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    Silica & GlassBriefings

    Silica supply and pricing, container and float glass capacity, and European raw-material regulation — curated by Trionex.

    About Trionex Market Intelligence

    Trionex Market Intelligence tracks silica supply and pricing, container and float glass capacity, and European raw-material regulation. Each edition also covers furnace and melting-technology projects across the glass value chain — with every item sourced and linked.

    Editions are archived here permanently at a stable URL. They are compiled by Trionex GmbH, Hamburg, the exclusive marketing agent for Europe, the Middle East and the US for high-purity, low-iron silica sand supplied as TRX-SiO₂-2025.

    The briefing reports on the market; it does not assess the companies named in it. Coverage is public market intelligence only.

    All editions

    LatestWeek of September 25 – October 2, 2026

    Silica & Glass Briefing, 2 October 2026: Chinese PV Glass Keeps Rising as Italy Warns on Energy Costs

    Chinese 2.0 mm coated PV glass rose 10.8 % since early August as inventories fell to about 38 days, while Italy's glassmakers said energy costs have quadrupled.

    • SMM reports 2.0 mm double-layer coated PV glass up 10.8 % since early August to RMB 11.25/m² and 3.2 mm up 4.2 % to RMB 17.3/m², with inventories down to about 38 days — a fourth consecutive month of destocking — and low-priced competitive orders disappearing as the floor firms around RMB 10/m².
    • Assovetro vice president Marco Ravasi (also CEO of Verallia Italia) said energy costs for Italian glassmakers have quadrupled, putting around 30,000 jobs and 2.2 Mt/yr of recycling capacity at risk without reform that decouples gas costs from marginal pricing.
    • Vical and Fives will build what they describe as the world's largest all-electric glass furnace: a 200 t/day Prium E-Melt cold-top melter for flint and green container glass at Vicesa in Costa Rica, where 99 % of grid power is renewable.
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    Week of September 18 – 25, 2026

    Silica & Glass Briefing, 25 September 2026: Verallia and Moët Hennessy Target 30–50 % Lighter Bottles

    Verallia and Moët Hennessy opened an R&D partnership targeting 30–50 % lighter bottles — a lever on batch demand that acts before any sand is melted.

    • Verallia and Moët Hennessy signed an R&D partnership on resource efficiency and circularity, targeting a 30–50 % reduction in bottle weight through glass-strengthening technology. Verallia puts glass at up to 30 % of the wine and spirits carbon footprint; its SBTi path is net zero on scopes 1 and 2 by 2040 and scope 3 by 2050.
    • Guardian Glass inaugurated a sputter coating line at 10th of Ramadan City, Egypt on 17 September, producing SunGuard solar-control and ClimaGuard low-E glass for Egypt, Africa, the Middle East and south-eastern Europe. The investment figure was not disclosed; the company has floated glass in Cairo since 2003.
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    Week of September 11 – 18, 2026

    Silica & Glass Briefing, 18 September 2026: NSG and AGC Close Japan's Glass Recycling Loops

    NSG and AGC opened two closed-loop recycling routes in Japan, returning end-of-life building glass to float lines as cullet that displaces virgin batch.

    • NSG completed a float-to-float recycling trial at its Chiba plant, remelting 12 mm ceramic-printed tempered glass recovered from a University of Tokyo building into new float glass, with off-spec material diverted to glass wool. The work was carried out with the Flat Glass Manufacturers Association of Japan.
    • AGC and Obayashi started what they describe as Japan's first route from demolition glass back to clear float, beginning with the teardown of the MUFG Bank head office; recovered cullet is routed to AGC's Kashima plant.
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    Week of September 5 – 11, 2026

    Silica & Glass Briefing, 11 September 2026: UK Duties on Chinese Containers as Majan Glass Halts in Oman

    The UK set provisional anti-dumping duties of 24.65–52.97 % on Chinese glass containers from 9 September, while Majan Glass halted operations in Oman.

    • The UK imposed provisional anti-dumping duties of 24.65–52.97 % on glass containers imported from China, effective 9 September. British Glass welcomed the decision; a parallel case on Turkish imports is still pending.
    • The European Commission's Public Procurement Act proposal, published 9 September, requires quality and environmental criteria to carry at least 30 % of award points and allows tenders to be restricted to EU operators or to favour EU-origin content — across a market worth about 15 % of EU GDP.
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    Week of August 28 – September 4, 2026

    Silica & Glass Briefing, 4 September 2026: Stoelzle Rebuilds Monaca as Vetropack Dismantles St-Prex

    Stoelzle laid off about 200 workers at Monaca for a $100M furnace rebuild to 400 t/day, while Vetropack finished dismantling furnace 21 at St-Prex, Switzerland.

    • Stoelzle Glass USA laid off about 200 of roughly 400 workers at Monaca, Pennsylvania — temporary, tied to a $100M rebuild taking the furnace to 400 t/day, 80 % larger and 25 % more energy efficient, with recall promised by 1 February.
    • Vetropack finished dismantling furnace 21 at St-Prex, Switzerland, redistributing about 8,000 t of cullet and quartz sand to other Vetropack plants and external partners across roughly 300 shipments.
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    Week of August 14 – 21, 2026

    Silica & Glass Briefing, 21 August 2026: Silica Prices Jump in Q2 as Container Glass Earnings Fall

    Silica sand prices closed Q2 2026 up 13.7–22.5 % across the US, China and Germany, while Vetropack, O-I and Şişecam all reported weaker results.

