Linear alkylbenzene: Correlation
Prices it moves with, and why
Linear alkylbenzene is made from benzene and normal paraffins taken from kerosene, then sulphonated into LAS, the main detergent surfactant. Prices follow kerosene and benzene, and demand tracks household detergent use, which is strong in India and other emerging markets.
Proxy US PPI: cyclic intermediate chemicals index (BLS base period) · monthly, Jan 2006 to Sep 2026There is no free public price for linear alkylbenzene itself, so this tab uses the closest public series as a stand-in. Read the numbers as an indication, not as the price of this exact item.
What its price moves with
Selected linkLinear alkylbenzene and Benzene
Monthly changes 0.50 moderate correlation 12-month changes 0.73 strong correlation Last 5 years 0.02 monthly changes Lead or lag +1 mo Benzene tends to lead by 1 month (r 0.56) Price function, Jan 2006 to Sep 2026 Linear alkylbenzene ≈ 116.6 × (Benzene)0.10 R² 0.02 On this fit, a 10% higher benzene price goes with a 1.0% higher linear alkylbenzene price over the long run. Units: index (BLS base period) and index (BLS base period). The fit is loose, so treat the function as a rough guide.Chart: Linear alkylbenzene and Benzene prices rebased to 100 at Jan 2006, log scale
Both prices rebased to 100 at Jan 2006, on a log scale so equal percentage moves look the same size.Chart: Linear alkylbenzene price against Benzene price, monthly, log scales, with fitted line
Each dot is one month; paler dots are older (2006), darker dots recent (2026); the ringed dot is the latest month. The dashed line is the fitted price function. Both axes are logarithmic.Benzene forms the ring of LAB and is one of its two main costs. The petrochemical proxy moves with the cyclic proxy at 0.50 monthly and 0.73 yearly, though the monthly tie has faded over the last five years.
moderate co-movement month to month · 249 months Show chartsThe normal paraffins come from refinery kerosene, so LAB makers compete with jet fuel for feed and refinery margins matter. The refinery index moves with the cyclic proxy at 0.34 monthly and 0.74 yearly.
weak co-movement month to month · 249 months Show chartsAlmost all LAB is sulphonated into LAS for washing powders and liquids. The surfactants index moves with the cyclic proxy at 0.24 monthly and 0.73 yearly, as detergent prices adjust to costs with a delay.
weak co-movement month to month · 249 months Show chartsDetergent makers can swap some LAS for surfactants made from palm kernel and coconut oils. The palm kernel oil proxy moves with the cyclic proxy at only 0.09 monthly and 0.31 yearly, since vegetable oils follow harvests and weather.
little or none co-movement month to month · 249 months Show chartsBoth kerosene and benzene come from oil, so crude sets the cost floor of LAB. The cyclic proxy correlates with Brent at 0.20 monthly and 0.67 yearly. Kerosene in particular tracks jet fuel demand, which can pull feed away from LAB plants.
little or none co-movement month to month · 249 months Show chartsHow to read these numbers
Correlation of monthly changes (the number in the coloured pill) compares how much each price moved, month by month, since 2006 or the first month both series exist. It runs from −1 to +1: near +1 the two usually rise and fall in the same months, near 0 there is no link, and a negative number means they tend to move in opposite directions. Above 0.7 is strong, 0.4 to 0.7 moderate, 0.2 to 0.4 weak.
12-month changes compare year-on-year moves, which shows whether two prices share the same cycles even when the month-to-month noise differs.
Price function is a straight-line fit of the two prices on logarithmic scales: price ≈ k × (partner price)β. β is how much this price moves, in per cent, for a 1% move in the partner over the whole period, and R² is the share of the variation the fit explains. Two prices that both drift up with inflation can fit well without any real link, so read it together with the monthly correlation.
Lead or lag checks whether the monthly correlation is clearly higher when one price is shifted by 1 to 6 months.
Correlation is not cause. The reasons on each card explain the economic link; the numbers show how strongly it has shown up in prices. Proxy series are US producer price indexes or related prices and can blur the real link.
Data: World Bank Commodity Price Data (Pink Sheet), October 2026; US Bureau of Labor Statistics producer price indexes, IMF primary commodity prices and US EIA prices via FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, retrieved November 2026. Calculations by this site.