Carbon black: Production
How two Indian firms joined the global top seven
What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| World capacity | about 17.5 Mt a year (2021) | Notch Consulting via PCBL investor presentation, July 2021 | |
| World output | about 13-14 Mt (2024, indicative) | indicative (basis: 75-80% utilisation) | |
| Capacity utilisation | about 75-80% (indicative) | Western capacity runs high for hard tyre grades (Orion converted soft to hard black at Ivanhoe, US, in 2022 citing tight supply); Chinese capacity runs lower. | Tyre Trends Nov 2021; indicative |
| Concentration | top-3 companies about 32%; top-5 about 44% of 17.5 Mt (2021) | Cabot, Birla Carbon and Orion lead globally; Black Cat and Tokai follow. China is fragmented with many coal-tar-based producers. | Notch via PCBL 2021 (derived) |
| New capacity | PCBL to 1 Mt by FY2027-28; Birla Carbon 200 ktpa expansion; methane pyrolysis and rCB plants at early commercial scale | PCBL: 20 ktpa specialty at Mundra and 30 ktpa Tamil Nadu (FY2025), 60 ktpa Tamil Nadu phase 2 (FY2026); Tamil Nadu full build-out 147 ktpa with 24 MW green power. | European Rubber Journal Nov 2024; European Rubber Journal (Birla 200 ktpa) |
Top producing countries
China 42% · about 7 Mt capacity (indicative)- India: PCBL alone 0.77 Mt (Nov 2024); national total not published
- United States: not published here
- Russia: Omsk Carbon 0.51 Mt (2021)
- Japan: Tokai Carbon group 0.94 Mt worldwide (2021)
- Thailand, Korea, Western Europe: not published here
Largest producers: global
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabot Corporation | US | 2.33 Mt capacity | 2021 | Notch via PCBL investor presentation |
| Birla Carbon (Aditya Birla) announced 200 ktpa expansion (European Rubber Journal) | India | 2.06 Mt capacity | 2021 | Notch via PCBL investor presentation |
| Orion Engineered Carbons | Germany/US | 1.26 Mt capacity | 2021 | Notch via PCBL investor presentation |
| Jiangxi Black Cat Carbon Black | China | 1.15 Mt capacity | 2021 | Notch via PCBL investor presentation |
| Tokai Carbon | Japan | 0.94 Mt capacity | 2021 | Notch via PCBL investor presentation |
| China Synthetic Rubber Corp (CSRC) includes Continental Carbon (indicative) | Taiwan | 0.79 Mt capacity | 2021 | Notch via PCBL investor presentation |
| Omsk Carbon Group | Russia | 0.51 Mt capacity | 2021 | Notch via PCBL investor presentation |
Largest producers: India
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCBL Chemical (formerly Phillips Carbon Black) 880 ktpa planned for FY2026; target 1 Mt by FY2027-28; sold 148 kt in Jul-Sep 2024, 58 kt of it exported | India | 0.77 Mt capacity | Nov 2024 | European Rubber Journal, 18 Nov 2024 |
| Birla Carbon India plants at Renukoot, Patalganga and Gummidipoondi (indicative) | India | not published | 2025 | not published here |
| Himadri Speciality Chemical coal-tar-based feedstock integration (indicative) | India | not published | 2025 | not published here |
| Epsilon Carbon coal-tar-based, Karnataka (indicative) | India | not published | 2025 | Tyre Trends (company mentioned) |
| Continental Carbon India not published | India | not published | 2025 | not published here |
India is home to two of the world's top-seven producers (Birla Carbon, PCBL) and is a net exporter of specialty and tyre grades, while importing cheaper Russian and Chinese black. Russian imports fell about 60% in H1 2026 after refinery disruptions, and Chinese black at about $1.3/kg replaced some of it (PL Capital, Sep 2026).
Position by region
| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| US | Tyre production onshoring tightened hard-black supply (Orion 2021); EPA consent decrees required scrubbers at US plants (indicative). |
| EU | Lost Russian supply after sanctions (indicative); importing more from India and Asia; PCBL targets Europe. |
| India | Fast-growing exporter; domestic tyre makers (MRF, Apollo, CEAT, JK) are major buyers; no anti-dumping duty since 2020. |
| China | Largest producer, largely coal-tar feedstock; export price about $1.3/kg to India in 2026. |
| Japan | Tokai Carbon and Mitsubishi Chemical; mature. |
| Middle East | Small; feedstock-rich but limited capacity (indicative). |