Bromine: Cycles
A price that barely moves
What this tab covers Price history and what drives booms and busts, including this commodity's super-cycles, the drivers behind them and the metrics to track. It charts monthly prices (World Bank) with a switch to inflation-adjusted annual prices; where there is no World Bank series it uses USGS US prices.No exchange publishes a bromine price. The US import unit value has stayed in a narrow band, peaking at $3.29/kg in 2022, dipping to $2.70/kg in 2024 and reaching about $3.00/kg in 2025. Demand follows electronics, construction plastics and oil and gas drilling, which uses clear brine fluids. Regulation is a structural driver, because several brominated flame retardants have been restricted. Supply changes slowly, since capacity sits in a few large integrated plants.
US price, Bromine and compounds, average US import unit value (CIF), bromine content
2021 2.85 2022 3.29 2023 2.92 2024 2.70 2025 3.00 dollars per kilogram. USGS MCS 2026; 2025 is an estimate.Super-cycles in bromine
Bromine is a concentrated, chemical-company market with no exchange. Western prices, as seen in US import values, are stable at about $3/kg. Chinese domestic prices are volatile because China's many small brine plants depend on depleting brines and environmental rules, and China imports more than half of world traded bromine. Price spikes come when Chinese capacity is shut; slumps come when demand for flame retardants and drilling fluids weakens. Concentration has a long history: a US bromine cartel ran from 1885 to 1914 (Tilton and Guzman).
- 1885-1914
US producers ran a local bromine cartel; Herbert Dow built his company on Michigan brines, undercutting German rivals (Tilton and Guzman; Scheyder).
No price series in sources.
- 2020-2022
Chinese environmental closures and strong demand for flame retardants and intermediates tightened China's market.
China average RMB 28,017/t (Q3 2020) to RMB 69,500/t (16 Oct 2021); average RMB 51,188/t in 2022 (Gulf Resources).
- 2023-2024
Weak demand and imports from the Dead Sea pushed Chinese prices down; Gulf Resources cut sales by 72%.
Average RMB 24,072/t (2023) and RMB 17,561/t (2024), 67% below 2022; US import value $2.70/kg in 2024 (Gulf Resources; USGS).
- 2025
Further government-mandated closures cut Chinese capacity, and prices rebounded sharply.
RMB 21,900/t (Feb 2025) to RMB 37,500/t (15 Apr 2025) (Gulf Resources); US import value about $3.00/kg in 2025 (USGS).
What drives the cycle
- Chinese capacity and environmental policy. China is the largest importer and a major producer with small, closure-prone plants, so its policy sets the swing.
- Electronics and construction. BFR demand follows electronics, cables and insulation output.
- Deepwater and high-pressure drilling. Clear brine fluids are needed for completions in Guyana, the Gulf of Mexico and the Middle East.
- Regulation of flame retardants. Bans on specific BFRs (EU REACH, Stockholm Convention) shift demand to newer compounds or alternatives.
- Dead Sea geopolitics. About 72% of reported output comes from Israel and Jordan.
Metrics to track
| Metric | Why it matters | Where to track it |
|---|---|---|
| China domestic bromine price | Most volatile, most visible price | SunSirs; Gulf Resources releases |
| China bromine imports | Largest buyer of traded bromine | China Customs; UN Comtrade (HS 2801.30) |
| US bromine import and export unit values | Western price proxy | USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries |
| ICL and Albemarle bromine segment results | Leading producers' pricing and volume | Company quarterly reports |
| Offshore rig counts and completions | Clear brine fluid demand | Baker Hughes rig count |