Benzene (C₆H₆) is a colorless, highly flammable aromatic hydrocarbon liquid with a characteristic sweet odor, a boiling point of 80.1 °C, and a melting point of 5.5 °C. It is one of the most fundamental petrochemical building blocks, consisting of a six-carbon ring with alternating double bonds (a delocalized π-electron system) that confers exceptional chemical stability. Benzene is a known human carcinogen (IARC Group 1) and is regulated under strict occupational and environmental exposure limits. It occurs naturally in crude oil and is produced commercially from petroleum refining and coal tar processing. Its primary industrial use is as a precursor to ethylbenzene (for styrene), cumene (for phenol and acetone), cyclohexane (for nylon), nitrobenzene (for aniline), and alkylbenzenes (for detergents), making it indispensable to the global petrochemical industry.
How About the Price?
Key Influence Events
Price Trajectory 2020–2026 (Brief Recap)
Phase 1 — COVID-19 Initial Shock (2020-01 to 2020-04): Despite no explicit influence factors logged, benzene prices plunged from $660 in February 2020 to a low of $520 in April 2020, reflecting an initial demand and supply disruption phase.
Phase 2 — Early Recovery (2020-05 to 2020-12): Prices gradually increased from $530 in May 2020 to $600 by December 2020, suggesting a stabilization period with no recorded event influences.
Phase 3 — Steady Growth (2021-01 to 2022-12): A consistent monthly price rise occurred across these two years, climbing from $610 in January 2021 to $840 in December 2022, aligned with an unchanged influence log suggesting underlying structural market recovery.
Phase 4 — Continued Uptrend (2023-01 to 2024-12): Benzene prices steadily rose from $850 in January 2023 to $1080 in December 2024 with no recorded factor changes influencing this gradual uptrend.
Phase 5 — Early 2025 Price Momentum (2025-01 to 2026-05): Prices advanced from $1090 in January 2025 to $1250 by May 2026, driven by ongoing market dynamics, although no explicit influence events were recorded.
Top Countries Production Capacity
| Property / Grade | Typical Value / Range | Unit | Grade / Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purity (Benzene content) | ≥ 99.9 | wt% | Nitration Grade / Petrochemical Grade |
| Purity (Industrial Grade) | ≥ 99.0 | wt% | Industrial Grade |
| Color (APHA / Hazen) | ≤ 10 | APHA | All grades |
| Density at 20 °C | 0.878 – 0.879 | g/cm³ | All grades |
| Boiling Point | 80.1 | °C | All grades |
| Freezing Point | ≥ 5.4 | °C | Nitration / Petrochemical Grade |
| Thiophene Content | ≤ 1.0 | mg/kg (ppm) | Nitration Grade |
| Total Sulfur | ≤ 1.0 | mg/kg (ppm) | Petrochemical Grade |
| Non-aromatics (Paraffins, Naphthenes) | ≤ 0.15 | wt% | Petrochemical Grade |
| Toluene Content | ≤ 0.05 | wt% | Petrochemical Grade |
| Water Content | ≤ 50 | mg/kg (ppm) | All grades |
| Acidity (as acetic acid) | ≤ 1.0 | mg/kg | All grades |
| Evaporation Residue | ≤ 5 | mg/100 mL | All grades |
| Flash Point (closed cup) | -11 | °C | All grades |
| Refractive Index at 20 °C | 1.4979 – 1.5012 | — | All grades |
Who are the Top Players?
| Company | Headquarters | Key Facilities |
|---|---|---|
| Dow Chemical | Midland, Michigan, USA | Freeport TX, Plaquemine LA, Terneuzen |
| ExxonMobil | Spring, Texas, USA | Beaumont TX, Jurong Island Singapore |
| Shell | The Hague, Netherlands | Deer Park TX, Norco LA, Moerdijk Netherlands, Wesseling Germany, Sarnia Canada, Singapore Pulau Bukom |
| INEOS | London, United Kingdom | Cilegon Indonesia, Cologne Germany |
| Repsol | Madrid, Spain | Tarragona Spain |
| Sinopec | Beijing, China | Guangzhou China, Hainan China |
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