Calcium Carbide Prices | Historical and Current
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Monitor monthly Calcium Carbide price assessments covering 4 locations: United States, Europe, Southeast Asia and China. Also check Calcium Carbide 10-year price history.
The chart below is a sample of Intratec Primary Commodity Prices. Subscribe and access now current prices of 225 commodities, including Calcium Carbide.
Data Legend. The chart above shows Calcium Carbide price assessments in USA Dollar per metric ton (USD/mt) in 4 locations, as follows:
- Calcium Carbide, US (United States): Calcium Carbide, export transaction price, fob, United States
- Calcium Carbide, EUR (Europe): Calcium Carbide, transaction price, fob, Germany
- Calcium Carbide, SEA (Southeast Asia): Calcium Carbide, import transaction price, cif, India
- Calcium Carbide, CN (China): Calcium Carbide, domestic spot price, exw, China
Data Use. Calcium Carbide 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. Calcium Carbide 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).
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Calcium Carbide Price Outlook. The price of Calcium Carbide (United States) decreased during March 2020 to 1,150 USD per metric ton, which represents a decline of 7% compared to the previous month’s value. On a year-over-year basis, the prices of Calcium Carbide (United States) decreased modestly by 0.9%. Meanwhile, the average price of Calcium Carbide (China) amounted to 377 USD per metric ton, from 464 USD per metric ton one year earlier. On a month-over-month basis, the price of Calcium Carbide (China) is 8% lower than the price one month before.
The price of Calcium Carbide (Southeast Asia) rose considerably throughout March 2020, reaching 637 USD per metric ton. The price is 19% higher than the average price in the previous month and 2% lower than the average price one year before. In contrast, the prices of Calcium Carbide (Europe) decreased during March 2020, reaching 778 USD per metric ton, which means a decline of 5% from the previous month’s price and a decline of 6% from the previous year’s price.
About Calcium Carbide. Calcium Carbide (a.k.a. CaC2, Calcium Acetylide) is a colorless (in its pure form) and odorless inorganic compound. Commercial Calcium Carbide, however, may present a relatively wide range of colors depending on the impurities present (usually calcium, magnesium, and other oxides).
The commercial manufacturing of Calcium Carbide has been based on essentially the same technique since its beginning in 1895, the date of the first commercial plant. This method employs an electrothermic furnace, which generates very high temperatures by means of high current passing through an electrical resistance and providing the heat required to convert a calcium source and carbon into calcium carbide.
Historically, the production of Calcium Carbide has been associated with the manufacturing of acetylene derivative. At the beginning of the 20th century, acetylene was useful as a source of light due to the brightness generated when burned. It gained importance in the 1920s when it became the raw material for the production of solvents, plastics, and synthetic rubber. At this time, the rise in acetylene demand increased the need for Calcium Carbide production, which reached its peak in the 1960s. Since then, the production of Calcium Carbide has decreased as acetylene started to be obtained from petrochemical sources. It remained relevant, however, in locations where there is a shortage of petroleum.
Calcium Carbide Handling. Calcium carbide is usually transported in metal containers, either in bulk or bins with a capacity of up to 4 tons, or in drums from 50 to 230 kg. In the presence of water, calcium carbide is hydrolyzed to produce acetylene, which is extremely flammable (flash point at -17°C), so containers are normally slightly pressurized with an inert gas, such as dry nitrogen.
Calcium Carbide Production. Calcium Carbide production consists in the reaction of calcium oxide (obtained from limestone) with carbon material, in such a way that different Calcium Carbide manufacturing routes are related to different sources of carbon. Raw materials and the respective production processes employed in the manufacturing of Calcium Carbide are listed below.
- Calcium oxide + metallurgical/petroleum coke (electrothermal reduction)
Calcium Carbide Uses. The uses and applications of Calcium Carbide may vary according to its specification. The main forms of Calcium Carbide are lumps; technical grade (75% minimum purity); and powder (99% minimum purity).
Calcium carbide is the most relevant carbide industrially because of its important role as the basis of acetylene industry. In locations where there is shortage of petroleum, Calcium Carbide is used as the starting material for the production of acetylene, which, in turn, can be used as a building block for a range of organic chemicals (e.g. vinyl acetate, acetaldehyde and acetic acid). In some locations, acetylene is also used to produce vinyl chloride, the raw material for the production of PVC. Use of Calcium Carbide is related to the fertilizers industry. It reacts with nitrogen to form calcium cyanamide, which is the starting material for the production of cyanamide (CH2N2). Cyanamide is a common agricultural product used to stimulate early foliation.
