China halts sulfuric‑acid exports
Reports say China plans to curb sulfuric‑acid exports next month, a move that has already helped lift aluminium prices to four‑year highs and threatens input chains for metals processing and semiconductor chemicals. Sulfuric acid is a basic industrial feedstock, so the export control could quickly ripple into electronics and advanced manufacturing where bromine, helium and other inputs matter. (en.sedaily.com)
China has indicated it will halt sulfuric acid exports from May, tightening supply for a chemical used in fertilizers, metal processing and chipmaking. (bloomberg.com) Bloomberg reported on April 10 that some producers had received notices and one large buyer had been told by its Chinese supplier about the change. Shanghai Metals Market said on April 12 the halt would begin in May. (bloomberg.com) (news.metal.com) China has been a major sulfuric acid exporter. Customs-based trade data compiled by SunSirs showed China exported 3.89 million metric tons from January through October 2025, up 104% from a year earlier, while Observatory of Economic Complexity data showed December 2025 exports at $35.7 million. (sunsirs.com) (oec.world) Sulfuric acid is not a niche specialty chemical. The United States Geological Survey says sulfur, through sulfuric acid, is a core industrial raw material, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency lists fertilizer, metal extraction, oil refining, steel pickling and chemical manufacturing among its major uses. (usgs.gov) (epa.gov) The biggest demand comes from fertilizer. S and P Global’s Chemical Economics Handbook said phosphate fertilizers accounted for about 60% of world sulfuric acid consumption in 2023, which helps explain why traders linked the China move to food and farm-input markets as quickly as metals. (spglobal.com) Metals buyers are exposed too because sulfuric acid is used to leach, or dissolve, metal out of ore. Educational materials from the Association for Science Education say copper oxide ores are treated with sulfuric acid in solvent extraction and electrowinning circuits, and recent metallurgical research describes sulfuric acid dosage as a key cost in copper leaching. (ase.org.uk) (mdpi.com) Chip supply chains use a purer version of the same chemical. Samsung C and T said electronic-grade sulfuric acid is used to clean and etch silicon wafers, and Chinese supplier SinoPhorus markets electronic-grade sulfuric acid for integrated circuits and semiconductor packaging. (news.samsungcnt.com) (en.sinophorus.com) Reports tied the export halt to a wider sulfur squeeze linked to the Iran war and shipping disruption around the Strait of Hormuz. SunSirs said domestic sulfuric acid prices in China had jumped 50% to 100% in the past month as sulfur supply tightened. (news.chemnet.com) (bloomberg.com) The immediate test is May. If the halt takes effect on schedule, buyers that treated sulfuric acid as a cheap bulk input will be forced to price it like a constrained strategic material instead. (news.metal.com) (bloomberg.com)
