In 2025, the overall price of sodium bicarbonate showed a weak trend. The average market price at the beginning of the year was around 1,546 RMB/ton, and the average market price at the end of the year was 1,190 RMB/ton, representing a price decrease of 23.03%. In 2025, sodium bicarbonate prices only increased in one month, with an increase of 1.11%, while the largest decrease occurred in April, reaching 13.86%.

Looking at the annual price comparison chart for sodium bicarbonate, it can be seen that the price of sodium bicarbonate remained weak overall in 2025.

Light soda ash, as an upstream product of sodium bicarbonate, has a price fluctuation that affects the price of sodium bicarbonate. According to SunSirs' commodity market analysis system, the soda ash market was weak and declining in 2025, with prices showing a volatile downward trend. The average price of soda ash at the beginning of the year was 1,528 RMB/ton, and the average price at the end of the year was 1,250 RMB/ton, representing an 18.19% decrease in price throughout the year.

Looking at the specific price trends, the price of sodium bicarbonate generally followed three phases in 2025. Prices fell from January to mid-April, then experienced a slight increase in late April, followed by a downward trend until the end of the year.

From the beginning of the year to early April, prices continued to fall, mainly due to the weak performance of upstream soda ash prices. Overall trading activity was moderate, and downstream demand for soda ash was average, with most buyers purchasing on an as-needed basis and maintaining a wait-and-see attitude. With supply and demand dynamics at play between upstream and downstream sectors, market participants held a predominantly bearish outlook for the future. In the downstream sector, the pharmaceutical, textile, and food industries mostly purchased sodium bicarbonate on an as-needed basis, resulting in weak sodium bicarbonate prices.

Prices rose in mid-to-late April, and the price of sodium bicarbonate has been trending upwards recently. This wasa due to several factors: firstly, sodium bicarbonate manufacturers have been experiencing tight supply recently; secondly, there were issues with the supply of soda ash, the upstream raw material for sodium bicarbonate; and finally, there had been strong demand from downstream industries such as pharmaceuticals, textiles, and food.

Since early May, the price of sodium bicarbonate has been on a downward trend. The price of upstream soda ash has also been falling, and downstream demand for sodium bicarbonate was weak.  Without any positive factors to support the price, the price of sodium bicarbonate continued to decline.

Sodium bicarbonate prices fluctuated weakly in 2025. What will the price trend of sodium bicarbonate be in 2026?

Supply-side perspective: Regarding changes in China's sodium bicarbonate production capacity, output, and operating rate, against the backdrop of continuously growing demand from downstream sectors such as food, industry, and animal feed, China's sodium bicarbonate production capacity and output continue to expand.

Demand-side analysis: Regarding the price trend of sodium bicarbonate in China, its price is significantly affected by fluctuations in the price of its main upstream raw material, soda ash.  Supply is expected to remain ample. The planned soda ash capacity expansion in 2026 has slowed down. In the first half of the year, capacity changes will mainly come from the commissioning of the second phase of Yuanxing Energy and the Yingcheng Xindu project at the end of 2025. In the second half of the year, the Jinshan Hubei Qianjiang and Hunan Xuetian Salt and Alkali projects are planned to be put into operation, adding 2.5 million tons of capacity. In 2026, the total soda ash industry capacity is expected to reach 47.5 million tons, with production increasing by over 10% year-on-year. Supply-side pressure will remain, and high inventory levels will continue to suppress price increases.

In terms of imports and exports: China's domestic sodium bicarbonate production accounts for about 40% of the global capacity, and exports significantly exceed imports. According to the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China, in 2025, sodium bicarbonate imports were 74,000 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 32.7%, mainly targeting some high-end sodium bicarbonate users; in 2025, sodium bicarbonate exports reached 1.006 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 27.2%, with South Korea accounting for the largest share at 25.6%, due to concentrated demand for desulfurization in local steel plants. The remaining exports were mainly to countries with developed livestock industries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Australia.

According to analysts at SunSirs, the supply of sodium bicarbonate continues to expand, and the supply growth rate is expected to remain faster than the demand growth rate in 2026. Although the Sunite plant is shut down for a long time, the stable production of the Haihua new line, coupled with the 1.6 million tons of capacity planned to be released by Inner Mongolia Boyuan Yinggen Chemical in 2026, means that the domestic supply growth rate of sodium bicarbonate will remain relatively fast. The downstream soda ash sector will still have 2.5 million tons of new capacity in 2026, maintaining demand for sodium bicarbonate. With the economic recovery, downstream operations for sodium bicarbonate will likely recover, potentially increasing demand. However, overall, due to environmental factors, the price of sodium bicarbonate may lack upward momentum. Overall, it is expected that the price of sodium bicarbonate will remain under pressure in 2026, depending specifically on downstream market demand.

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