In January 2026, Sodium Lignosulphonate prices experienced a bearish trend across the key global markets. Prices fell gradually on a weekly basis, mainly attributable to expanding supply and demand gap, a growing pressure of inventory, insufficient support from cost and a weak demand.
In the U.S., Sodium Lignosulphonate prices were on a downtrend, prices fell by 3.42% in January 2026. The slump was mainly due to abundant supply and weak demand. The import prices from major export regions, notably Europe and Asia, softened with the global market slowdown. Domestic production was steady, demand was limited as activity in the downstream construction sector was weak, which brought some influence on Sodium Lignosulphonate consumption.
In the construction industry, Homebuilder confidence weakened slightly, with the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index declining by two points in January. Sales activity at present, sales expectations for the next six months, and traffic of buyers each fell. The survey also showed that 40% of builders cut prices stable from December, with the average price reduction at 6%. Prevailing trends restricted the demand for Sodium Lignosulphonate and further prices dropped in Jan 2026 in the wake of the shrinking demand in most of the major end-uses.
The European market saw Sodium Lignosulphonate experiencing a similarly bearish trend as witnessed in the US. Weak market conditions prevailed despite some increased cost support from feedstocks market. In addition, demand from domestic and global buyers has remained sluggish in the wake of weak construction activities. As a result, the sodium lignosulphonate price in Norway plummeted with 8.85%, dropping slowly week by week in throughout the January 2026.
Also, the MEA market witnessed a downtrend, Sodium Lignosulphonate price in Saudi Arabia decreased by 6.89%. This reduction reflected pressure from competing prices in the overseas market and a smooth logistics operation. Stocking activity remained limited during the period, although expectations pointed toward improvement ahead of Ramadan. The downstream construction demand was ?at and still too weak to prop up prices of Sodium Lignosulphonate.
In APAC, Sodium Lignosulphonate prices in China fell by 5.66% in the month of January 2026. The drop is mainly attributed to the decrease in production costs and the weak demand from domestic and international markets. Feedstock prices softened with a general downtrend in pulp prices during the month. Domestic port stock pressure continued to be high. In addition, caustic soda prices fell 11.9%, meanwhile the supply remained ample as manufacturers increased output in the face of early Q1 stocking. But demand stayed weak with China’s Construction index sliding to 48.8 in January 2026 from 52.8 in December 2025, while the New Orders Index dropped to 46.1 from 47.3, the weakening sector continued to cap the rebound in the Sodium Lignosulphonate market.
