Global Calcium Carbonate Prices Elevate in October 2023 Amidst Varied Market Sentiment

Calcium Carbonate prices have slightly improved in October from last month's traded prices despite the Eurozone cooling. The Asian Calcium Carbonate market has shown mixed sentiments. At the same time, North America has registered a slight hike in October.

In the domestic market of Europe's largest economy, Germany, Calcium Carbonate prices have been traded at a price of USD 386 per metric tonne, CFR Hamburg. At the same time, Belgium has registered Calcium Carbonate prices as USD 366 per metric tonne, with a hike of 3.1%. Spain has also shown improvement, with a 3.5 percent rise in Calcium Carbonate market prices.

The world's largest building materials maker, Holcim, has reported a slight profit in its third-quarter results of the current year. According to market analysts, the economic conditions have been challenging, with weaker demand amid foreign exchange headwinds. In the Eurozone, Holcim has registered a strong profitability of about 15 percent, while in Asia, around 8.6%.

Calcium Carbonate in China has been traded at USD 138 per metric tonne, FOB Shanghai, with a hike of 2.2%. In India, prices have declined by 6.2% due to a strong supply of limestone. The index of mineral production by mining has stood at 111.9 and registered a growth of 12.3 percent over the corresponding period last year, according to the data released by the Indian Bureau of Mines. The limestone mining segment has reported a growth of 13.8 percent.

BUA cement has registered recorded sales of USD 422 million in the first nine months of 2023, up by 27% y-o-y compared to USD 332 million last year. Ambuja Cement has reported an 8% y-o-y rise in sales and averaged USD 477 million over the first nine months of 2023. Its total cement sales have been recorded at 7.6 metric tonnes. JK Lakshmi Cement recorded sales of USD 189 million during the second quarter of financial year 2024, up by 15% y-o-y.

In North America, Calcium Carbonate prices have been traded at USD 732 per metric tonne, with a slight hike of USD 2.5%. The market has been driven by the growth in the use of additives in the food and beverages sector. Calcium Carbonate is used in those industries as a preservative, flavor enhancer, sweetener, and many other functions. Also, the rising demand for sustainable packaged foods has been further fuelling the market growth. The retail food industry also registered growth in October.