Nylon (PA6, PA66): Feedstocks
Benzene, ammonia and the adiponitrile bottleneck
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.Nylon starts from benzene for both PA6 and adipic acid, plus ammonia for caprolactam and HMDA, and butadiene or acrylonitrile for ADN. Feedstock is about 70-80% of PA6 cash cost (indicative). Integration into caprolactam or ADN decides who survives a downturn.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caprolactam (chemical tile: caprolactam) | about 1.0-1.02 t per t PA6 | PA6 monomer | about 85% of PA6 cash cost (indicative) | indicative; CNY8,600-8,650/t molten, East China, 20 Nov 2025 (Chemical Week via caprolactam tile) |
| Adipic acid (from benzene via cyclohexane and nitric acid) | about 0.65 t per t PA66 (stoichiometric) | PA66 diacid | about 35% of PA66 cash cost (indicative) | stoichiometric; indicative |
| HMDA via adiponitrile (from butadiene or acrylonitrile) | about 0.51 t per t PA66 (stoichiometric) | PA66 diamine | about 50% of PA66 cash cost (indicative) | stoichiometric; indicative |
| Oil Crude oil | indirect; about 0.9 t benzene per t caprolactam | carbon backbone | included above | caprolactam tile (indicative) |
| Gas Natural gas | indirect | nitrogen and hydrogen | included above | indicative |
Who is low-cost, and why
Integrated Chinese caprolactam-to-chip complexes are lowest cost for PA6. For PA66, owners of ADN technology (Invista, Ascend, Asahi Kasei, Butachimie and now Chinese entrants) set costs; non-integrated compounders buy polymer. European plants pay more for energy and N2O abatement.
Raw materials on the commodity table
Oil Crude oilWhat it is made into
| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| Add Polymer additives | glass fibre, flame retardants and stabilisers for nylon compounds |