Hydrofluoric acid: Trading
A market with almost no public price
What this tab covers How it is bought and sold: buyers and sellers, price benchmarks and who publishes them, exchanges, contract types, traders, how Indian buyers price it, recent price points, and good sources to follow.Who buys, and where
- Fluorochemical plants (captive)
- Aluminium fluoride makers
- Refineries with HF alkylation
- Semiconductor fabs (electronic grade)
- Stainless steel and glass works (aqueous)
Who sells, and from where
- Chinese HF producers
- Orbia (Mexico) to US Gulf
- Navin Fluorine and others in India
- Japanese and Korean electronic-grade suppliers
Price benchmarks
| Benchmark | Publisher | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| China AHF ex-works price (RMB/t) | SunSirs; SMM | daily or weekly domestic |
Exchanges
| Venue | Contract | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| none | no futures | Bilateral contracts, often multi-year for refrigerant and electronic grades |
Contract types
- Long-term supply to fluorochemical and AlF3 plants
- Qualified-supplier contracts for electronic grade
- Spot ISO tank sales of aqueous HF
Traders and distributors
- Few; HF is mostly sold direct because of hazards
How Indian buyers price it
- Captive use dominates; merchant HF prices follow import parity from China and Mexico plus freight.
- Navin Fluorine sells merchant AHF and aqueous HF in India (company disclosures).
- No Indian anti-dumping duty on HF found; acidspar imports drive cost.
Recent price points
| Date | Price | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $470/t acidspar (input) | US import c.i.f. unit value, acid grade | USGS MCS 2026 |
| 2025 | HF price not published in free sources | n/a | SunSirs pages not reachable |
Good sources to follow
USGS Fluorspar statistics and informationfree research site · US Geological SurveyFluorspar and HF trade, uses and prices
Fastmarkets fluorspar insightsfreemium research site · FastmarketsChina fluorspar and battery-driven fluorine demand
Indian Chemical Newsfree newsletter · Indian Chemical NewsIndian fluorochemical capacity and policy
ChemIn Digestfree newsletter · ChemIn DigestIndian chemical industry project news