Chlorine: Trading
When a toxic gas sells for less than nothing
What this tab covers How it is bought and sold: buyers and sellers, price benchmarks and who publishes them, exchanges, contract types, traders, how Indian buyers price it, recent price points, and good sources to follow.Who buys, and where
- Near the producer: by pipeline across the fence, or liquid chlorine in tonners, rail tank cars and road tankers within a few hundred km
Who sells, and from where
- Mostly captive: converted on site into EDC, phosgene, HCl or hypochlorite; merchant sales to water works, chemical intermediates makers and paper mills
Price benchmarks
| Benchmark | Publisher | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| China liquid chlorine ex-tank (Shandong, east China) | Argus; Mysteel | spot, weekly |
| ECU cash cost and netback by region | Argus | monthly |
| US chlorine contract | IHS/S&P Global, ICIS | monthly contract (subscription) |
Exchanges
| Venue | Contract | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| None | no chlorine futures; Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange lists caustic soda futures, Dalian lists PVC futures | used to hedge the ECU indirectly |
Contract types
- Long-term pipeline supply agreements with cost-plus or ECU-linked formulas
- Monthly or quarterly contracts for liquid chlorine in cylinders and tankers
- Tolling: chlorine user supplies power or salt and pays a fee
Traders and distributors
- Very little trading; producers sell direct
How Indian buyers price it
- Producer list prices ex-works by state; chlorine realisations in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are often near zero or negative and are netted against caustic
- Indian producers report 'ECU realisation' in results: caustic price plus chlorine price
Recent price points
| Date | Price | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | minus Yn100-200/t (about minus $14-28/t) | China liquid chlorine, Shandong ex-tank | Argus Chlor-Alkali and Derivatives, 3 Oct 2025 |
| Nov 2025 | about $560 per ECU cash cost | NW Europe | Argus Chlor-Alkali Outlook, Nov 2025 |
Good sources to follow
Euro Chlor monthly production datafree research site · Euro ChlorEuropean chlorine output, utilisation and caustic stocks
Argus Chlor-Alkali and Derivativespaid newsletter · Argus Mediaweekly caustic, chlorine and ECU prices
Chemical Weeklyfreemium newsletter · Sevak PublicationsIndian chemical industry news and prices
Mysteel chemicalsfreemium research site · MysteelChina caustic soda capacity and output