Butadiene Prices | Current and Forecast
Monitor Butadiene Prices Worldwide
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Monitor monthly Butadiene price assessments covering 6 locations: United States, Europe, South America, Southeast Asia, China and Northeast Asia. Also check Butadiene 10-year price history and forecasts.
The chart below is a sample of Intratec Primary Commodity Prices. Subscribe and access now current prices of 225 commodities, including Butadiene.
Data Legend. The chart above shows Butadiene price assessments in USA Dollar per metric ton (USD/mt) in 6 locations, as follows:
- Butadiene, US (United States): Butadiene, import transaction price, cif, United States
- Butadiene, EUR (Europe): Butadiene, export transaction price, fob, Germany
- Butadiene, SAM (South America): Butadiene, export transaction price, fob, Brazil
- Butadiene, SEA (Southeast Asia): Butadiene, export transaction price, fob, Thailand
- Butadiene, CN (China): Butadiene, domestic spot price, exw, China
- Butadiene, NEA (Northeast Asia): Butadiene, import spot price, cfr, South Korea (netforward from fob China)
Data Use. Butadiene prices are provided as an annual subscription where subscribers have access to reliable pricing data of 225 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. Butadiene 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 225 commodities including Butadiene
Current Monthly Prices
Price History & Forecasts
Prices in Multiple Countries / World Regions
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Plans Starting at $299 USD /year
Butadiene Price Outlook. The price of Butadiene (United States) increased during March 2020 to 1,020 USD per metric ton, which represents a slight rise of 4% compared to the previous month’s value. On a year-over-year basis, the prices of Butadiene (United States) increased modestly by 3%. Meanwhile, the average price of Butadiene (China) amounted to 818 USD per metric ton, from 1,290 USD per metric ton one year earlier. On a month-over-month basis, the price of Butadiene (China) is 17% lower than the price one month before.
The price of Butadiene (Southeast Asia) rose slightly throughout March 2020, reaching 603 USD per metric ton. The price is 3% higher than the average price in the previous month and 41% lower than the average price one year before. In contrast, the prices of Butadiene (Europe) decreased during March 2020, reaching 716 USD per metric ton, which means a decline of 4% from the previous month’s price and a decline of 25% from the previous year’s price.
The prices of Butadiene (South America) experienced a significant decline of 84 USD per metric ton from the prior month's price, to 561 USD per metric ton. Such price movement meant a decrease of 13% on a monthly basis and a decrease of 30% on a yearly basis.
About Butadiene. Butadiene (a.k.a. BD, 1,3-Butadiene, Bio-Butadiene) is a versatile and crucial chemical commodity, known as the simplest conjugated diene. It exists as a colorless gas and exhibits remarkable versatility. Due to its conjugated double bonds, this compound can participate in various distinct reactions, including addition, hydrogenation, oxygenation, Diels-Alder, and polymerization. These reactions result in the formation of a wide range of important chemicals. However, it is worth noting that the other isomeric form of butadiene, known as 1,2-butadiene, lacks significant commercial applications. Instead, it is primarily produced as a by-product during the production of 1,3-butadiene, which holds greater industrial importance.
A great part of Butadiene is obtained on a large scale as a co-product during the steam cracking process used to produce ethylene. Additionally, it can be commercially produced through the dehydrogenation of butane and butenes, as well as from ethanol, particularly in smaller-capacity plants. When Butadiene is derived from renewable sources, it is commonly referred to as Bio-Butadiene or Green Butadiene.
The majority of globally produced butadiene serves as a monomer or co-monomer in the manufacturing of synthetic rubber, particularly for styrene-butadiene rubber and latex (SBR), polybutadiene rubber (BR), acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber and latex (NBR), and chloroprene rubber (CR). Butadiene also plays a significant role in important plastics, where it serves as a monomer component.
Butadiene Handling. Butadiene is stored in liquefied form, mainly in liquid-gas pressurized containers. While BD reacts with oxygen forming dangerous polymeric peroxides, it is handled in the absence of this chemical. Antioxidants and inhibitors, as well as lower storage temperatures, are used to prevent premature polymerization reactions. Butadiene is transported at a temperature of 4 °C and raised pressures, in tankers, railroads, pipelines, and tank trucks.
Butadiene Production. Butadiene was initially manufactured from acetylene. Such methods are no longer used due to high costs and high energy consumption. Nowadays BD is produced through different routes, being isolation from C4 steam cracker fractions and dehydrogenation of butane and butenes the predominant ones. Raw materials and the respective production processes employed in the manufacturing of Butadiene are listed below.
- Co-product of steam cracking for ethylene production
- Butane/butenes (dehydrogenation),
- Raw sugar/glucose (fermentation),
- Ethanol (2-stage reaction process via acetaldehyde),
- Crude C4s stream (extraction)
Butadiene Uses. The uses and applications of Butadiene may vary according to its specification. The main forms of Butadiene are technical grade (98.0 wt% minimum purity); chemically pure (CP, 99.0 wt% minimum purity); instrument grade (99.4 wt% minimum purity); and research grade (99.8 wt% minimum purity).
To a lesser extent, Butadiene is also used in the production of adiponitrile, a nylon intermediate, anthraquinone, sulfolane solvent and in the synthesis of cycloalkanes and cycloalkenes, among others.
