# ABS: Production

How China took over from Korea and Taiwan

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/abs/production/

What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.

| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| **World capacity** | about 15-16 Mt/yr world (indicative); China about 8-10 Mt/yr by 2025 (indicative) |  | indicative (basis: GlobalData Oct 2023 additions on a pre-2023 base); not published in sources reached |
| **World output** | about 10 Mt (2024, indicative) |  | indicative |
| **Capacity utilisation** | about 65% (indicative) | Rapid Chinese additions since 2021 pushed rates down. Korean and Taiwanese exporters, long the main suppliers to China, lost share as China's self-sufficiency rose (indicative). | indicative |
| **Concentration** | China about 55%; top three countries about 75% (indicative) | Leaders include LG Chem, Chimei, INEOS Styrolution, Zhejiang Petrochemical, Lotte Chemical, SABIC and Formosa. Company capacities are not consistently published. | indicative; GlobalData Oct 2023 |
| **New capacity** | China 4.43 Mt/yr from ten projects to 2027 (GlobalData) | Named projects: ZPC Daishan plant 2 1.2 Mt/yr (2027), INEOS Styrolution Ningbo 0.6 Mt/yr (planned 2023), Shandong Yulong Longkou 0.6 Mt/yr (2024) and Guangxi Changke Fangchenggang 0.5 Mt/yr (2025). Delivery dates may have slipped; status after 2023 not confirmed in sources reached. | GlobalData, Oct 2023 |

#### Top producing countries
 China 55% · about 8-10 Mt/yr (indicative) South Korea 12% · about 2 Mt/yr, mainly LG Chem and Lotte Chemical (indicative) Taiwan 9% · about 1.4 Mt/yr, mainly Chimei and Formosa (indicative) Western Europe 5% · about 0.8 Mt/yr (indicative) United States 4% · about 0.6 Mt/yr (indicative) Southeast Asia and Japan 8% · Thailand, Malaysia and Japan (indicative) indicative; GlobalData Oct 2023 for 4.43 Mt/yr of additions; indicative

#### Largest producers: global

| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **LG Chem** widely cited as the largest ABS maker, about 2 Mt/yr including China (indicative) | South Korea | not published | 2025 | [not published in sources reached](https://www.lgchem.com) |
| **Chimei Corporation** Tainan and Zhangzhou; long the largest single-site producer (indicative) | Taiwan | not published | 2025 | not published in sources reached |
| **INEOS Styrolution** also runs plants in Europe, the US, Korea and India | Germany / UK | 0.6 Mt/yr new Ningbo plant | 2023 (planned start) | [GlobalData, Oct 2023](https://www.globaldata.com/media/oil-gas/china-dominate-acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene-capacity-additions-asia-2027-forecasts-globaldata/) |
| **Zhejiang Petrochemical (ZPC, Rongsheng)** integrated with its own styrene, acrylonitrile and butadiene | China | 1.2 Mt/yr Daishan ABS plant 2 (announced) | 2027 | [GlobalData, Oct 2023](https://www.globaldata.com/media/oil-gas/china-dominate-acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene-capacity-additions-asia-2027-forecasts-globaldata/) |
| **Shandong Yulong Petrochemical** | China | 0.6 Mt/yr Longkou ABS plant (planned) | 2024 | [GlobalData, Oct 2023](https://www.globaldata.com/media/oil-gas/china-dominate-acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene-capacity-additions-asia-2027-forecasts-globaldata/) |
| **Guangxi Changke New Material** | China | 0.5 Mt/yr Fangchenggang ABS plant (announced) | 2025 | [GlobalData, Oct 2023](https://www.globaldata.com/media/oil-gas/china-dominate-acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene-capacity-additions-asia-2027-forecasts-globaldata/) |
| **Lotte Chemical** Yeosu and Uiwang | South Korea | not published | 2025 | not published in sources reached |

#### Largest producers: India

| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **INEOS Styrolution India** Gujarat plants; also polystyrene | India | not published | 2025 | [not published in sources reached](https://www.ineos-styrolution.com) |
| **Bhansali Engineering Polymers** listed ABS and SAN maker in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh (indicative) | India | not published | 2025 | not published in sources reached |

India has two established ABS producers, INEOS Styrolution India and Bhansali Engineering Polymers, and imports a large part of its demand from Korea, Taiwan and China (indicative). India makes no styrene, so its ABS makers import their main monomer (styrene tile).

#### Position by region

| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| **US** | Small producer; drain-pipe and auto demand; imports from Asia and Mexico (indicative). |
| **EU** | High-cost naphtha monomers; INEOS Styrolution and Trinseo face Chinese and Korean competition (indicative). |
| **India** | Two domestic producers plus imports; fully import-dependent for styrene. |
| **China** | Shifted from the largest importer to near self-sufficiency as about 4.4 Mt/yr was added (GlobalData). |
| **Japan** | Mature producer; specialty grades. |
| **Middle East** | SABIC makes ABS with integrated monomers; also a key styrene exporter (styrene tile). |

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/abs/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/abs/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/abs/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/abs/routes/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/abs/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/abs/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/abs/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/abs/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/abs/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/abs/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/abs/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/abs/links/index.md)