Sodium Sulfate Price Trend and Forecast 2026-2027

Market Overview

In Northeast Asia, the highest-priced reporting region, sodium sulfate held firm through 2025, moving from USD 0.486/KG in Q1 to USD 0.485/KG by Q4 before lifting to USD 0.498/KG in early 2026. The global average told a softer story, easing from USD 0.347/KG to USD 0.331/KG across the year, a 4.6% decline, as ample Chinese byproduct supply weighed on the trade. South America and Africa drove most of the weakness.

Sodium sulfate is a white crystalline salt recovered from natural mirabilite and thenardite deposits and, increasingly, as a byproduct of rayon, battery and specialty-chemical production. Powdered detergents take the largest slice of demand at roughly 40%, followed by glass manufacturing, textile and kraft pulp processing, and the dye trade. The price is set mostly by energy and freight costs, the balance of byproduct output, and the seasonal rhythm of detergent and glass buying.

Sodium Sulfate Price Forecast for 2026

The balance for the rest of 2026 looks comfortable rather than tight. Producer cost floors are firm, anchored by energy and processing costs, yet abundant byproduct and natural supply keeps a lid on any rally. Detergent and glass demand should stay steady. The main upside risk is an energy shock lifting the European and Asian cost base; the main downside risk is a fresh wave of Chinese byproduct material chasing export outlets, the pressure that defined the back half of 2025.

For the Quarter Ending March 2026

Sodium Sulfate Prices Q1 2026:

• Europe: USD 0.455/KG
• North America: USD 0.213/KG
• Northeast Asia: USD 0.498/KG
• Africa: USD 0.260/KG
• South America: USD 0.250/KG

Sodium Sulfate Prices in Europe

In Q1 2026, European sodium sulfate averaged USD 0.455/KG, a 2.0% dip from USD 0.465/KG in Q4 2025. Energy costs eased modestly off their winter peak, trimming the production floor for natural and byproduct material. Viscose and detergent buyers worked through inventory ahead of spring, keeping demand orderly rather than urgent, and the regional premium over the Atlantic held intact.

Why did the price of Sodium Sulfate change in Q1 2026 in Europe?

Softer post-winter energy costs lowered the cost floor, while steady but unhurried viscose and detergent buying kept the market gently lower at USD 0.455/KG.

Sodium Sulfate Prices in North America

North American prices averaged USD 0.213/KG in Q1 2026, edging up 0.9% from USD 0.212/KG and again the lowest of any region. Deep natural deposits and steady byproduct flows kept supply long and pricing close to flat. Detergent and glass demand followed normal seasonal patterns, and the market simply drifted higher by a fraction with no real pressure in either direction.

Why did the price of Sodium Sulfate change in Q1 2026 in North America?

Plentiful domestic supply and routine downstream demand left the market near equilibrium, producing only a marginal 0.9% rise to USD 0.213/KG.

Sodium Sulfate Prices in Northeast Asia

Northeast Asian prices averaged USD 0.498/KG in Q1 2026, up 2.7% from USD 0.485/KG and the highest in the dataset. Despite vast regional capacity, export-oriented producers pushed contract levels higher as glass and detergent demand firmed after the winter lull. Tighter spot availability around the Lunar New Year shutdowns reinforced the move.

Why did the price of Sodium Sulfate change in Q1 2026 in Northeast Asia?

Post-holiday demand recovery and seasonal production shutdowns tightened spot supply, lifting the region 2.7% to USD 0.498/KG despite its large capacity base.

Sodium Sulfate Prices in Africa

African prices averaged USD 0.260/KG in Q1 2026, down a further 6.1% from USD 0.277/KG. The region leans on imports, and the steady slide in Asian export offers fed straight through to local levels. Weak detergent restocking and cautious buyer sentiment gave producers little room to lift quotes.

Why did the price of Sodium Sulfate change in Q1 2026 in Africa?

Falling Asian export offers and soft detergent restocking transmitted into this import-dependent market, extending the decline by 6.1% to USD 0.260/KG.

Sodium Sulfate Prices in South America

South American prices snapped back to USD 0.250/KG in Q1 2026, a sharp 15.5% jump from USD 0.216/KG. After a year of destocking that drained inventories, buyers returned to restock at once, and thin local availability amplified the rebound. Firmer import parity from Asia added to the upward pull.

Why did the price of Sodium Sulfate change in Q1 2026 in South America?

Restocking after prolonged inventory drawdown collided with thin local supply, driving a steep 15.5% recovery to USD 0.250/KG.

For the Quarter Ending December 2025

Sodium Sulfate Prices Q4 2025:

• Europe: USD 0.465/KG
• North America: USD 0.212/KG
• Northeast Asia: USD 0.485/KG
• Africa: USD 0.277/KG
• South America: USD 0.216/KG

Sodium Sulfate Prices in Europe

European prices averaged USD 0.465/KG in Q4 2025, off 4.0% from USD 0.484/KG in Q3 as the year-long firmness finally cooled. High winter energy costs kept the production floor elevated, but softer viscose and detergent offtake left supply comfortable. Buyers covered only near-term needs, and the quarter closed below its autumn peak.

Why did the price of Sodium Sulfate change in Q4 2025 in Europe?

