Calcium Carbide Price | Current and Historical
Monitor Calcium Carbide Prices Worldwide
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See monthly Calcium Carbide prices in 5 locations: United States, South America, Europe, South Asia & Oceania, China, Middle East, Africa. Also check Calcium Carbide price history since 2007. The chart below is a sample of Intratec Primary Commodity Prices - subscribe now and gain access to current prices of 237 commodities, including Calcium Carbide.
Data Legend. The Calcium Carbide price chart shows the prices in USA Dollar per metric ton (USD/mt) in 7 locations, as follows:
- US: Calcium Carbide, United States, transaction, fob
- SAM: Calcium Carbide, South America, transaction, fob, Brazil
- EUR: Calcium Carbide, Europe, transaction, cif, Germany
- SEA: Calcium Carbide, South Asia & Oceania, transaction, cif, India
- CN: Calcium Carbide, China, spot, exw
- MDE: Calcium Carbide, Middle East, transaction, cif, Saudi Arabia
- AFR: Calcium Carbide, Africa, transaction, cif, South Africa
Data Use. Calcium Carbide prices are provided as an annual subscription where subscribers have access to reliable pricing data of 237 commodities worldwide. To better understand data provided by Intratec Primary Commodity Prices, check the following documents: Price Assessment Basis , Commodities Specifications , Methodology , User Guide , and Glossary .
Intratec Primary Commodity Prices
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Price Dynamics. The Calcium Carbide price in United States decreased during November 2018 to 1,220 USD per metric ton, which represents a slight decline of 4% compared to the previous month’s value. On a year-over-year basis, Calcium Carbide prices in United States decreased significantly by 8%. Meanwhile, in Germany, the average price of Calcium Carbide amounted to 753 USD per metric ton, from 776 USD per metric ton one year earlier. On a month-over-month basis, the Calcium Carbide price in Germany is 2% lower than the price one month before.
The price of Calcium Carbide in China declined throughout November 2018, reaching 430 USD per metric ton. The price in China is 6% lower than the average price in the previous month and 4% lower than the average price one year before. In contrast, Calcium Carbide prices in India increased modestly during November 2018, reaching 731 USD per metric ton, which means a rise of 3% from the previous month’s price and a rise of 14% from the previous year’s price.
The Calcium Carbide prices in Saudi Arabia experienced a significant decline of 99 USD per metric ton from the prior month's price, to 647 USD per metric ton. Such price movement in Saudi Arabia meant a decrease of 13% on a monthly basis and a rise of 0.2% on a yearly basis. On the other hand, in November 2018, the Calcium Carbide price in Brazil witnessed a decline of 31 USD per metric ton when compared against the previous month's price, to 780 USD per metric ton. The November 2018 price in Brazil is 16% higher than the price one year before.
In South Africa, the average price of Calcium Carbide was 808 USD per metric ton on November 2018 – a little decrease of 13 USD per metric ton, or 2%, compared with the previous month. On a year-over-year basis, the Calcium Carbide price in South Africa is 16% higher than the price one year before.
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 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 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)
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.
