The price of coconut shell activated carbon continues to rise, primarily driven by both tightening supply and increased demand, with the recent upward trend being particularly pronounced.
Core Reasons Analysis
Tight Raw Material Supply, Cost-Pushing Increase
Southeast Asian Coconut Shell Production Reduction: Globally, approximately 95% of coconut shell carbonization relies on imports, mainly from Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia. In recent years, these regions have frequently experienced natural disasters (such as typhoons and droughts), leading to a decline in coconut production and a severe shortage of coconut shell raw materials.
1. Soaring Imported Raw Material Prices: The raw material shortage has directly driven up the price of imported coconut shell carbonization. As of November 2025, the factory gate price (including tax) of imported coconut shell carbonization had exceeded US$1200/ton;
Latest information in January 2026 shows that the reduction in coconut shell production in Southeast Asia continues, which is the most direct reason for the rising cost of coconut shell activated carbon;
Environmental and Logistics Costs: Tightening environmental policies in some coconut-producing areas have restricted production and exports, further exacerbating the raw material shortage. Meanwhile, rising global logistics costs have also increased overall production costs.
2. Strong Downstream Demand, Tight Market Supply
Increased Environmental Demand: The application of coconut shell activated carbon is becoming increasingly widespread in environmental protection fields such as drinking water safety and air purification, leading to sustained and stable growth in market demand.
New Energy Industry Drive: Coconut shell activated carbon is a crucial raw material for producing hard carbon anode materials for sodium-ion batteries. With the rapid development of the sodium battery industry, the demand for high-performance coconut shell-based hard carbon has surged, becoming a new engine driving price increases.
Low Inventory Levels Supporting Prices: As of January 20, 2026, some manufacturers' inventories were only around 30%, a historically low level. Limited monthly production and tight market supply further supported the upward trend in spot prices.
