The price of intermediates has surged by over 600%, triggering a cost-driven price increase wave in the dye industry
Recently, Jiangsu Yabang Dye Co., Ltd. issued a product price adjustment notice, officially initiating a new round of price increases for reducing dyes. According to the notice, commodity dyes will increase by 5–15 yuan per kilogram, while specialty dyes and dry powders will see a rise of 20–40 yuan per kilogram. The company stated that due to the rising costs of key raw materials and increasing investments in safety and environmental protection, production costs have surged significantly, prompting the price adjustment. This is also another price increase notice in 2026 from a leading enterprise in the dye industry, indicating that the dye market is entering a period of widespread price growth.
Intermediate products surged significantly, becoming the core driver of price increases for the reduced substances.
Looking at the current round of dye price increases, the surge in prices of upstream key intermediate reduced materials is the core driver of the market trend. As an indispensable intermediate raw material in the dye industry chain, the price movement of reduced materials directly impacts the production costs of downstream dye products. At the end of 2025, the price of reduced materials was still at a relatively low level of 25,000 yuan/ton. Starting from 2026, prices have been rising continuously. By March, the market price had already increased to 70,000–100,000 yuan/ton. Entering the second half of the year, the pace of price increase accelerated further, with the current market price exceeding 180,000 yuan/ton. Compared with the low point at the end of last year, the cumulative increase has exceeded 600%. The nearly doubled sharp rise in raw material costs provides solid cost support for downstream dye products, forcing dye manufacturing companies to raise their product prices.
Leading enterprises collectively adjust prices, and the wave of price increases spreads across the industry
Under the heavy pressure of costs, multiple leading domestic dye companies have successively followed suit in adjusting prices. Industry leaders such as Zhejiang Longsheng and Runtu Co., Ltd. have consecutively issued price adjustment notices. Throughout 2026, mainstream market indigo dispersed products have undergone multiple rounds of price increases, with an accumulated rise of 4,000 yuan per ton, pushing market transaction prices to a new high for the year.
Policy constraints limit production capacity, and the industry exhibits cost-driven price increase characteristics
Unlike previous market trends, this round of dye price increases is a typical cost-driven rise. On the policy front, environmental regulations and dual carbon-related policies continue to be implemented and strengthened, constraining the overall expansion of new capacity in the dye industry. A large number of high-energy-consuming and high-pollution outdated capacities are accelerating their exit from the market, while the market concentration of the industry continues to rise. After the market pattern changes, the operational conditions of companies within the industry also show significant differentiation.
Industrial Chain Polarization
Leading enterprises with a complete integrated intermediate industry chain layout are able to achieve partial self-sufficiency in key raw materials, effectively mitigating the impact of upstream raw material price increases. In contrast, many small and medium-sized dye companies generally lack supporting upstream intermediate production capabilities and must purchase high-priced raw materials externally, making their survival increasingly difficult.
Competitive Logic Shift
As an important upstream raw material in the textile printing and dyeing industry, dye prices have been continuously rising, and the pressure is expected to gradually transmit down the industry chain. Subsequently, the printing, dyeing, and textile end-use sectors may face certain cost pressures. Integrated production capabilities will become the core competitive advantage for dye enterprises.
In the short term, with upstream intermediates maintaining high prices, the production costs of dyes are unlikely to decrease quickly, and dye product prices may remain volatile at high levels. From a long-term perspective, the industry’s capacity structure has basically taken shape. For market participants, it is essential to closely monitor changes in upstream raw material prices, manage costs effectively, and actively respond to the challenges brought by the current industry cycle.
Post time: Oct-09-2026
