What is n-Octanoic Acid Market Analysis: Price Trend, Trade Data and Drier Demand
Analysts Sentiment
Bullish
Neutral
Bearish
What's driving sentiment this week:
Latest published month (2026-07) — Sentiment: Bullish
The most recent published customs observation for HS 291590 is 2026-07 at USD 2,431.80/ton, -7.0% against the previous month and +7.9% against 2025-08.
Reported volume across the fixed 14-economy panel was 903,556 tonnes over the window, 75,296 tonnes a month on average, and the three-month trend is +5.8%.
Next 1–3 Months — Outlook
This page is refreshed from public customs statistics rather than paid price assessments, so the next revision will roll in each newly published month for HS 291590. Direction shown here is a reading of published customs unit values, not a forecast.
Key Market Impact
Customs unit values for this heading are the single most checkable price signal available without a subscription: they combine the product mix actually crossing borders, the average contract level behind those shipments and freight-relevant volume. Treat them as the trade-weighted baseline for the heading, and read the coverage note above before applying them to a single grade.
How About the Price?
Data source: UN Comtrade public trade statistics (https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202607&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true) | Last updated: 2026-11-03
Demand-side factors
- n-Octanoic acid demand runs to metal octoates for paint and coating driers and for PVC stabilisers, to ester plasticizers, lubricants and refrigeration oils, to flavour and fragrance esters, and to antimicrobial and pharmaceutical uses, so its call follows coatings, lubricant and food-ingredient demand rather than fuel.
- Related market pages on this site: Octanol (the alcohol it is esterified with), Isooctanoic Acid (the branched C8 acid in the same tariff line), Isobutyric Acid (the neighbouring light acid in the same chapter), Butanol/Octanol (the C8 alcohol line produced alongside octanoic acid).
Price Trajectory, latest 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07)
The monthly customs export unit value for HS 291590 moved from USD 2,253.02/ton in 2025-08 to USD 2,431.80/ton in 2026-07 (+7.9% across the window). The window high was USD 2,747.21/ton in 2026-05 and the low USD 2,253.02/ton in 2025-08. Three-month averages put the latest quarter +5.8% against the previous one, which is classified here as bullish.
The same panel reported USD 2,218.2 million of export value on 903,556 tonnes over the twelve months, an average of 75,296 tonnes a month. Values are customs returns for the stated HS heading, so they capture the traded mix of that heading rather than a single quoted grade.
The EU side of the same heading is one month fresher than the panel above: Eurostat Comext records EU27 imports of HS 291590 from outside the EU at USD 3,049.03/ton in 2026-08 (EUR 2,630.04/ton at the ECB monthly reference rate), -3.9% against 2026-07, on 18,033 tonnes; the twelve months to 2026-08 totalled 233,679 tonnes. On the 12 months the two datasets share (2025-08 to 2026-07), three-month blocks that far apart moved +8.0% on the export panel and +10.2% on the EU import side, so the two agree on direction. Import values are recorded on a CIF-type basis by a single bloc, so the level is not comparable with the export panel — the comparison above is directional.
2026-08 is deliberately not in the series: of the 14 economies that make up this page's fixed panel, 10 had filed both value and net weight for this heading when the page was rebuilt on 2026-11-03, while the heading drew 18 filers in total that month; 2026-09 drew 0 filings for this heading, 0 of them from panel members, and 2026-10 drew 0 (0 from the panel). Splicing a partly-filed month onto a fixed panel would move the unit value through composition alone, so the window stays at 2026-07 until the whole panel for 2026-08 has reported.
HS 291590 is the residual 'other' line of heading 2915, where the saturated acyclic monocarboxylic acids and their derivatives that have no dedicated six-digit line are classified: octanoic (caprylic) acid, decanoic acid and the other C8-C10 acids, together with their anhydrides, halides, peroxides and peroxyacids. Formic, acetic, propionic, butanoic and pentanoic, palmitic and stearic acids all have their own lines above it, so the series is a residual-acid composite that contains n-octanoic acid but is not a caprylic acid quote.
