# Acetic acid: Trading

Contracts, assessments and the CFR India import price

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/acetic_acid/trading/

What this tab covers How it is bought and sold: buyers and sellers, price benchmarks and who publishes them, exchanges, contract types, traders, how Indian buyers price it, recent price points, and good sources to follow.

#### Who buys, and where

- Indian PTA, ester and anhydride makers (CFR India via Kandla and JNPT)
- VAM producers in Asia, the US and Europe
- Pharma and agrochemical intermediates makers

#### Who sells, and from where

- Chinese producers FOB east China ports
- Celanese and INEOS from US, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, UK
- GNFC in India

#### Price benchmarks

| Benchmark | Publisher | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| **Acetic acid FOB China** | ICIS, S&P Global Platts | spot, weekly |
| **Acetic acid CFR India** | ICIS, S&P Global Platts | spot, weekly |
| **Acetic acid contract US/Europe** | ICIS | monthly contract |

#### Exchanges

| Venue | Contract | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| **None** | no exchange futures | priced by assessments and contracts |

#### Contract types

- Annual and quarterly contracts with formula pricing
- Spot cargoes and ISO tanks
- Integrated supply to captive VAM and anhydride

#### Traders and distributors

- Japanese trading houses (indicative)
- Chinese export traders

#### How Indian buyers price it

- Import parity off CFR India assessments, plus customs duty and port costs
- GNFC and Hazira bulk quotes act as domestic reference (ALCHEMPro, Mar 2026)
- Domestic prices quoted in Rs/kg ex-tank

#### Recent price points

| Date | Price | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Mar 2026 | **$410/t** | CFR India | ALCHEMPro (May 2026) |
| early Apr 2026 | **about $700/t** | CFR India (peak) | ALCHEMPro (May 2026) |
| early May 2026 | **Rs 45/kg** | India domestic | ALCHEMPro (May 2026) |
| Jul 2026 | **$597.75/t** | FOB India | Procurement Resource (2026) |
| Jul 2026 | **$469.97/t** | FOB China | Procurement Resource (2026) |
| Jul 2026 | **$603.60/t** | FOB Germany | Procurement Resource (2026) |

#### Good sources to follow
[ALCHEMPro industry articles](https://www.alchempro.com/industry-article/11485/acetic-acid-rally-reverses-as-india-faces-inventory-glut)freemium research site · ALCHEMPro

Indian acetyls and solvent price commentary
[Mysteel chemicals news](https://www.mysteel.net/news/5040679-acetic-acid-capacity-faces-rapid-expansion-in-next-3-years)freemium research site · Mysteel (with OilChem data)

Chinese capacity and prices
[Procurement Resource price trends](https://www.procurementresource.com/de/resource-center/acetic-acid-price-trends)freemium research site · Procurement Resource

monthly acetic acid prices by country
[Offshore Technology / GlobalData analyst comment](https://www.offshore-technology.com/analyst-comment/asia-spearhead-global-acetic-acid-capacity-additions/)free research site · GlobalData

capacity additions by country and project

## Other sections

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