Borax Price | Current and Historical
Monitor Borax Prices Worldwide
See monthly Borax prices in 5 locations: US, China, Middle East, SE Asia, Europe. Also check Borax price history since 2007. Subscribe now to Intratec Primary Commodity Prices and gain access to current prices of 244 commodities, including Borax.
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Data Legend. The Borax price chart shows the prices in USA Dollar per metric ton (USD/mt) in 5 locations, as follows:
- US: transaction, fob
- China: transaction, cif
- Middle East: transaction, fob, Turkey
- SE Asia: transaction, cif, India
- Europe: transaction, fob, Netherlands
Data Use. Borax prices are provided as an annual subscription where subscribers have access to reliable pricing data of 244 commodities worldwide. To better understand data provided by Intratec Primary Commodity Prices, check the following documents: Price Assessment Basis , Commodities Specifications , Methodology , User Guide , and Glossary .
Price Dynamics. The Borax price in United States decreased during September 2018 to 718 USD per metric ton, which represents a slight decline of 3% compared to the previous month’s value. On a year-over-year basis, Borax prices in United States decreased by 7%. Meanwhile, in China, the average price of Borax amounted to 703 USD per metric ton, from 731 USD per metric ton one year earlier. On a month-over-month basis, the Borax price in China is 2% lower than the price one month before.
The price of Borax in Turkey rose throughout September 2018, reaching 654 USD per metric ton. The price in Turkey is 4% higher than the average price in the previous month and 7% higher than the average price one year before. In contrast, Borax prices in India decreased modestly during September 2018, reaching 1,020 USD per metric ton, which means a decline of 1% from the previous month’s price and .
The Borax prices in Netherlands experienced a modest decline of 18 USD per metric ton from the prior month's price, to 813 USD per metric ton. Such price movement in Netherlands meant a decrease of 2% on a monthly basis and a decrease of 4% on a yearly basis.
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About Borax. Disodium Tetraborate (a.k.a. Borax) is an inorganic mineral, a salt of boric acid. It is a white free-flowing crystal, slightly soluble in water. Disodium tetraborate occurs naturally in deposits of evaporite all around the globe. Borax was discovered in the eighth century AD, however, it only became commercially produced in the late nineteenth century. It is one of the most important boron compounds, mostly produced as a hydrate (such as deca or pentahydrate), and not in the anhydrous form, with applications in a wide variety of industries.
Disodium borate is considered nontoxic and it is also not flammable and not highly reactive. No special measures must be taken in transportation or storage, besides common sense for good housekeeping. Because there are so few primary sources of borates, and because of the wide diversity of end uses and end-use locations, the distribution of finished products is of critical importance. Today, borates are moved by virtually all available forms of transportation. Bulk, intercontinental shipments are made in ocean-going vessels with capacities higher than 40,000 tonnes. Barges, railcars, and trucks move borate products from sources or shipping ports to customers. Intermediate stock points are located around the world to provide working inventories and to guard against supply interruptions.
Raw materials and the respective production processes employed in the manufacturing of Borax are listed below.
- Brine + sodium carbonate (concentration/precipitation, byproduct of lithium carbonate production),
- Brine (extraction, coproduced with sodium carbonate, sodium sulfate and potassium chloride),
- Calcium borate + sodium carbonate (extraction/salt formation),
- Sodium borate, natural (extraction/refining)
The uses and applications of Disodium Tetraborate may vary according to its specification. The main forms of Disodium Tetraborate are crystals; refined United States Pharmacopeia (USP) grade; technical grade; granulated; and powdered.
Disodium Tetraborate is used mainly in the manufacturing of heat resistant/flame retardant glass, herbicides, fertilizers, detergents, bleaching agents, cosmetics, and enamel glazes. It is also used as an enzyme stabilizer; lubricant carrier; wax and oil emulsifier; pH buffer; and water softening agent.
