China sulfur price nearly doubles in 2026 after 210% peak surge

Sulfur is a low-gloss but structurally important input, and a move of this scale in a single year signals genuine feedstock stress rather than speculative noise. The sharp drop in imports and the halving of port stockpiles point to a supply-chain problem that downstream buyers have already responded to by locking in contracts and switching feedstock — behavior worth noting because it changes demand patterns beyond the headline price. The open question is whether the new projects cited as relief actually arrive in time to soften prices, or whether contract restructuring and feedstock substitution persist even after supply normalizes.