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Recently, the humanoid robot industry has experienced explosive growth, with electronic skin (synthetic silicone) emerging as a key technology to enhance robot tactile perception and appearance realism. China has established significant technological advantages in this field, with the shipment volume of electronic skin products from a Guangdong-based company increasing by 10 times year-on-year (an astonishing 1000% growth). Customers are now equipping entire robot palms and joints with this intelligent skin, accelerating industry iteration and enabling weekly updates to R&D solutions.
With the surge in the humanoid robot industry, the application scope of electronic skin is expanding beyond traditional domains, gradually extending to medical rehabilitation and industrial inspection. Industry insiders reveal that domestic production capacity is poised for a breakthrough, with the synthetic silicone market expected to grow to a scale of over 10 billion RMB within the next three years.
On April 21, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the final anti-dumping and countervailing duty rates for crystalline photovoltaic cells from four Southeast Asian countries (Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam). A Cambodian company was hit with a countervailing duty of 3403.96%, while Vietnam's "national entity" faced an anti-dumping duty of 271.28%. According to a report titled "The Tariff Shockwave" released by freight data company Vizion, U.S. import orders, which surged in the first quarter, have shown signs of collapse. Comparing the data from March 24-31, 2025, with the following week (April 1-8), the number of standard container bookings dropped by 49%, and overall import volumes declined by 64%. The U.S. clothing import order volume fell by 59.1%, marking the largest decline among product types. The import of silicone products has been directly "halted," with over 80% of silicone products sold in the U.S. relying on Chinese manufacturing. Industry insiders predict that silicone product price increases will become a major trend in the second half of the year.
Meanwhile, the domestic silicone market is facing downward pressure on prices. Recent declines in prices for raw materials like DMC have brought them below the cost line, with average weekly spot prices continuing to fall for three consecutive weeks. Since April, downstream product prices have also dropped. Industry experts believe that 2025 may mark a new cycle inflection point for domestic silicone prices, considering supply factors. As of April 22, DMC spot prices ranged from 11,500 to 13,500 RMB/ton, with mainstream prices for raw rubber at 13,500 to 14,500 RMB/ton, 107 glue at 13,000 to 14,000 RMB/ton, domestic silicone oil at 14,500 to 15,500 RMB/ton, and imported silicone oil at 18,500 to 19,500 RMB/ton. The price of 421# metallic silicon ranged from 10,500 to 11,700 RMB/ton, and chloromethane spot prices were 1,950 to 2,150 RMB/ton.
Industry analysts comment: “The explosion of the humanoid robot industry has brought immense opportunities for the electronic skin market, while U.S. tariff policies and fluctuations in domestic silicone prices have introduced uncertainties to the supply chain. In the future, companies will need to strike a balance between technological innovation and cost control to navigate market changes.”
The explosion of the humanoid robot industry has driven rapid growth in the electronic skin market, with synthetic silicone as a core material poised for a broad market outlook. However, the supply chain disruptions caused by U.S. tariff policies and price fluctuations in domestic silicone have also presented new challenges. Finding a balance between technological innovation and cost control will be key to the future development of the industry.
