Ethylene oxide: Production
Why plants live inside giant cracker complexes
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 40 Mt/yr globally (indicative) | indicative (basis: Argus 2025 regional tables plus China estimates) | |
| World output | about 34 Mt (2025, indicative) | derived | |
| Capacity utilisation | China average EO operating rate 69% in early October 2025 | North America had about 0.9 Mt of capacity lost or idle (8.56 Mt nameplate, 7.67 Mt effective) in 2025. | Argus EO and Derivatives, 1 Oct 2025 |
| Concentration | top 3 (China, US, Saudi Arabia) about 65% of capacity (indicative) | SABIC is the largest single producer; Dow, Shell, Sinopec, Formosa, Lotte, Nan Ya and Reliance are major (indicative). | Argus 2025; indicative |
| New capacity | mainly China; e.g. PetroChina Jilin 300 kt/yr EO (2025), Yulong Petrochemical 1 Mt/yr MEG (Oct 2025) | Most new EO is built inside integrated EO/EG units in China. North America and Europe are shrinking: Clariant is closing one Gendorf unit by end-2025. | Argus EO and Derivatives, Oct 2025 |
Top producing countries
China 35% · about 14 Mt/yr (indicative) United States 17% · 6.93 Mt/yr nameplate (6.13 Mt effective) Saudi Arabia 14% · 5.71 Mt/yr nameplate (5.61 Mt effective) Europe 9% · 3.43 Mt/yr nameplate (3.12 Mt effective) Canada 3% · 1.23 Mt/yr nameplate Iran 3% · 1.16 Mt/yr effective indicative; Argus estimates, 2025Largest producers: global
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SABIC largest EO/EG producer (indicative) | Saudi Arabia | not published | 2025 | SABIC |
| Dow MEGlobal and US Gulf assets; Meteor process licensor | US | not published | 2025 | Dow 10-K |
| Shell OMEGA process; US units in maintenance Oct 2025 (Argus) | UK/Netherlands | not published | 2025 | Shell |
| Sinopec not published | China | not published | 2025 | Sinopec |
| PetroChina start-up by October 2025 | China | 0.3 Mt/yr new EO unit (Jilin) | 2025 | Argus Oct 2025 |
| Formosa Plastics / Nan Ya not published | Taiwan/US | not published | 2025 | company |
| Clariant one unit closing by end-2025 | Switzerland | 0.3 Mt/yr EO (Gendorf, two units) | 2025 | Argus Oct 2025 |
Largest producers: India
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliance Industries largest; mostly converted to MEG (not published) | India | not published | 2025 | Reliance |
| Indian Oil Corporation Panipat MEG complex (not published) | India | not published | 2025 | IOCL |
| India Glycols bio-ethanol-based EO and glycols at Kashipur; also ethoxylates | India | not published | 2025 | India Glycols |
| Clariant Chemicals India / others ethoxylation users rather than EO makers (indicative) | India | not published | 2025 | company |
India's EO is made mainly by Reliance and IOCL for glycols, and by India Glycols from bio-ethanol. McKinsey estimated about 2 Mt/yr of announced Indian additions were mainly in EO and EG. Purified EO is rarely imported because of the hazard; India instead imports ethoxylates and glycols.
Position by region
| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| US | Cheap ethane-based ethylene; US EO sterilisation faces new EPA emission limits (2024). |
| EU | High-cost and shrinking; purified EO contract €1,294/t in Oct 2025 (Argus). |
| India | EO built into glycol complexes; ethoxylate makers depend on a few suppliers. |
| China | Largest and growing; EO margins slightly negative for non-integrated producers in Oct 2025 (Argus). |
| Japan | Mature, small; Nippon Shokubai and Mitsubishi Chemical make EO derivatives. |
| Middle East | Saudi Arabia has about 5.7 Mt/yr of capacity, mostly for glycol exports, exposed to Hormuz shipping risk in 2026. |