Shipping Disruptions in Hormuz Strait Tighten Sulfuric Acid Supplies, Pushing Prices Up

Published: Mar 27, 2026 14:41

Save

Disruptions to shipping routes and the Strait of Hormuz are tightening sulfuric acid supplies. The Middle East accounts for about 24% of global sulfur output, with nearly 40% of seaborne sulfur passing through Hormuz. Chile’s main suppliers—China, Peru and South Korea—are affected, pushing spot prices up nearly 20% since early 2026. Chile is advancing domestic smelter projects to reduce import reliance and secure supply.

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

8 mins ago

Copper Inventories in Major Regions of China Continued Destocking During the Week [SMM Weekly Data]

8 mins ago

25 mins ago

SMM Copper Wire and Cable Operating Rate Rises Slightly to 70.77%, Market Performance Mediocre

[SMM Copper Wire and Cable Operating Rate] The operating rate of SMM copper wire and cable enterprises was 70.77% this week, up 0.24 percentage points MoM. Overall operating performance was stable, while market performance was relatively mediocre. During the week, the pullback in copper prices suppressed the release of new orders, but enterprises had ample orders on hand and pending delivery, supporting basically stable production. New orders across downstream segments were generally weak, with demand in the home decoration sector particularly mediocre due to rising plastic raw material prices.

25 mins ago

26 mins ago

Copper Price Drop Drives Restocking, Raw Material and Finished Product Inventories Fall

[SMM Copper Flash News] Inventory at wire and cable enterprises this week: earlier pullbacks in copper prices drove concentrated restocking by enterprises, and raw material inventory mainly went toward consuming stockpiled materials this week, so raw material inventory fell 2.7% MoM. As for finished product inventories, the pullback in copper prices restrained downstream cargo pick-up, so finished product inventories edged down 2.65% MoM.

26 mins ago