# Benzene: Feedstocks

Why integrated refineries win the benzene game

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/benzene/feedstocks/

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.

Benzene comes from naphtha via reformers and crackers, from toluene, or from coke-oven light oil. The feedstock is crude oil in practice. What decides competitiveness is integration: a large refinery with reformers, paraxylene units and crackers can place every fraction profitably, while a stand-alone extraction unit lives on the benzene-naphtha spread.

#### Inputs per tonne

| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Oil Crude oil](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/crude_oil/) | naphtha opportunity cost; benzene is 5-10% of reformate (indicative) | hydrocarbon source | about 80-90% of cash cost (indicative) | indicative; OPIS spread data 2026 |
| [Kc Coking coal](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/coking_coal/) | about 10 kg crude benzene per t of coal coked (indicative) | by-product source, mainly China | low; by-product credit | indicative |
| **Toluene** | about 2.2-2.5 t per t benzene in disproportionation (indicative) | swing feedstock | about 85% in conversion units (indicative) | indicative |
| **Hydrogen** | small; needed for pygas hydrotreating and hydrodealkylation | hydrotreating | a few% | indicative |

#### Who is low-cost, and why

Large integrated Chinese and Korean refinery complexes are lowest cost because they upgrade every fraction. Middle East refiners have cheap crude but small aromatics volumes. US ethane crackers make almost no benzene, so US supply depends on reformers. European naphtha-based producers sit at the top of the curve.

#### Raw materials on the commodity table
[Oil Crude oil](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/crude_oil/)[Kc Coking coal](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/coking_coal/)

#### What it is made into

| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| [SM Styrene](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/styrene/) | about half of benzene demand |
| [Phe Phenol and acetone](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/phenol/) | about a fifth, via cumene |
| [CPL Caprolactam](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/caprolactam/) | via cyclohexane or phenol |
| [PA Nylon (PA6, PA66)](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nylon/) | via cyclohexane |
| [PU Polyurethanes (MDI, TDI, polyols)](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polyurethanes/) | via nitrobenzene and aniline |
| [LAB Linear alkylbenzene](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/lab/) | about 3% of benzene |

## Other sections

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