It’s time for the monthly update tracking the costs of commonly used raw materials from China for the past year to help you understand the market’s current state. If you or your supplier purchase materials from China for your products, the cost changes you see here impact your bottom line!
Here’s the up-to-date material cost data from China for you as of late April 2025 and the price evolution over the past twelve months – Epoxy resin and Lithium batteries had notable cost increases, while ABS and Silicone in particular declined in cost.
Here are this year’s cost changes in CNY, including weekly changes for April 25:
Here is what the external market analysts we work with attribute these changes to during this past month and the overall monthly cost change in the last week of April:
Epoxy Resin (+6.36%)
This week, the epoxy resin market remained in a state of high-level consolidation, with limited trading activity.
Driving factors: Strong cost support combined with cautious behavior from traders contributed to the subdued market.
Market outlook for next week: Domestic epoxy resin prices are expected to remain stable.
ABS (-5.84%)
This week, ABS market prices continued to decline.
Driving factors: Weaker-than-expected demand, falling costs, and a steady drop in market prices contributed to the downward trend.
Market outlook for next week: With costs remaining low and the supply-demand imbalance persisting, ABS prices are likely to remain weak.
Silicone Rubber 110 (-15.33%)
This week, prices for 110 raw rubber declined.
Driving factors: A reduction in orders from downstream compounding rubber enterprises led to weak demand, with limited follow-up in market activity.
Zinc Alloy (-1.48%)
This week, electrolytic zinc prices fluctuated but trended upward overall, with the average price increasing.
Driving factors: A decline in spot market supply has driven zinc prices higher.
Market outlook for next week: With inventory stocking ahead of the upcoming holiday, zinc prices are expected to continue rising.
Aluminum Alloy (-1.96%)
This week, the spot price of aluminum in China fluctuated within a narrow range, with limited upward or downward movement.
Driving factors: Spot supply remains relatively abundant, while demand has shown little change.
Market outlook for next week: Prices are expected to continue fluctuating within a narrow range.
Paper for Color Boxes (-2.50%)
This week, the double-coated paper market showed signs of stabilization after an earlier decline, with prices leveling off. However, due to the previously low base price, the weekly average still fell compared to the prior week.
Driving factors: Trading volume remained weak, and inventory pressure increased.
Market outlook for next week: Demand is expected to show limited improvement, and transaction focus is likely to continue trending downward.
Stainless Steel (-3.26%)
This week, stainless steel prices remained generally stable with minor fluctuations, while market transactions remained cautious.
Driving factors: Market dynamics were mainly influenced by supply and demand. Steel mills proactively lowered prices, contributing to overall stability.
Market outlook for next week: A weak but stable consolidation trend is expected, supported by gradually increasing cost pressure.
Lithium Batteries (+9.88%)
This week, the price of battery-grade lithium carbonate rose moderately, while prices for nickel sulfate and cobalt sulfate remained generally stable, resulting in an overall stable market environment.
Driving factors: The support from cathode materials, such as ternary, remains weak but steady. On the supply side, cathode market operating rates have stayed stable.
Demand trends: A major development came from the European Commission, which reached a key consensus with China to begin negotiations aimed at replacing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles with a “minimum import price” mechanism. This marks a significant easing of a six-month-long trade dispute and introduces new dynamics to the global new energy vehicle market. Additionally, Chinese customs data shows that in Q1, exports of flat panel display modules, automotive parts, and lithium batteries to ASEAN countries grew by over 20%, helping boost demand.
Market feedback: Demand for power-related products remains strong and continues to rise steadily.
How to combat rising costs?
Explore cost-reducing tips in this post: Rising Raw Material Prices: What Strategy To Follow? (6 Approaches).
What to do if your Chinese supplier suddenly tells you that material costs have risen: How To Cooperate With Your Chinese Supplier, Part 16: Bad News from China, Raw Material Prices Just Increased!
If your supplier just isn’t working out, maybe sourcing a new supplier will help you find one who can offer you better prices and more. If so, there’s no need to fear switching from your current supplier to a new one if you’re prepared: How To Switch To A Newer, Better Chinese Manufacturer? [eBook].
We hope this is helpful. Our mission at Sofeast is to help importers have transparency in their supply chain and to give them more control. And this information is critical to have some visibility into your manufacturer’s costing.
By the way, you can always contact us if you have any questions about whether a manufacturer’s quote is reasonable.
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