Caprolactam Price | Current and Forecast
Monitor Caprolactam Prices Worldwide
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See monthly Caprolactam prices in 5 locations: United States, Europe, South Asia & Oceania, Northeast Asia, Middle East. Also check Caprolactam price history since 2007 and forecasts. The chart below is a sample of Intratec Primary Commodity Prices - subscribe now and gain access to current prices of 237 commodities, including Caprolactam.
Data Legend. The Caprolactam price chart shows the prices in USA Dollar per metric ton (USD/mt) in 5 locations, as follows:
- US: Caprolactam, United States, transaction, fob
- EUR: Caprolactam, Europe, transaction, fob, Belgium
- SEA: Caprolactam, South Asia & Oceania, transaction, cif, India
- NEA: Caprolactam, Northeast Asia, transaction, fob, Japan
- MDE: Caprolactam, Middle East, transaction, cif, Turkey
Data Use. Caprolactam 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 Caprolactam price in United States decreased during November 2018 to 2,110 USD per metric ton, which represents a slight decline of 4% compared to the previous month’s value. On a year-over-year basis, Caprolactam prices in United States increased modestly by 3%. Meanwhile, in Belgium, the average price of Caprolactam amounted to 1,780 USD per metric ton, from 1,680 USD per metric ton one year earlier. On a month-over-month basis, the Caprolactam price in Belgium was flat.
The price of Caprolactam in Japan declined throughout November 2018, reaching 1,990 USD per metric ton. The price in Japan is 5% lower than the average price in the previous month and 1% lower than the average price one year before. In contrast, Caprolactam prices in India increased modestly during November 2018, reaching 2,280 USD per metric ton, which means a rise of 3% from the previous month’s price and a rise of 19% from the previous year’s price.
The Caprolactam prices in Turkey experienced a modest rise of 30 USD per metric ton from the prior month's price, to 2,290 USD per metric ton. Such price movement in Turkey meant a rise of 1% on a monthly basis and a rise of 9% on a yearly basis.
About Caprolactam. Caprolactam (a.k.a. CPL, Azepan-2-one) is a cyclic amide widely used as a chemical intermediate. It is soluble in water, most oxygenated and chlorinated solvents, and some hydrocarbons. This organic compound can be produced on commercial scale from cyclohexanone, cyclohexane, or toluene as starting materials.
Caprolactam solution is clear to milky white-colored liquid and has a mild, unpleasant smell. Most of Caprolactam production is based on the cyclohexanone process, which involves the conversion of cyclohexanone to cyclohexanone oxime followed by a Beckmann rearrangement step. To a lesser extent, Caprolactam is produced commercially by the photonitrosation of cyclohexane or by nitrosation of cyclohexanecarboxylic acid (derived from toluene) in the presence of sulfuric acid. It is worth noting that, ultimately, the main commercial processes employed for Caprolactam production are based on benzene or toluene from BTX, and generate ammonium sulfate as byproduct.
Flaked caprolactam must be preferably exposed to temperature below 45 °C with less than 65% of relative humidity. Storage is made in polyethylene or aluminum coated paper bags and protected from direct sunlight. Tank trailers or railroad cars are recommended for transport. Molten caprolactam should be stored and transported under a nitrogen atmosphere with less than 10 ppm of oxygen, using stainless steel or aluminum containers at about 80 °C.
Caprolactam can be produced through a number of routes, starting from different raw materials. The most common routes are based on the conversion of cyclohexanone to cyclohexanone oxime followed by a Beckmann rearrangement step, on the photonitrozation of cyclohexane, and on the nitrosation of cyclohexanecarboxylic acid. Raw materials and the respective production processes employed in the manufacturing of Caprolactam are listed below.
- Cyclohexanone + ammonia + sulfuric acid + oleum (oximation/rearrangement),
- Cyclohexane + ammonia + sulfuric acid + oleum + hydrochloric acid (photonitrization/rearrangement),
- Cyclohexanecarboxylic acid + nitrosylsulfuric acid + oleum + sulfuric acid (nitrosation)
The uses and applications of Caprolactam may vary according to its specification. The main forms of Caprolactam are flakes; or in liquid form (99% purity).
