger resistance from downstream enterprises, further suppressing demand and forcing price回调.

Currently, upstream and downstream players in the bromine industrial chain are closely monitoring the recovery of the supply side. Downstream enterprises need to reasonably control procurement节奏 to avoid operational risks from price fluctuations. Upstream enterprises should also arrange resumption of work and production plans based on market demand to help restore market supply-demand balance.