Supply-side factors
- Fixed reporting panel of 14 economies: AUS (36), BRA (76), CZE (203), DNK (208), FIN (246), HUN (348), IDN (360), IRL (372), MYS (458), MEX (484), NLD (528), POL (616), SWE (752), GBR (826). The panel is held constant in every month of the window so month-to-month movement is not a composition effect.
- Monthly unit value range over the window: USD 2,253.02 to USD 2,747.21/ton.
- Latest month, 2026-07: USD 2,431.80/ton, -7.0% against the previous month, on 89,299 tonnes.
Basis: these are customs unit values for the stated HS heading, not quoted spot, contract or assessed prices, and no paid price assessment is used or redistributed on this page. Every figure can be re-checked at the API links listed at the end of this page.
Need the supplier landscape, contract structure or a delivered-cost build-up behind this heading? Request a sample report or a custom cut.
Data Sources
Every monthly endpoint used for the series on this page, the EU cross-check, the exchange rate used to express it in dollars and the HS classification reference:
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202508&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202509&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202510&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202511&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202512&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202601&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202602&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202603&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202604&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202605&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202606&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202607&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/files/v1/app/reference/HS.json
- Eurostat Comext DS-045409, EU27 extra-EU imports, monthly: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/api/comext/dissemination/statistics/1.0/data/DS-045409?format=JSON&freq=M&reporter=EU27_2020&partner=EXT_EU27_2020&flow=1&indicators=VALUE_IN_EUROS&indicators=QUANTITY_IN_100KG&product=291590&sinceTimePeriod=2025-07
- ECB euro reference rate, monthly average (EXR/M.USD.EUR.SP00.A): https://data-api.ecb.europa.eu/service/data/EXR/M.USD.EUR.SP00.A?format=csvdata&startPeriod=2025-07&endPeriod=2026-10
Substitutes & Alternatives
| Substitute | Replacement Scenario / How It Substitutes |
|---|---|
| Propionic Acid / Sorbic Acid | In food preservation and antimicrobial applications, propionic acid and sorbic acid can substitute for n-octanoic acid as preservatives, particularly in grain, bakery, and dairy products. These are not structural analogs but serve the same functional antimicrobial role. Substitution is application-specific and requires regulatory and efficacy review. |
Related PetroApex Market Pages
- Octanol — the alcohol esterified with octanoic acid for lubricant and cosmetic esters.
- Isobutyric Acid — the branched acid sibling in the same 2915 family.
- Neopentyl Glycol — the polyol used with carboxylic acids in synthetic lubricant esters.
- Butanol/Octanol
Regulatory Status
| Region | Regulation / Policy Name | Issuing Authority | Year (enacted or latest revision) | Key Requirement / Threshold | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU | Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 93/2014 | European Commission | 2014 | Approved as active substance for product-type 4 (disinfectants) and 18 (insecticides, acaricides and products to control other arthropods) at 99.3% purity; approval valid until 31 August 2025 for PT4 | https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32014R0093 |
| EU | Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/946 | European Commission | 2025 | Postponed expiry date of approval for product-type 4 to 29 February 2028 | https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2025/946/oj/eng |
| EU | REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 | European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) | 2007 (current) | Registered at 10 000 to <100 000 tonnes per annum; classified Skin Corr. 1C (H314) | No stable public URL (source page not reachable when last checked) |
| US | FIFRA (pesticide registration) and FFDCA (tolerances) | US EPA | 1990s (PC Code 128919); 2008 Registration Review Decision; 2025 (FR 90 24348) | Registered for biochemical and antimicrobial uses; no additional data required for continued registration; tolerance exemptions for antimicrobial uses (no specific numerical limits in current 40 CFR 180.940(a) post-2025 update); 22 registered products containing caprylic acid | https://downloads.regulations.gov/EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0477-0009/content.pdf https://downloads.regulations.gov/EPA-HQ-OPP-2021-0336-0004/content.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-06-10/pdf/FR-2025-06-10.pdf |
