Dyes: Feedstocks
From benzene rings to bright colours: the dye raw materials
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.Dyes are made from aromatic hydrocarbons turned into amines and sulphonic acids, plus large amounts of acids, alkalis, salt and reducing agents. The aromatics are cheap; cost and competitiveness are decided by intermediates (H acid, vinyl sulphone, para-base ester), yields across many steps and the cost of treating effluent. Integration into intermediates and access to effluent permits matter more than oil prices.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oil Crude oil | not published; varies by dye | aromatic rings | small direct share; main cost is in intermediates (indicative) | indicative |
| S Sulfur | several t per t of sulphonated intermediates (indicative) | sulphonation | about 5-10% (indicative) | indicative |
| N Nitrogen (ammonia) | not published | nitration and amination | small (indicative) | indicative |
| NaCl Salt | large; reactive dyeing uses 30-100 g/l salt in the dye bath (indicative) | salting out in manufacture; exhaustion in dyeing | small | indicative |
| Dye intermediates (H acid, vinyl sulphone, para-base ester) | about 0.3-0.6 t per t of reactive dye (indicative) | chromophore building blocks | the largest cost item; H acid rose from RMB 70,000 to 90,000/t through 2025 | Faxian Gongchang 2026 |
Who is low-cost, and why
China's integrated leaders are lowest cost because they make their own intermediates and run large effluent plants. Indian makers compete on reactive dyes and intermediates but often buy key intermediates from China. Effluent cost differs by region: Yancheng bases are about 30% cheaper on environmental cost than Shangyu.
Raw materials on the commodity table
Oil Crude oilWhat it is made into
| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| Bz Benzene | upstream: aromatic feedstock |
| H2SO4 Sulphuric acid | upstream: sulphonation |
| HNO3 Nitric acid | upstream: nitration |
| PSF Polyester fibre | main customer for disperse dyes |
| VSF Viscose fibre | customer for reactive dyes |