Silica & Glass Briefing, 21 August 2026: Silica Prices Jump in Q2 as Container Glass Earnings Fall
Container glass earnings weakened across the board: Vetropack's half-year net profit halved, O-I's European operating profit fell 93.3 %, and Şişecam's net sales slipped 8 %. Silica sand prices closed Q2 sharply higher in every region tracked, and Anchor Glass filed to close its Warner Robins plant in Georgia.
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 %.
Anchor Glass filed a WARN notice on 18 August to close its Warner Robins, Georgia plant, affecting 168 jobs, with closure set for 17 October 2026.
Markets & Prices
Silica sand prices closed Q2 2026 sharply higher across all regions tracked — the US up 22.5 % to roughly $69/MT, China up 19.9 % and Germany up 13.7 % — attributed to logistics, compliance and energy surcharges, with modest softening expected as inventories normalise.
Vetropack's H1 net profit fell 51 % to CHF 4.8m on sales of CHF 404.6m (−2 % nominal, +0.7 % at constant FX). Operating margin fell to 4.1 % from 5.5 %, which the company attributed to energy and transport costs and to restructuring including the St-Prex closure; headcount was down about 8 % to 3,392.
O-I's European operating profit fell 93.3 %, from $90m to $6m, with European net sales down 5 % to $704m and group sales down 2 % to about $1.7bn. CEO Gordon Hardie cited competitive pricing, energy costs and disruption following restructuring, together with two furnace incidents. The company says its "Fit to Win" programme has now delivered more than $400m in cumulative benefits.
Şişecam reported H1 net sales of TRY 122bn, down 8 %, with a 61 % international share, TRY 12bn invested and $464m exported. CEO Can Yücel framed the half around efficiency, cost and financing discipline rather than growth.
Schott Pharma ran against the trend, reporting nine-month revenue of €769.8m (+4.4 %) and Q3 revenue up 8.3 % to €281.8m, which it attributed to sterile cartridges and GLP-1 vials. Full-year guidance was confirmed at 5–6 % growth and a 27–28 % EBITDA margin.
Technology & Innovation
A quiet week technically, weighted toward pre-show announcements ahead of GlassBuild America and glasstec 2026 rather than substantive R&D.
LiteSentry, Softsolution and Strainoptics previewed Osprey®25 and LineScanner upgrades ahead of GlassBuild, and a new LineScanner design went live for insulating glass inspection at Weber + Wagener.
Kuraray will show advanced interlayers at glasstec 2026 in Düsseldorf and present on structural laminated glass at Zak World of Façades India.
Carried forward from just before the window: ClearVue reported an industry-first surface-4 low-E coating on Gen 3 building-integrated photovoltaic vision glass, validated by AGC Interpane at Plattling — a route to BIPV using existing coating infrastructure.
Regulation & Sustainability
Silicosis was the regulatory story of the week. A CIDRAP report on NEJM Evidence findings (12 August) documented 592 silicosis diagnoses, 31 deaths and 65 lung transplants among California engineered-stone countertop workers since 2019. Engineered stone runs above 90 % crystalline silica, against 25–35 % in granite.
H.R. 5437, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Stone Slab Products Act, cleared House Judiciary 16–7 in June. It would bar suits against silica countertop makers and could dismiss around 500 pending California cases — worth watching for anyone with US silica exposure.
FGIA updated three seismic documents covering curtain wall and glazing performance.
Just outside the window but material: Cardinal Glass committed to what is reported as the first float-glass carbon capture installation, at Winlock, Washington — about 130,000 t CO₂ a year at up to 95 % capture, with K2-CO2, operational Q1 2029 and without government funding.
Companies & Projects
Anchor Glass will close its Warner Robins, Georgia plant, filing a WARN notice on 18 August. 168 jobs are affected, with closure set for 17 October 2026 and terminations running to 30 January 2027. Workers were notified on arrival at the plant.
Homerun Resources signed an MOU with Cebrace, the Saint-Gobain and NSG joint venture in Brazil, covering solar glass in Bahia and pairing Homerun's high-purity silica with Cebrace's manufacturing. Homerun would reconfigure to three front-glass lines plus a hybrid line, with Cebrace supplying back glass.
Şişecam disclosed capacity additions alongside its H1 results: coated glass capacity up 17 % to 48.1m m² a year, the TR9 float line at Tarsus (432kt) commissioned, and the first furnace ignited at its Hungary packaging plant (198kt). It also showed automotive glass at Auto Glass Week.
HEGLA Group announced new management on 20 August.
Hard Glass Industry reinvested in Glaston tempering technology.