# Carbon black: Production

How two Indian firms joined the global top seven

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/carbon_black/production/

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
 indicative (basis: industry estimates); European Rubber Journal, Nov 2024; not published; Notch via PCBL 2021

#### Largest producers: global

| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Cabot Corporation** | US | 2.33 Mt capacity | 2021 | [Notch via PCBL investor presentation](https://www.bseindia.com/xml-data/corpfiling/Attachhis/2d0c1341-f011-43b7-ab81-699a1d2d88a9.pdf) |
| **Birla Carbon (Aditya Birla)** announced 200 ktpa expansion (European Rubber Journal) | India | 2.06 Mt capacity | 2021 | [Notch via PCBL investor presentation](https://www.bseindia.com/xml-data/corpfiling/Attachhis/2d0c1341-f011-43b7-ab81-699a1d2d88a9.pdf) |
| **Orion Engineered Carbons** | Germany/US | 1.26 Mt capacity | 2021 | [Notch via PCBL investor presentation](https://www.bseindia.com/xml-data/corpfiling/Attachhis/2d0c1341-f011-43b7-ab81-699a1d2d88a9.pdf) |
| **Jiangxi Black Cat Carbon Black** | China | 1.15 Mt capacity | 2021 | [Notch via PCBL investor presentation](https://www.bseindia.com/xml-data/corpfiling/Attachhis/2d0c1341-f011-43b7-ab81-699a1d2d88a9.pdf) |
| **Tokai Carbon** | Japan | 0.94 Mt capacity | 2021 | [Notch via PCBL investor presentation](https://www.bseindia.com/xml-data/corpfiling/Attachhis/2d0c1341-f011-43b7-ab81-699a1d2d88a9.pdf) |
| **China Synthetic Rubber Corp (CSRC)** includes Continental Carbon (indicative) | Taiwan | 0.79 Mt capacity | 2021 | [Notch via PCBL investor presentation](https://www.bseindia.com/xml-data/corpfiling/Attachhis/2d0c1341-f011-43b7-ab81-699a1d2d88a9.pdf) |
| **Omsk Carbon Group** | Russia | 0.51 Mt capacity | 2021 | [Notch via PCBL investor presentation](https://www.bseindia.com/xml-data/corpfiling/Attachhis/2d0c1341-f011-43b7-ab81-699a1d2d88a9.pdf) |

#### 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](https://www.european-rubber-journal.com/article/2096453/pcbl-mulling-new-greenfield-plant-as-it-targets-1000ktpa-carbon-black-capacity) |
| **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). |

## Other sections

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