Summary：
This article covers China's fluorochemical industry in 2025, highlighting export trends of refrigerants and fluorite, supply chain shifts due to policy and demand, key corporate projects, and risks/opportunities like trade barriers and new energy-driven growth.
I. Import-Export Data
1. Export Dynamics of Core Categories
Refrigerants: In Q1 2025, China exported 9,000 tons of R32 (+5.3% YoY), 3,000 tons of HFC-125 (+23.9% YoY), but HFC-134a exports dropped 48.3% YoY to 15,600 tons. March saw a significant rebound: R32 exports surged 150% MoM, and HFC-134a rose 96% MoM.
Fluorite Powder: January-April 2025 imports totaled 551,900 tons (+52.7% YoY), driven by Mongolia’s resource release. China has shifted from a net fluorite exporter to a net importer, with rising import dependency.
Hydrofluoric Acid (HF): February 2025 exports reached 16,611 tons (+9.1% YoY) at an average price of $1,628/ton (+8.36% YoY), while imports were only 17.61 tons (+43,925% YoY) with volatile pricing ($413/ton).
2. Policy & Trade Barrier Impacts
U.S. Tariff Shocks: After U.S. tariffs on Chinese fluorochemicals, firms like Honeywell added $4/lb and a 42% surcharge to Solstice® 454B from April 2025, raising import costs.
EU Critical Raw Materials Act: The EU listed fluorite as a strategic material, requiring ≥30% domestic supply, prompting Spain and Germany to restart sealed mines, though short-term global supply tightness persists.
II. Supply Chain Dynamics
1. Upstream Resources: Fluorite Ore Supply-Demand Landscape
China’s fluorite output is projected at 5 million tons in 2025, but environmental policies have shut down 18% of small/medium mines, limiting actual growth. Projects like Ruoqiang Piaozidaban Fluorite Mine (1.5 million tons/year) and Baotou Jinshi’s "mining-processing integration" are accelerating, but the industry shows net capacity clearance. New energy demands (lithium batteries, photovoltaics) have surged, with traditional steel metallurgy demand dropping to 41%, creating a structural gap of "rigid supply, diversified demand, and high prices" in global fluorite markets.
2. Midstream Production: Capacity Adjustment & Technological Upgrades
2025 HCFC production quotas were cut by 49,900 tons, and while HFC quotas increased, actual output growth is limited—total refrigerant production fell by >50,000 tons YoY. Leading firms (e.g., Juhua, Sanmei) strengthened market dominance through quota integration. Fluoropolymer output reached 192,000 tons in January-May (+7.7% YoY), with high-end products like electronic-grade HF and PVDF driven by semiconductors and new energy, though PV inventory overhang slowed growth.
3. Downstream Applications: Emerging Sectors’ Boom
Semiconductor and electronics sectors saw surging demand for electronic-grade HF and perfluoroether. The second phase of Changlu New Materials focuses on electronic fluorinated liquids for chip manufacturing and data center immersion cooling. PVDF, used as a lithium battery separator coating, is in high demand (expected to reach ¥5 billion market size by 2030), but 2025 terminal digestion is pressured by slowing PV installation growth and U.S. tariffs.
III. Corporate Projects & Investments
Guizhou Kaiyang "Phosphorus-Sulfur-Titanium-Copper-Iron-Lithium-Fluorine" Coupled Circular Integration Project: Launched on April 27, this project covers 1.4 million tons of ferrous sulfate heptahydrate and gypsum decomposition for sulfuric acid, addressing Guizhou’s new energy resource gaps, enhancing battery material competitiveness, and enabling resource recycling.
Henan Jinhai Fluorosilicon New Materials Project: With a total investment of ¥30 billion, it plans 30,000 tons/year of tetrafluoroethylene and 90,000 tons/year of anhydrous HF, with Phase I scheduled for completion by end-2025 to promote full fluorosilicon new material industrial chain layout.
Tianjin Changlu New Materials Phase II: Invested ¥500 million to build 2 hydrofluoroether units (2,072 tons/year), targeting completion by end-2025 and operation in 2026 to become a high-end fluorochemical innovation benchmark in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei.
V. Risks & Opportunities
Risks:
Excessive fluorite mining reduces reserves; stricter environmental policies compress capacity.
International trade frictions (e.g., U.S. tariffs, EU carbon barriers) increase export uncertainties.
Inventory overhang in PV and semiconductor sectors may trigger demand volatility.
Opportunities:
Technological Upgrades: Flotation processes boost low-grade fluorite utilization; AI sorting systems improve concentrate recovery. Localization of electronic-grade HF and semiconductor fluoropolymers accelerates.
Emerging Markets: Infrastructure demand in Southeast Asia and the Middle East drives refrigerant and fluoropolymer exports. Long-term new energy demands (lithium batteries, PV) support fluorite and high-end fluoromaterials.
Industrial Chain Integration: Leading firms strengthen bargaining power through vertical integration (e.g., Jinshi Resources controlling mines, Juhua deploying full refrigerant value chains).
More information can be found at CCM Fluorine China Database.
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