Comfortable supply and cautious year-end buying outweighed elevated winter energy costs, pulling the region 4.0% lower to USD 0.465/KG.

Sodium Sulfate Prices in North America

North American prices averaged USD 0.212/KG in Q4 2025, a fractional 0.2% gain on Q3. The market stayed remarkably flat all year, underpinned by abundant natural and byproduct supply and steady, undramatic demand from detergents and glass. Neither side had the leverage to move prices.

Why did the price of Sodium Sulfate change in Q4 2025 in North America?

Ample supply and routine seasonal demand held the market in balance, leaving prices essentially unchanged at USD 0.212/KG.

Sodium Sulfate Prices in Northeast Asia

Northeast Asian prices averaged USD 0.485/KG in Q4 2025, down 1.1% from Q3. Large byproduct output kept the regional market well supplied, and slower winter construction trimmed glass-sector pull. Export demand stayed firm enough to prevent a steeper fall, holding levels near their full-year average.

Why did the price of Sodium Sulfate change in Q4 2025 in Northeast Asia?

Ample byproduct supply and softer winter glass demand nudged prices down 1.1% to USD 0.485/KG, cushioned by steady export interest.

Sodium Sulfate Prices in Africa

African prices averaged USD 0.277/KG in Q4 2025, a steep 10.6% drop from USD 0.310/KG. Cheaper Asian export offers reset the import-linked market lower, and weak detergent demand gave buyers the upper hand. The quarter marked the sharpest leg of the region’s 2025 decline.

Why did the price of Sodium Sulfate change in Q4 2025 in Africa?

Lower Asian export parity and soft detergent demand drove a 10.6% fall to USD 0.277/KG in this import-reliant market.

Sodium Sulfate Prices in South America

South American prices averaged USD 0.216/KG in Q4 2025, down 8.5% from Q3 and the year’s low. Persistent destocking, weak currency dynamics and soft detergent demand all pressed in the same direction. Buyers stayed on the sidelines, deferring purchases and draining inventories further.

Why did the price of Sodium Sulfate change in Q4 2025 in South America?

Continued destocking and weak detergent demand pushed prices to the annual low of USD 0.216/KG, down 8.5% on the quarter.

Quarterly Sodium Sulfate Price Trends

Global sodium sulfate prices traced a shallow downward arc across the six-quarter window, slipping from USD 0.347/KG in Q1 2025 to USD 0.331/KG by Q4 before a modest recovery to USD 0.335/KG in Q1 2026, a net decline of 3.5%. Ample Chinese byproduct supply was the dominant drag, partly offset by firm Northeast Asian and European pricing.

What was Sodium Sulfate Price in 2025?

Sodium sulfate prices softened over the course of 2025, with the global average easing from USD 0.347/KG in Q1 to USD 0.331/KG by Q4, a full-year compression of 4.6%. Three forces shaped the year: a steady flow of low-cost byproduct material from Asian producers, weak detergent restocking in import-dependent regions, and a prolonged destocking cycle that hollowed out South American demand. Northeast Asia and Europe held up best, while Africa and South America bore the brunt of the decline.

Sodium Sulfate Prices in Europe in 2025

European prices opened Q1 2025 at USD 0.449/KG and closed Q4 at USD 0.465/KG, a full-year gain of 3.6%, the only reporting region to finish higher. Prices climbed through the first half on firm energy costs and steady viscose demand, peaking near USD 0.484/KG in Q3 before easing in Q4. Energy-linked production costs were the dominant driver, keeping Europe firmly in the upper half of the global range all year.

Sodium Sulfate Prices in North America in 2025

North American prices barely moved in 2025, opening at USD 0.208/KG and closing at USD 0.212/KG, a gain of 1.9% and the calmest path in the dataset. Abundant natural deposits and reliable byproduct flows kept the market consistently well supplied, while detergent and glass demand followed predictable seasonal patterns. Structural oversupply, not any single event, was the defining feature of the year.

Sodium Sulfate Prices in Northeast Asia in 2025

Northeast Asian prices were broadly flat in 2025, moving from USD 0.486/KG in Q1 to USD 0.485/KG by Q4, a slip of just 0.2%. Vast byproduct capacity met firm domestic and export demand, holding the region at the top of the global price ladder throughout. Export pricing discipline, despite large volumes, was the dominant annual driver and kept levels resilient even as other regions fell.

Sodium Sulfate Prices in Africa in 2025

African prices fell sharply in 2025, from USD 0.324/KG in Q1 to USD 0.277/KG by Q4, a decline of 14.5%. As an import-dependent region, Africa absorbed the full weight of falling Asian export offers, and weak detergent restocking removed any demand-side support. The slide accelerated into the fourth quarter, making cheaper imported supply the clear dominant driver of the year.

Sodium Sulfate Prices in South America in 2025

South American prices recorded the steepest 2025 fall, dropping from USD 0.268/KG in Q1 to USD 0.216/KG by Q4, a decline of 19.4%, before rebounding in early 2026. A prolonged destocking cycle, soft detergent demand and weak currency dynamics combined to pull prices steadily lower through the year. Inventory drawdown was the single most dominant force, setting up the sharp restocking rebound that followed.

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