In November of 2025, the Asian borax market experienced an abrupt and dramatic decline due to low levels of demand in the physical market, combined with growing supply issues. On the demand side of the market, manufacturers are experiencing near record levels of Inventory with Local manufacturers having been maintaining busy schedules of production due to high volume operations, while concurrently prices have dropped, due to increased competitor pricing and decreasing margins due to decreased purchase orders resulting in continued declines in demand for products. Analysts continue to expect a weak, range-bound pattern in the borax market until further demand for solar panel glass, as well as continued repair schedules of production lines producing float glass.
Asian Borax market witnessed a sharp drop in the November 2025. This was a measure of the low demand conditions. Additionally, supply pressures were also increasing. As a commodity used in glass processing, ceramics, detergent formulations, and metallurgical processes, borax had downward pressure on its price. This was because of reduced purchases made by such sectors. This commodity had other uses as a flux in metal soldering and a pharmaceutic alkalizer.
The discovery of borax ore in other parts of the world such as Bolivia, Tibet, and Romania added to supplies. This increase in supply ranges coupled with continued strong outputs in other regions such as Chile's Atacama Desert put more pressure on supplies in Asia. Local manufacturers continued to operate at a very high level with their stock levels still near multi-year highs.
Borax profit margins were also affected by the tough environment. As producers suffered with rising costs and declining prices, their price margins were squeezed. Manufacturers and traders pointed out that the mismatch between supplies and demand had still not been rectified and that no recovery had taken place in the Borax market for that month.
Also, the slowdown in the glass sector was affecting borax prices in the region. Several float glasses producing lines shut down for cold repair. This impacted borax feed material consumption. Rising production costs because of fuel substitution and heating requirements further reduced profitability. Therefore, producers had no other option but to slash output. By late November, estimates indicated a sharp decline in daily float glass outputs. Monthly averages were expected to touch new levels for the year. Demand for photovoltaic glass continued to be soft notwithstanding seasonal peaks for installation.
Demand divergence among sectors also added emphasis to the poor Borax market outlook. Although borax was used for its special purposes in tanning, wood protection, and pharmaceuticals, this end use had little effect in compensating for lost demand for more traditional purposes such as glass and ceramics. Consumers in this region practiced a more cautious approach to purchases. They made purchases based only on current requirements and failed to build up stocks.
As per ChemAnalyst, Asian borax markets are forecast to continue being sluggish and range bound. This is because a sluggish downstream market, especially for glass manufacturers, together with a continued flow of new supplies, may impede any Borax price recovery. Players are therefore keeping a tab on developments concerning the downstream markets and new resource projects to gauge whether a stable environment can be achieved.