| US | 21 CFR 184.1025 | US FDA | 1986 (current) | GRAS affirmed as direct food substance; used as flavoring agent and adjuvant at levels not exceeding good manufacturing practices (maximum levels as served: 0.013% for baked goods, 0.04% for cheeses, 0.005% for fats and oils); no numerical threshold specified beyond GMP | https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-184/section-184.1025 |
| China | Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances (IECSC) | Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) | Current (listed existing substance) | No new registration or notification required for import or use; applicable to environmental management registration for new uses | https://www.chemradar.com/en/tools/gcis/detail/211du1q0fl?cas=111-64-8&nameEn=Octanoyl%20chloride&nameZh=%E8%BE%9B%E9%85%B0%E6%B0%AF |
| Global (Transport) | ADR, IMDG Code, IATA-DGR | UNECE (ADR), IMO (IMDG), ICAO (IATA) | Current (UN 3265) | Corrosive liquid, acidic, organic, n.o.s. (caprylic acid); Class 8; Packing group III; UN number 3265 | https://www.merckmillipore.com/Web-INTL-Site/en_US/-/USD/ShowDocument-File?ProductSKU=MDA_CHEM-100193&DocumentType=MSD&DocumentId=100193_SDS_NZ_EN.PDF&DocumentUID=353598757&Language=EN&Country=NZ&Origin=SERP |
| EU | Antidumping measures on fatty acids (including C8/C10) | European Commission | 2023 (definitive; continuing 2026) | Definitive anti-dumping duties on imports from Indonesia: 46.4% (P.T. Musim Mas), 15.2% (P.T. Wilmar Nabati Indonesia), 26.6% for other cooperating companies, 46.4% for all other companies | https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2023/111/oj/eng https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/02/2026-01950/fatty-acids-from-indonesia-and-malaysia-institution-of-antidumping-and-countervailing-duty |
Key Influence Events
It occurs naturally in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and the milk fat of goats and cows, from which it is commercially recovered by hydrolysis and fractional distillation. Industrially, n-octanoic acid is used as a feedstock for esters (plasticizers, lubricants, flavors, fragrances), metal octoates (driers for paints and coatings, catalysts), antimicrobial agents, and pharmaceutical excipients. It is also used in the production of caprylic/capric triglycerides for cosmetics and nutraceuticals.
Top Countries Production Capacity
Production Process of n-Octanoic Acid Market Analysis: Price Trend, Trade Data and Drier Demand
It occurs naturally in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and the milk fat of goats and cows, from which it is commercially recovered by hydrolysis and fractional distillation. Industrially, n-octanoic acid is used as a feedstock for esters (plasticizers, lubricants, flavors, fragrances), metal octoates (driers for paints and coatings, catalysts), antimicrobial agents, and pharmaceutical excipients. It is also used in the production of caprylic/capric triglycerides for cosmetics and nutraceuticals.
Specs & Grades
| Property | Typical Value / Range | Unit | Grade / Remark |
|---|
Data Sources
Price and volume figures are derived from the directly verified public sources below. The customs unit values are USD/ton; they are not subscription price assessments. Numeric assay rows were removed because no public product-grade source is cited for them - confirm grade-level specifications with the supplier. Every monthly endpoint used for the series on this page is listed below, together with the HS classification reference.
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202508&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202509&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202510&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202511&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202512&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202601&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202602&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202603&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202604&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202605&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202606&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/M/HS?reporterCode=156,842,699,410,276,528,356,360,764,458,724,40,56,251,380,616,826,124,76,484,792,682,784,704,490,702,643,36,710,818,364,203,348,300,620,372,208,246,752,578,320,508&period=202607&cmdCode=291590&partnerCode=0&flowCode=X&includeDesc=true
- https://comtradeapi.un.org/files/v1/app/reference/HS.json
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