Oil prices surpassing $100 trigger a "domino effect": industry chain transmission accelerates, and disposable gloves enter a price hike mode

As the Middle East situation continues to escalate, the “black swan” event in the global energy market is flapping its wings, transmitting pressure down to downstream microvascular levels. On March 8, international oil prices broke through $100 per barrel for the first time since 2022. Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have not only reshaped the energy landscape but also, through complex chemical industry chains, forced companies to adopt cost transfer modes. The price of disposable gloves may subsequently rise.

As the foundational raw material for chemicals, the sharp fluctuations in crude oil prices are deeply transmitted along the industry chain. Industry observations show that this transmission follows a clear three-layer logic: first, rising crude oil prices directly push up basic chemical raw materials such as naphtha, butadiene, and acrylonitrile; then, these pressures are transmitted to intermediate materials needed for glove production, such as nitrile latex and natural latex; finally, the cost pressures converge at the finished product level, forcing the price of disposable gloves to increase.

The core raw material for nitrile gloves, nitrile latex, is synthesized from butadiene and acrylonitrile. Due to the ongoing escalation of the Middle East situation, global ethylene and its cracking facilities have successively announced force majeure declarations and substantially reduced or halted production. As a byproduct of ethylene cracking, butadiene supply has been directly impacted, with the supply gap continuously widening. Relevant personnel from Zhonghong Medical stated that the market is now in a tense situation of “no stock available,” with domestic traders reporting extremely tight spot supplies—“hard to buy spot goods” has become the norm. Data shows that last week, the average price of acrylonitrile in the East China market increased by about 10.3%. Recently, the market for butadiene has also seen significant price increases and tight supply. Driven by raw material prices, the average price of nitrile latex used for disposable gloves in North China rose approximately 16.7% last week.

Meanwhile, natural latex glove prices also have upward momentum. Although natural rubber is not directly linked to crude oil, the surge in oil prices has significantly increased global logistics and transportation costs. Additionally, due to soaring prices of synthetic rubber (nitrile), some demand has shifted toward natural latex, creating substitution effects that further support raw material prices. Currently, spot prices of natural rubber in Thailand have increased by over 6% within the month.

Industry experts point out that in the short term, disruptions in the Middle East are unlikely to be fully resolved, meaning fluctuations in crude oil and related chemical raw materials will remain high. Under the tight supply and demand balance of core raw materials like butadiene, influenced by raw material cost transmission, the price of disposable gloves is expected to rise accordingly. (Yan Yun)