Formaldehyde: Production route
Silver or metal oxide: two hot paths from methanol
What this tab covers How it is made: the main production routes or, for product families, the main product types and technologies, compared on share of supply, inputs per tonne, plant scale, yield, co-products and unit cost.There are two industrial routes and both start from methanol. The silver-catalyst process runs methanol-rich at high temperature and combines oxidation with dehydrogenation. The metal-oxide (Formox) process runs air-rich at lower temperature, gives a higher yield and lower residual methanol, and exports steam. Plants are small and numerous because formalin is mostly water and is shipped short distances, so formaldehyde capacity follows resin and panel clusters rather than methanol sources.
Routes compared
| Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver catalyst (oxidative dehydrogenation) | not published; widely used, especially in older and Chinese plants (indicative) | about 1.18-1.22 t methanol per t HCHO (indicative) | 20-150 kt a year of 37% formalin per line (indicative) | about 86-90% on methanol (indicative) | hydrogen-rich off-gas, formic acid traces | methanol is about 80-90% of cash cost (indicative) |
| Metal oxide catalyst (Formox and similar) | not published; preferred for most new large plants (indicative) | about 1.13-1.15 t methanol per t HCHO (indicative) | 50-250 kt a year of 37% formalin per line (indicative) | about 92-95% on methanol (indicative) | exported steam, CO and dimethyl ether traces (catalytically burned) | methanol about 80-90% of cash cost; steam credit (indicative) |
| Downstream solid forms: paraformaldehyde and trioxane | small | about 1 t HCHO per t | 10-100 kt a year | high | water | not published |
How each route works
Silver catalyst (oxidative dehydrogenation)A methanol-air-steam mix passes over a thin bed of silver crystals at about 600-720 C. Part of the methanol is oxidised and part dehydrogenated, producing hydrogen in the off-gas, which is burned for steam. Product contains some residual methanol.
Lower capital; lower yield and methanol left in product.
industry process data (indicative) Metal oxide catalyst (Formox and similar)Methanol in excess air reacts over iron-molybdenum oxide at 250-400 C in tubular reactors cooled by heat-transfer oil, which raises steam. Gives low-methanol formalin and concentrated grades for POM and resins.
Higher yield and product purity; larger air handling and catalyst cost.
industry process data (indicative); Procurement Resource (2026) names Formox Downstream solid forms: paraformaldehyde and trioxaneFormalin is concentrated and polymerised to solid paraformaldehyde (91-96% HCHO) or cyclised to trioxane for POM. These can be shipped long distances.
Tradable; extra energy for drying.
indicative Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region.