IndexBox has just published a new report: ‘China – Isocyanates – Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends And Insights’. Here is a summary of the report’s key findings.

China strengthens its leadership in global isocyanate exports. In 2020, Chinese supplies abroad grew by +20.4% y-o-y to $716M with rising purchases from Brazil, Russia, Peru, Viet Nam and India. In physical terms, Chinese exports rose by +38% y-o-y to 376K tonnes. Brazil, Viet Nam and Taiwan constitute the largest importers of isocyanates from China. Among the leading importing countries, Brazil featured the highest spike in purchases of Chinese isocyanates, boosting the imports by $45M. The average export price for isocyanates from China decreased by -13% y-o-y to $1,905 per tonne in 2020. 

Chinese Isocyanate Exports by Country

China leads in global isocyanate exports. In 2020, Chinese supplies constituted 19.6% of the total isocyanate volume exported worldwide.

In 2020, exports of isocyanates from China skyrocketed to 376K tonnes, increasing by +38% against the year before. In value terms, isocyanates exports surged by +20.4% y-o-y to $716M (IndexBox estimates) in 2020.

Brazil (46K tonnes), Viet Nam (44K tonnes) and Taiwan (Chinese) (28K tonnes) were the main destinations of isocyanates exports from China, with a combined 31% share of total exports. India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the U.S., Russia, Australia, the Philippines, South Korea, Peru and Singapore lagged somewhat behind, comprising a further 33%.

In value terms, the largest markets for isocyanates exported from China were Brazil ($76M), Viet Nam ($70M) and India ($57M), together comprising 28% of total exports. Taiwan (Chinese), the U.S., South Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Peru, Singapore and Australia lagged somewhat behind, accounting for a further 35%.

In 2020, the increased supplies to Brazil, Russia, Peru, Viet Nam and India provided most of the increment in Chinese exports. Brazilian isocyanate purchases spiked by $45M against the previous year. Russia ramped up its imports by $20M. The supplies to Peru, Viet Nam and India grew by $13M tonnes, $9M and $8M, respectively.

In 2020, the average export price for isocyanates from China amounted to $1,905 per tonne, declining by -13.1% against the previous year. There were significant differences in the average prices for the major export markets. In 2020, the country with the highest price was South Korea ($3,402 per tonne), while the average price for exports to Australia ($1,295 per tonne) was amongst the lowest. In 2020, the most notable growth rate in terms of prices was recorded for supplies to India, while the prices for the other major destinations experienced more modest paces of growth.

Source: IndexBox Platform