Bleaching Earth Price Trend and Forecast 2026-2027

The US paid the most for bleaching earth in Q2 2026: USD 663/MT, up 1.7% from USD 652 in Q1. The steady edible-oil refining demand kept things firm there. Worldwide, the average moved up 1.6%, to USD 571/MT from USD 562, largely because the bentonite clay feedstock costs kept climbing across every region we track. What about H2 2026? We'd expect a global average somewhere in the USD 565-615/MT range, with the steady oil-refining demand doing most of the work.

Bleaching earth is made from bentonite or attapulgite clay, activated with sulfuric acid to boost its adsorptive capacity, then used to remove color pigments, trace metals, and oxidation byproducts from crude vegetable and animal oils during refining. It's an essential processing aid across the edible-oil industry, used in palm, soybean, canola, and sunflower oil refining among others. Three things move the price more than anything else: the bentonite and attapulgite clay feedstock costs, the sulfuric acid activation costs, and how much edible-oil refining capacity is running globally, since that's the single dominant source of demand.

The activation process deserves some explanation, since it's what actually creates the commercial product from the raw clay. Natural, unactivated bentonite has only modest bleaching capacity on its own, but treating it with sulfuric acid opens up the clay's internal pore structure and dramatically increases its surface area, which is what gives activated bleaching earth its adsorptive power. That processing step adds real cost on top of the raw clay, and the degree of activation a producer targets, sometimes described in terms of how 'highly active' the finished product is, directly affects both the price and the performance refiners get from it.

The edible-oil industry's own growth trajectory is worth keeping in mind too, since bleaching earth demand tracks it closely. Global vegetable oil consumption has grown steadily for decades as populations and incomes have risen, particularly in Asia, and that structural growth has provided a reliable demand tailwind for bleaching earth even during periods when other specialty minerals faced softer conditions.

Bleaching Earth Price Forecast for 2026

Supply and demand should stay moderately tight through H2 2026, with the bentonite feedstock costs doing most of the work on pricing. The US and India both kept the oil-refining demand steady through H1, and that's likely to continue. Turkey's regional refining sector kept the demand firm as well, while China's large production base kept it the most affordable of the four. None of the four markets we track is showing signs of genuine disruption heading into the back half of the year.

Buyers should keep an eye on the broader edible-oil refining capacity trends specifically, since bleaching earth demand is essentially a direct function of how much crude oil the global refining industry is processing in any given period. That's worth building into any longer-range planning rather than assuming current conditions will simply persist unchanged.

The degree of clay activation producers target also bears watching, since higher-activation grades command a real premium and shifts in refiner preference toward more highly active products can affect average selling prices even without any change in raw clay costs.

What could push prices higher? A bentonite or attapulgite feedstock spike, or a stronger-than-expected edible-oil refining capacity expansion. What could pull them lower? A slowdown in vegetable oil demand growth more broadly.

For the Quarter Ending June 2026

Bleaching Earth Prices Q2 2026:

• United States: USD 663/MT
• China: USD 511/MT
• India: USD 576/MT
• Turkey: USD 531/MT

Bleaching Earth Prices in United States

USD 663/MT. That's where the US landed in Q2, up 1.7% from USD 652 in Q1. The oil-refining demand stayed steady, and the bentonite feedstock costs climbed just enough to push things higher.

Why did the price of Bleaching Earth change in Q2 2026 in United States?

The oil-refining demand didn't move much, honestly. It was the bentonite feedstock costs doing most of the work this quarter.

Bleaching Earth Prices in China

China's bleaching earth producers passed through the firmer clay costs this quarter, and the domestic refining demand held steady. The gain came to 1.6%, USD 503/MT to USD 511. That kept China the most affordable of the four markets.

Why did the price of Bleaching Earth change in Q2 2026 in China?

The bentonite feedstock costs firmed through the quarter, and the domestic refining demand held its ground right alongside that.

Bleaching Earth Prices in India

India climbed 1.6% to USD 576/MT, the refining-sector demand continuing to build through the period.

Why did the price of Bleaching Earth change in Q2 2026 in India?

