Sofeast’s team continues to monitor the cost evolution of key raw materials in China, helping importers and manufacturers stay informed. This latest update from the market analysts we work with reflects changes (RMB costs and %) over the past year, up to Oct 27, 2025.
Monthly China Raw Material Cost Changes – October 2025
Epoxy Resin (E-51) -4.19% monthly change
- This week: Trading focus continued to decline as both costs and demand exerted downward pressure.
- Drivers: Weaker cost support and muted downstream restocking.
- Outlook (next week): Stable to slightly weak; prices likely to consolidate with a mild bearish bias.
ABS (AG-15E1) -3.76% monthly change
- This week: Prices fell early, then stabilized; trading volume improved slightly.
- Drivers: Feedstock styrene rebounded from lows while overall supply remained ample, capping upside; sellers focused on spot stability.
- Outlook (next week): Range-bound; costs may fluctuate within a band, with no acute short-term contradictions expected.
Silicone (110) -0.85% monthly change
- This week: Stable overall. Feedstock DMC stopped rising and slipped, softening cost support.
- Drivers: High risk of further DMC declines and insufficient follow-up demand; as DMC falls, the price advantage of 107 & 110 grades may narrow.
- Outlook (next week): Steady but slightly weak as cost support continues to ease.
Zinc Alloy (Zamak5) +2.42% monthly change
- This week: Electrolytic zinc prices fell then rose, leaving the average price lower week-on-week.
- Drivers: Weak fundamentals persist; macro uncertainty remains elevated.
- Outlook (next week): Cautious, light newsflow expected; range-bound trade with a defensive tone.
Aluminum Alloy (ADC 12) +1.46% monthly change
- This week: High-level adjustment after making a new YTD high.
- Drivers: Upward macro + fundamental currents lifted prices; spot arrivals vary by consumption hub.
- Outlook (next week): Bias to moderately strong; watch for unclear macro guidance and uneven arrivals.
Paper for Color Box (157g double-coated) -0.67% monthly change
- This week: Decline narrowed, but the price center moved down.
- Drivers: Mills continue inventory build and profit compression; supply abundant, demand limited, and tenders not yet scaled up; circulation remains slow.
- Outlook (next week): Soft; mills likely keep normal operations, but weak orders weigh on prices.
Stainless Steel (304/2B 0.4MM) -1.00% monthly change
- This week: Market edged down overall with stronger wait-and-see sentiment.
- Drivers: Mill list prices nudged up and futures firmed, briefly supporting spot, but supply–demand competition is intensifying.
- Outlook (next week): Limited upside; expect choppy trading as competition heats up.
Battery Material (Lithium cobalt oxides) +37.09% monthly change
- This week: Cathode prices showed minor fluctuations; precursor prices unchanged.
- Drivers: Cathode pricing is tracking lithium carbonate; lithium carbonate ticked up slightly while LFP stayed stable. Processing fees remain steady; sell-to-produce mode keeps sales pace brisk.
- Outlook (next month’s orders): Optimistic order book; stable processing environment.
Buyer Takeaways October ’25
- Polymers mixed: ABS is range-bound and epoxy is softening; handy time to negotiate spot buys or staggered releases.
- Silicone watch: Potential DMC down-move could leak into 107/110 pricing; avoid over-committing before confirming next-week quotes.
- Metals diverge: ADC12 retains moderate strength; zinc alloy looks range-bound; time purchases to dips.
- Packaging: 157 g art paper remains soft; consider shorter PO cycles to capture incremental declines.
- Stainless: Expect limited upside; competitive quotes likely as mills and traders jostle for volume.
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.
Leave a Reply