# Butadiene: Feedstocks

How the shale boom made America short of rubber feed

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/butadiene/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.

Butadiene is a by-product of cracking naphtha (from crude oil). Its effective feedstock is the crude C4 stream, so competitiveness depends on owning naphtha crackers and C4 extraction. Shale-driven ethane cracking made the US short of butadiene and Asia the swing supplier.

#### Inputs per tonne

| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Oil Crude oil](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/crude_oil/) | crude C4 about 2-2.5 t per t butadiene (indicative) | cracker feed that produces C4 | most of cost; crude C4 priced at a discount to butadiene (indicative) | indicative |
| [Gas Natural gas](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/natural_gas/) | about 1.2-1.3 t per t (indicative) | dehydrogenation feed | about 60% of on-purpose cost (indicative) | indicative |
| **Extraction solvent (NMP, DMF or acetonitrile) and steam** | small make-up | extractive distillation | about 5-10% (indicative) | indicative |

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

Integrated naphtha cracker owners in Asia and Europe are low cost because C4 is a by-product. On-purpose dehydrogenation is the high-cost marginal source and only runs when prices are high.

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

#### What it is made into

| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| [SBR Styrene-butadiene rubber](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/sbr/) | largest use |
| [BR Polybutadiene rubber](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polybutadiene/) | second largest |
| [ABS ABS](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/abs/) | rubber phase |
| [PA Nylon (PA6, PA66)](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/nylon/) | via adiponitrile for PA66 |

## Other sections

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