The refining-sector demand kept building, and that alone explains most of the move here.

Bleaching Earth Prices in Turkey

Turkey gained 1.5% to USD 531/MT, the regional refining demand continuing to hold steady through the period.

Why did the price of Bleaching Earth change in Q2 2026 in Turkey?

The regional refining demand held steady, and the clay feedstock costs firmed alongside it.

For the Quarter Ending March 2026

Bleaching Earth Prices Q1 2026:

• United States: USD 652/MT
• China: USD 503/MT
• India: USD 567/MT
• Turkey: USD 523/MT

Bleaching Earth Prices in United States

US bleaching earth rose 1.7% to USD 652/MT, the oil-refining demand firming with the new year.

Why did the price of Bleaching Earth change in Q1 2026 in United States?

The oil-refining demand firmed with the new year, and the bentonite costs kept climbing steadily too.

Bleaching Earth Prices in China

China gained 1.6% to USD 503/MT, the demand firming as the year opened.

Why did the price of Bleaching Earth change in Q1 2026 in China?

The domestic refining demand firmed as the year opened, and the clay feedstock costs edged higher right alongside it.

Bleaching Earth Prices in India

India rose 1.6% to USD 567/MT, the refining-sector demand firming with the new year.

Why did the price of Bleaching Earth change in Q1 2026 in India?

The refining-sector demand firmed with the new year, tracking the edible-oil processing activity closely.

Bleaching Earth Prices in Turkey

Turkish bleaching earth climbed 1.6% to USD 523/MT, the regional demand staying firm through the quarter.

Why did the price of Bleaching Earth change in Q1 2026 in Turkey?

The regional refining demand stayed firm, and the clay feedstock costs firmed alongside it.

Quarterly Bleaching Earth Price Trends

The global average climbed steadily across the window, from USD 535/MT in Q1 2025 to USD 571 by Q2 2026, a net gain of about 6.7%. Every quarter posted a gain here, reflecting the firming clay feedstock costs and the steady edible-oil refining demand across every market we track, with the pace of the gains picking up somewhat in the most recent two quarters. That kind of steady, uninterrupted climb is worth noting, since it stands in contrast to how choppy some other commodities in this space have looked over the same period.

What was Bleaching Earth Price in 2025?

2025 was a steadily firming year for bleaching earth. Starting near USD 535/MT in Q1, the global average finished 2025 at USD 553, a gain of about 3.4%. The edible-oil refining demand held consistent all year across every market we track, and the clay feedstock costs firmed only gradually, before the pace of gains picked up further once 2026 got underway. Buyers who track this market closely tend to view that steady annual pattern as the baseline against which any future quarter's move should be judged.

Bleaching Earth Prices in United States in 2025

US prices moved from about USD 620/MT in Q1 2025 to USD 641 by Q4, up roughly 3.4%. The oil-refining demand held steady all year, and the US stayed the priciest of the four markets throughout.

Bleaching Earth Prices in China in 2025

Chinese prices climbed from USD 480/MT in Q1 to USD 495 by Q4, a 3.1% gain, and China stayed the most affordable of the four markets throughout the year.

Bleaching Earth Prices in India in 2025

Indian prices rose from USD 540/MT in Q1 to USD 558 by Q4, up 3.3%, as the refining-sector demand kept building through the year.

Bleaching Earth Prices in Turkey in 2025

Turkish prices moved from USD 500/MT in Q1 to USD 515 by Q4, a 3.0% gain, as the regional refining demand stayed firm through the year.

How We Can Help

Expert Market Research: Your Source for Real-Time Bleaching Earth Price Intelligence

We keep a continuous eye on the bleaching earth prices wherever it's produced or consumed at scale, tracing causation through the bentonite and attapulgite clay feedstock economics, the edible-oil refining demand, and the activation-process capacity utilization. Our analysts track global vegetable oil consumption trends closely too, given how directly they shape the underlying refining capacity this market depends on. We also track how buyers in adjacent markets are adjusting their sourcing strategies, which often signals a shift before it fully shows up in the headline pricing. Need pricing data, bespoke market analysis, or procurement advisory? Reach out to our team.