Cumene Price | Current and Forecast
Monitor Cumene Prices Worldwide
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See monthly Cumene prices in 5 locations: United States, Europe, South Asia & Oceania, Northeast Asia. Also check Cumene 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 Cumene.
Data Legend. The Cumene price chart shows the prices in USA Dollar per metric ton (USD/mt) in 4 locations, as follows:
- US: Cumene, United States, transaction, cif
- EUR: Cumene, Europe, transaction, fob, Netherlands
- SEA: Cumene, South Asia & Oceania, transaction, fob, Singapore
- NEA: Cumene, Northeast Asia, transaction, fob, Japan
Data Use. Cumene 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
Track global current prices of 237 commodities including Cumene
Current Monthly Prices
Price History & Forecasts
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Price Dynamics. The Cumene price in United States decreased during November 2018 to 856 USD per metric ton, which represents a considerable decline of 10% compared to the previous month’s value. On a year-over-year basis, Cumene prices in United States increased significantly by 8%. Meanwhile, in Netherlands, the average price of Cumene amounted to 790 USD per metric ton, from 997 USD per metric ton one year earlier. On a month-over-month basis, the Cumene price in Netherlands is 6% lower than the price one month before.
The price of Cumene in Japan declined slightly throughout November 2018, reaching 959 USD per metric ton. The price in Japan is 2% lower than the average price in the previous month and 19% higher than the average price one year before. In contrast, Cumene prices in Singapore decreased during November 2018, reaching 1,040 USD per metric ton, which means a decline of 5% from the previous month’s price and a rise of 19% from the previous year’s price.
About Cumene. Cumene (a.k.a. Isopropylbenzene) is an organic compound, of the aromatic hydrocarbon class. It is a colorless liquid, insoluble in water, but soluble in most organic solvents. The production of Cumene grew rapidly during World War II, when this aromatic compound was used as a component of aviation fuel. Nowadays, Cumene is mainly used in the production of phenol and its acetone coproduct, two major petrochemicals with a number of applications in the chemical and polymer industries. Therefore, Cumene is heavily dependent on the phenol market.
Virtually all commercial production of Cumene is based on the alkylation of benzene by propene, which may be carried out in the presence of different catalysts such as solid phosphoric acid, anhydrous aluminium chloride or zeloite. The Cumene produced is purified and distilled, typically to 99.9% minimum purity. It is worth noting that around half of Cumene is produced captively, to be further processed to phenol (at the same site).
Cumene is considerably flammable (flash point at 33 °C), with the lower and upper flammable limit of 0.9% and 6.5% (by volume in air), respectively. For this reason, Cumene must be transported and stored away from heat, sparks, flame, or other sources of ignition. Outside or detached storage is preferred. Inside storage must be made in a standard flammable liquid storage warehouse, room, etc, in such a way that the chemical is kept away from any oxidizing material.
As previously mentioned, Cumene is produced on a commercial scale basically via alkylation of benzene by propene, in such a way that different production routes can be associated with different sources of these raw materials. Raw materials and the respective production processes employed in the manufacturing of Cumene are listed below.
- Benzene + propylene (alkylation process using an aluminum chloride catalyst),
- Benzene + propylene (alkylation process using a solid phosphoric acid catalyst),
- Benzene + propylene (alkylation process using a zeolite catalyst),
- Cumene hydroperoxide + propylene (coproduct in Sumitomo propylene oxide process)
The uses and applications of Cumene may vary according to its specification. The main forms of Cumene are technical grade; pharmaceutical secondary standard (USP); research grade; and pure/analytical standard grade (99.5% minimum purity); and merchant grade (99.9 wt %).
