Acetylene Prices | Historical and Current
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Monitor monthly Acetylene price assessments covering 3 locations: United States, Europe and China. Also check Acetylene 10-year price history.
The chart below is a sample of Intratec Primary Commodity Prices. Subscribe and access now current prices of 224 commodities, including Acetylene.
Data Legend. The chart above shows Acetylene price assessments in USA Dollar per metric ton (USD/mt) in 3 locations, as follows:
- Acetylene, US (United States): Acetylene, domestic cash cost (formula), exw, United States
- Acetylene, EUR (Europe): Acetylene, domestic cash cost (formula), exw, Germany
- Acetylene, CN (China): Acetylene, domestic cash cost (formula), exw, China
Data Use. Acetylene prices are provided as an annual subscription where subscribers have access to reliable pricing data of 224 commodities worldwide. Intratec's methodology employs a structured big data strategy that utilizes advanced technologies to extract publicly available data from primary sources such as governmental trade records, statistics bureaus, and international agencies. This data is then processed through mathematical models to generate reliable assessments, published at the very beginning of each month. To better understand the data provided check Intratec Primary Commodity Prices Methodology .
Data Delivery Methods. Acetylene price assessments are available via different delivery methods: (i) online charts; (ii) directly into Excel (using Intratec Add-in); (iii) in Power BI dashboards or (iv) a web API (to facilitate integration with existing workflows).
Intratec Primary Commodity Prices
Track global current prices of 224 commodities including Acetylene
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Acetylene Price Outlook. The price of Acetylene (United States) increased during November 2019 to 1,070 USD per metric ton, which represents a slight rise of 3% compared to the previous month’s value. On a year-over-year basis, the prices of Acetylene (United States) decreased by 7%. Meanwhile, the average price of Acetylene (China) amounted to 1,550 USD per metric ton, from 1,820 USD per metric ton one year earlier. On a month-over-month basis, the price of Acetylene (China) is 0.6% higher than the price one month before.
The price of Acetylene (Europe) rose throughout November 2019, reaching 1,720 USD per metric ton. The price is 6% higher than the average price in the previous month and 8% lower than the average price one year before.
About Acetylene. Acetylene (a.k.a. Ethyne), the simplest hydrocarbon with a triple bond, is an unstable, highly reactive hydrocarbon. Ethyne was the most important building block of industrial organic chemistry in the past, but lost its position to ethylene and other olefins with the rise of the oil industry. However, it is still a very important commercial compound.
Acetylene is produced on a commercial scale largely from hydrocarbon feedstocks, mainly natural gas, or as a coproduct from ethylene production. Such hydrocarbon-based production processes are grouped under two categories according to the energy source, namely electricity or combustion. In the so-called partial combustion process, the combustion of part of the hydrocarbon feed provides the heat required to produce acetylene; a broad range of carbon-containing raw materials can be used, being natural gas the main one. In electrothermic processes, electric arc/arc plasma provide the energy required for cracking light hydrocarbons to acetylene. To a lesser extent, Acetylene is still produced via the calcium carbide process, where it is generated by the reaction between calcium carbide and water.
Acetylene Handling. Since Acetylene can decompose explosively by contact with hot bodies, electrostatic sparks, or by compression, it is usually not shipped nor stored; instead, the Acetylene produced is often immediately consumed.
Acetylene Production. Acetylene was initially produced by the reaction between calcium carbide and water with the release of heat and hydrated lime, Ca(OH)2, as a by-product. Subsequently, thermal cracking processes using methane and other hydrocarbons emerged and, finally, partial oxidation and regenerative processes were introduced. Raw materials and the respective production processes employed in the manufacturing of Acetylene are listed below.
- Natural gas + n-butane (Huels electric arc process; coproduced with ethylene),
- Calcium carbide (hydrolysis),
- Natural gas + oxygen (SBA process; coproduced with synthesis gas),
- Naphtha, heavy/natural gas + oxygen (Montecatini autothermic process; coproduced with synthesis gas),
- Natural gas + oxygen (BASF partial combustion process; coproduced with synthesis gas)
Acetylene Uses. The uses and applications of Acetylene may vary according to its specification. The main forms of Acetylene are grade D (98.0% of purity); welding grade (98.8% of purity); and purified acetylene (99.6% of purity).
Vinyl chloride and 1,4-butanediol monomers aforementioned are widely used, in turn, in the production of polymers for surface coatings; containers; pipe; adhesives and several other products.