    • Silica sand prices closed Q2 2026 sharply higher in every region tracked — US +22.5 % to about $69/MT, China +19.9 %, Germany +13.7 % — attributed to logistics, compliance and energy surcharges.
    • Vetropack's H1 net profit fell 51 % to CHF 4.8m and O-I's European operating profit fell 93.3 % to $6m, while Şişecam reported net sales down 8 %.
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    Week of August 7 – 14, 2026

    Silica & Glass Briefing, 14 August 2026: Saint-Gobain and AGC Plan an Electric Flat-Glass Furnace at Avilés

    Saint-Gobain and AGC plan a record-scale electric flat-glass furnace at Avilés, Spain, as the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation takes effect.

    • Saint-Gobain and AGC announced (Aug 7) plans for the world's largest electric flat-glass furnace at Avilés, Spain — up to 50% CO₂ reduction, construction from January 2027.
    • Most provisions of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (2025/40) began applying August 12, 2026, raising the premium on verifiable recycled content and clear recycling routes.
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    Week of July 27 – August 3, 2026

    Silica & Glass Briefing, 3 August 2026: Stoelzle Rebuilds Amber Furnace, Saint-Gobain Buys in Asia-Pacific

    Saint-Gobain acquired two Asia-Pacific businesses, Stoelzle committed to an amber-furnace rebuild, and French glassmakers pressed for decarbonisation funding.

    • Saint-Gobain announced two acquisitions in the Asia-Pacific region on July 27 (deal details limited in the release).
    • Stoelzle Glass Group will rebuild its amber furnace at Heřmanova Huť, Czech Republic — construction starts August 2026, production expected back in October 2026.
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    Week of July 17–24, 2026

    Silica & Glass Briefing, 24 July 2026: VOLTA Hybrid Line Clears a Full Year, O-I Fires Its Veauche Furnace

    Saint-Gobain and AGC's VOLTA hybrid line cleared a full year at industrial scale and O-I drew first glass from its new hybrid furnace at Veauche, France.

    • Saint-Gobain/AGC's VOLTA hybrid flat-glass line completed a full year at industrial scale, reportedly cutting fossil-fuel use ~66% in year one.
    • O-I Glass drew first glass from its new hybrid furnace at Veauche, France (Fives air-gas technology, up to 70% fossil-fuel replacement).
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    Week of July 10–17, 2026

    Silica & Glass Briefing, 17 July 2026: Silica Prices Hold 14–20 % Above 2025, Iron Oak Buys Signal Peak

    Silica sand prices held 14–20 % above 2025 at roughly $88/MT in Germany and $57/MT in the US, and Iron Oak Energy Solutions acquired Signal Peak Silica.

    • Saint-Gobain/AGC's VOLTA hybrid furnace (Barevka, Czech Republic) cut fossil-fuel use ~66% in its first full year of continuous operation.
    • Silica sand prices stay elevated — Q1 2026 up ~14–20% on energy and freight, with regional levels around $57/MT (US), $80 (China) and $88 (Germany).
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    Week of July 3–10, 2026

    Silica & Glass Briefing, 10 July 2026: Saint-Gobain Buys Lexington Glass-Fibre Plant, Hybrid Melting Delivers

    Saint-Gobain agreed to buy Electric Glass Fiber America's Lexington plant while O-I's Veauche furnace cut site CO₂ by roughly 43 % in early operation.

    • Saint-Gobain agreed to acquire Electric Glass Fiber America's Lexington, NC plant, with close expected July 31.
    • Hybrid/electric melting delivers — O-I's Veauche furnace cuts site CO₂ ~43%; Saint-Gobain/AGC's VOLTA cut fossil-fuel use 66% in year one.
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    Week of June 27 – July 3, 2026

    Silica & Glass Briefing, 3 July 2026: Ardagh and Verallia Trim Container-Glass Capacity

    Ardagh idled its Seattle container-glass plant and Verallia cut around 40 UK jobs as producers trimmed capacity against elevated silica and energy costs.

    • Silica sand prices stay elevated — up ~14–20% in early 2026 on energy and freight costs.
    • Container-glass majors trim capacity — Ardagh idles Seattle (244 layoffs) and Verallia cuts ~40 UK jobs.
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    Week of June 19–26, 2026

    Silica & Glass Briefing, 26 June 2026: Canadian Premium Sand Opens Strategic Review, Silicosis Rules Widen

    Canadian Premium Sand opened a strategic review, silica spot prices rose 1.6 % on energy costs, and silicosis enforcement widened in California and the UK.

    • Silica sand spot prices ticked up ~1.6% in June on energy costs, with early-2026 prices running 14–20% above last year.
    • Furnace decarbonization dominated the week — hybrid, electric and oxy-gas projects from Saint-Gobain, Schott, Hrastnik and O-I.
    Read the full briefing

    © 2026 Trionex Energy Materials — Market Intelligence

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