Acrylonitrile: Feedstocks
Propylene plus ammonia, and who gets them cheapest
What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.ACN is propylene plus nitrogen from ammonia. Propylene is about 60-70% of cash cost and ammonia 15-20% (indicative). Producers integrated with cheap propylene (US Gulf, Middle East, Chinese refinery-integrated complexes such as Zhejiang Petrochemical) and their own ammonia are lowest cost. Selling HCN and steam lowers net cost.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Propylene (chemical tile: propylene) | about 1.1 t per t ACN (indicative) | carbon backbone | about 60-70% of cash cost (indicative) | indicative |
| N Nitrogen (ammonia) | about 0.48 t per t ACN (indicative) | nitrogen source | about 15-20% (indicative) | indicative |
| S Sulfur | small (indicative) | neutralises unreacted ammonia to ammonium sulphate | small | indicative |
| Oil Crude oil | via propylene | upstream | via propylene | indicative |
Who is low-cost, and why
Integrated Chinese refinery complexes and US Gulf producers with cheap propylene are lowest cost; Japanese, Thai and older European plants are highest and are the ones closing. At about $1,000/t in early 2026, many non-integrated producers were near cash cost (indicative).
Raw materials on the commodity table
Oil Crude oilGas Natural gasWhat it is made into
| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| ABS ABS | largest use |
| PA Nylon (PA6, PA66) | via adiponitrile for nylon 66 |
| WT Water treatment chemicals | polyacrylamide flocculants |
| OFC Oilfield and mining chemicals | polyacrylamide for enhanced oil recovery |
| Add Polymer additives | SAN and NBR modifiers (indicative) |