Sinopec synthetic rubber output falls 17% in first half

Beijing – Sinopec reduced synthetic rubber production by 17% year-on-year during the first half of 2026, the Chinese petrochemical major has announced.

Synthetic rubber output reached 667 kilotonnes in the six months to 30 June, down from 804 kilotonnes a year earlier, Sinopec said in its 23 Aug interim first-half results.

Sales volumes showed a similar decline, falling 17.1% to 637 kilotonnes, compared with 769 kilotonnes in the first half of 2025.

However, the average realised price of synthetic rubber increased 8.9% year-on-year to Yuan12,783 (€1,530) per tonne, from Yuan11,740/tonne a year earlier.

Across Sinopec's chemicals segment, sales of its six principal product groups – including synthetic rubber – totalled Yuan230.1 billion during the period, down 0.4% year-on-year.

Overall, the division narrowed its losses, posting an operating loss of Yuan200 million, an improvement of Yuan4.0 billion compared with the first half of 2025.

Sinopec attributed the improvement to efforts to reduce feedstock costs, increase the use of lighter raw materials, optimise operating rates in line with market conditions and expand exports.