High Efficiency Flame Retardant PVC-T Alleviates ATO Price and Supply Crunch

In 2024, antimony trioxide saw a significant increase in price, due to a combination of several key factors. First, the rise in antimony prices was closely related to the trend of tight raw material supply. According to Shanghai Nonferrous Network, at the end of 2023, the domestic antimony ingot market price has obviously started to rise, including the price of antimony oxide, especially the export price has also recovered.In November 2023, China's imports of other antimony ores and their concentrates dropped sharply from the same period of the previous year, which showed the tight raw material supply situation.

Furthermore, according to Sina Finance, antimony prices hit a 12-year high in early 2024. This price increase was mainly supported by tight concentrate supply and restocking demand. Due to the tight supply of raw materials, mining enterprises are holding small quantities of goods and showing a strong sell-holding mentality, resulting in antimony ingot start rate remaining low and limited incremental supply in the overall market. At the same time, with the approach of the Spring Festival, production is expected to further contraction. In addition, due to the Chinese New Year holiday, antimony mines tend to take a longer vacation, resulting in a significant decline in the antimony smelter's work rate during the Spring Festival, which in turn affects the supply.

Antimony is often used as an additive in industrial manufacturing and has a wide range of applications, especially in the areas of flame retardants, photovoltaic glass clarifiers and alloys. Flame retardants accounted for the highest share of antimony's downstream demand structure at 55%. In addition, strong growth in the photovoltaic (PV) industry is also driving demand for antimony, with new global PV installations expected to reach 588 GW by 2025, a three-year CAGR of 35%. As a result, tight supply and demand for antimony is expected to continue for some time to come.

In response to this situation, Guangzhou Silver Plastic Flame Retardant New Material Co., Ltd. has developed PVC-T series flame retardant as a substitute for antimony trioxide. This alternative agent can not only efficiently and completely replace antimony trioxide, but also save the cost of flame retardant, while maintaining excellent performance.

PVC-T series flame retardants are compounded from activated environmentally friendly flame retardants and environmentally friendly antimony trioxide in the form of white powder. Adding 4-6 portions to PVC can achieve UL94-V0 (2mm) flame retardant grade, while reducing the molten droplets produced during combustion, and is environmentally friendly. Due to the high price of antimony trioxide, PVC-T series flame retardant has become a cost-effective alternative and is widely used in PVC cables, wire materials, PVC coatings, PVC artificial leather and other products.

PVC-T series flame retardants are divided into three models, PVC-T4, PVC-T6 and PVC-T6B, with certain differences in whiteness, additive amount and price. Overall, PVC-T series flame retardants, as substitutes for antimony trioxide, are environmentally friendly and have price advantages while maintaining excellent flame retardant effects, and are suitable for flame retardant treatment of PVC materials.

In the current market environment, this alternative agent undoubtedly provides an effective solution for the industry to cope with the rising price and tight supply of antimony trioxide.