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

Global Chlorine Exports 2014-2018

In 2018, the global exports of chlorine totaled 547K tonnes, going down by -9.6% against the previous year. Overall, chlorine exports continue to indicate a slight setback. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2016 with an increase of 5.7% against the previous year. The global exports peaked at 605K tonnes in 2017, and then declined slightly in the following year.

In value terms, chlorine exports stood at $160M (IndexBox estimates) in 2018.

Exports by Country

In 2018, Canada (157K tonnes), distantly followed by France (82K tonnes), the U.S. (51K tonnes) and Romania (32K tonnes) were the largest exporters of chlorine, together making up 59% of total exports. Mexico (24K tonnes), Germany (23K tonnes), Thailand (19K tonnes), Poland (19K tonnes), Japan (14K tonnes), South Korea (12K tonnes), Austria (11K tonnes) and Colombia (11K tonnes) followed a long way behind the leaders.

From 2014 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in terms of exports, amongst the main exporting countries, was attained by Japan, while exports for the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

In value terms, the largest chlorine supplying countries worldwide were Canada ($31M), the U.S. ($20M) and France ($14M), together accounting for 41% of global exports.

The U.S. recorded the highest rates of growth with regard to the value of exports, in terms of the main exporting countries over the period under review, while exports for the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Export Prices by Country

In 2018, the average chlorine export price amounted to $292 per tonne, growing by 12% against the previous year. Over the last four-year period, it increased at an average annual rate of +1.7%. Prices varied noticeably by the country of origin; the country with the highest price was Japan ($898 per tonne), while Romania ($102 per tonne) was amongst the lowest.

From 2014 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Germany, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Imports by Country

The U.S. represented the major importer of chlorine imported in the world, with the volume of imports reaching 189K tonnes, which was approx. 33% of total imports in 2018. Germany (63K tonnes) ranks second in terms of the total imports with a 11% share, followed by Mexico (7.5%), Hungary (5.6%) and Switzerland (4.6%). The following importers – Malaysia (16K tonnes), Taiwan, Chinese (13K tonnes), Belgium (11K tonnes), China (11K tonnes), the Philippines (10K tonnes), Italy (10K tonnes) and Portugal (9.3K tonnes) – together made up 14% of total imports.

From 2014 to 2018, average annual rates of growth with regard to chlorine imports into the U.S. stood at -3.3%. At the same time, Mexico (+83.9%), Malaysia (+59.4%), China (+35.3%), Taiwan, Chinese (+24.7%), Germany (+16.6%), Portugal (+16.2%) and the Philippines (+2.5%) displayed positive paces of growth. Moreover, Mexico emerged as the fastest-growing importer imported in the world, with a CAGR of +83.9% from 2014-2018. By contrast, Hungary (-7.1%), Belgium (-8.5%), Switzerland (-9.4%) and Italy (-12.2%) illustrated a downward trend over the same period. While the share of Mexico (+6.9 p.p.), Germany (+5.1 p.p.) and Malaysia (+2.4 p.p.) increased significantly in terms of the global imports from 2014-2018, the share of Hungary (-1.9 p.p.), Switzerland (-2.2 p.p.) and the U.S. (-4.9 p.p.) displayed negative dynamics. The shares of the other countries remained relatively stable throughout the analyzed period.

In value terms, the U.S. ($37M) constitutes the largest market for imported chlorine worldwide, comprising 21% of global imports. The second position in the ranking was occupied by Germany ($13M), with a 7.4% share of global imports. It was followed by Mexico, with a 7.1% share.

From 2014 to 2018, the average annual rate of growth in terms of value in the U.S. stood at +1.3%. The remaining importing countries recorded the following average annual rates of imports growth: Germany (+13.5% per year) and Mexico (+57.2% per year).

Import Prices by Country

The average chlorine import price stood at $307 per tonne in 2018, growing by 4.3% against the previous year.

There were significant differences in the average prices amongst the major importing countries. In 2018, the country with the highest price was China ($981 per tonne), while Hungary ($83 per tonne) was amongst the lowest.

From 2014 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by the Philippines, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Source: IndexBox AI Platform