# Butadiene

A four-carbon diene extracted from naphtha cracker by-products, used mainly to make synthetic rubber for tyres, plus ABS and nylon intermediates.

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

Commodity chemicals · Olefins · No. 25

- Single chemical
- Feedstock: Oil, gas or coal
- about 15 Mt produced a year (2025, indicative: 20.3 Mt capacity x about 75% utilisation)
- 1.3 t CO₂e per t
- HS 290124
 Commodity chemicals · Olefins · Foundation · Matter

Your tyres depend on a by-product almost nobody makes on purpose, which is why butadiene is the most volatile olefin.

Chart: Illustration: Butadiene

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Over 90% of butadiene is extracted from the crude C4 stream left by naphtha crackers, so supply follows ethylene runs, not rubber demand.

##### Three things to know

1. Ethane crackers make only about a tenth of the butadiene that naphtha crackers do, so the US shale boom left America short.
2. China held 7.58 Mt of capacity at end-2025, up 14% in a year, and should be self-sufficient around 2030.
3. Butadiene is a known human carcinogen and can polymerise or form explosive peroxides if not inhibited.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Naphtha cracking**0.15 t butadiene per tonne ethylene
2. 2 **C4 extraction**Solvent distillation to 99.5% purity
3. 3 **Polymerisation**SBR and polybutadiene rubber plants
4. 4 **Tyres**Rubber compounded into treads and sidewalls
 Covered in [The chemical industry: what it makes and how it is organisedChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/chem-industry-map/)[The economics of a chemical plant: costs, prices and profitChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/plant-economics-costs-and-profit/)[From crude oil and natural gas to the C1-C4 building blocksChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/oil-gas-to-building-blocks/)[From building blocks to plastics, fibres and detergentsChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/building-blocks-to-polymers/)

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [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)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/butadiene/feedstocks/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)