Glass Outlook
Food and Beverage Packaging
Market sources within the container glass industry note that energy will be a major market driver throughout Q4, especially in Europe, the US, and China.
The significance of energy as a price driver in glass manufacturing is attributable to the seasonal demand increase for natural gas and electricity during periods of colder weather, often firming prices. Players are also monitoring the relative firmness or weakness of order levels from the food and beverage industry, with many expecting further sluggishness throughout Q4 2025.
On the raw materials side, soda ash prices have stabilized, albeit at lower annualized levels, market participants said. However, processed and unprocessed glass waste prices continue to fall, with sources reporting that trade activity has decreased due to full inventories.
Demand remains key in understanding the container glass market throughout H1 2026.
Market sources note that they do not expect 2026 to be any better than 2025, with sluggish demand reportedly anticipated to continue, according to participants. Players will be on the lookout for more furnace closures, with persistent poor demand creating a dynamic where manufacturers are being ‘forced’ to fully close operations, instead of the more minor step of shutting production lines.
Short-term consumption statistics will also be key for understanding available volumes of glass waste throughout H1 2026, which sources argue will provide clues about the supply of cullet for future inclusion in raw material batches. International trade will also remain in focus, especially for glass markets in China and the US, which have faced fundamental change due to tariffs.
Sources expect the combination of full inventories and sluggish demand to result in weak market sentiment and anticipate prices to oscillate between sideways movement and downtrend.
However, players noted that volatility in energy prices, especially with fast-moving geopolitical events, could result in higher prices. Furthermore, buyers have reported higher prices for glass containers in the US, driven by the implementation of tariffs on China, where many US glass imports originate. The tariffs pushed several US-based buyers to source domestically, resulting in an increase in demand over the short-term. Sources do not expect this trend of higher prices to persist over the long-term, due to improved trade relations between the US and China, which players believe may result in a resumption in the flow of glass coming into the US from China.
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