# Hydrochloric acid: Production

Why nobody knows how much hydrochloric acid exists

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/hydrochloric_acid/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** | not published |  | no global statistics; IMARC and others sell estimates |
| **World output** | not published |  | not published |
| **Capacity utilisation** | not applicable (by-product) | In May-June 2026 more than 5 Mt of Chinese chlor-alkali capacity was under maintenance, cutting HCl supply and lifting Chinese prices about 33% (Procurement Resource). | Procurement Resource 2026 |
| **Concentration** | not published | Supply is spread across hundreds of chlor-alkali and chemical sites; regional markets are local. | indicative |
| **New capacity** | follows chlor-alkali and isocyanate additions | India's 1.55 Mt of planned caustic additions (GlobalData 2023) and China's 900,000 dmt in 2025 add HCl synthesis capacity; BASF Geismar MDI expansion (delayed to mid-2026) adds US by-product. | GlobalData 2023; Argus Nov 2025 |

#### Top producing countries

- **China**: largest producer, in line with 47% of world chlorine
- **United States**: large by-product supply from isocyanates and vinyls
- **Germany and EU**: isocyanate by-product (BASF, Covestro)
- **India**: synthesised at most of the 6.4 Mt caustic capacity
- **Japan**: not published
 indicative; not published

#### Largest producers: global

| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Olin** not published | US | not published | 2025 | [Procurement Resource supplier list](https://procurementresource.com/resource-center/hydrochloric-acid-price-trends) |
| **OxyChem** not published | US | not published | 2025 | [Procurement Resource supplier list](https://procurementresource.com/resource-center/hydrochloric-acid-price-trends) |
| **Covestro** by-product from MDI/TDI and polycarbonate | Germany | not published | 2025 | [Procurement Resource supplier list](https://procurementresource.com/resource-center/hydrochloric-acid-price-trends) |
| **BASF** by-product from isocyanates | Germany | not published | 2025 | [Procurement Resource supplier list](https://procurementresource.com/resource-center/hydrochloric-acid-price-trends) |
| **Dow** not published | US | not published | 2025 | [Procurement Resource supplier list](https://procurementresource.com/resource-center/hydrochloric-acid-price-trends) |
| **AGC and Solvay** not published | Japan/Belgium | not published | 2025 | [Procurement Resource supplier list](https://procurementresource.com/resource-center/hydrochloric-acid-price-trends) |

#### Largest producers: India

| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Grasim (Aditya Birla Chemicals)** synthesis units at chlor-alkali sites | India | not published | FY2025 | not published |
| **DCM Shriram** Bharuch and Kota | India | not published | FY2025 | not published |
| **Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals** Vadodara and Dahej | India | not published | FY2025 | not published |
| **Chemplast Sanmar, Tamilnadu Petroproducts and other chlor-alkali producers** all chlor-alkali producers sell HCl | India | not published | FY2025 | not published |

Every Indian chlor-alkali producer sells HCl as a chlorine outlet; capacity data are not published. India imports little because acid is too cheap to ship, but CIF India prices were about $135/t in August 2026.

#### Position by region

| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| **US** | Strong outlet in shale well stimulation; FOB price about $150-162/t (Jul-Aug 2026). |
| **EU** | By-product from isocyanates; weak steel demand; CIF Germany about $116-120/t (Jul-Aug 2026). |
| **India** | Domestic synthetic and by-product acid; CIF about $134-135/t (Jul-Aug 2026). |
| **China** | Oversupplied by-product acid; FOB about $27/t (Aug 2026). |
| **Japan** | CIF about $61/t (Aug 2026). |
| **Middle East** | Small, tied to vinyls complexes; not published. |

## Other sections

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