# Plasticisers

Oily esters that make PVC soft and flexible for cables, flooring, film and medical tubing; a 9-10 Mt market moving away from older phthalates.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/plasticisers/

Specialty chemicals · Performance additives · No. 77

- Product family
- Feedstock: Oil, gas or coal
- about 9-10 Mt a year (2024, indicative: widely cited industry estimates; no public total retrieved)
- 2.5 t CO₂e per t
- HS 291732
 Specialty chemicals · Performance additives · Foundation · Matter

The softness of a cable sheath or vinyl floor comes from oily esters that can make up half the plastic.

Chart: Illustration: Plasticisers

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

An acid such as phthalic anhydride from o-xylene is reacted with an alcohol; one tonne of DOP needs about 0.38 t of anhydride and 0.67 t of 2-EH.

##### Three things to know

1. A plasticiser is about two-thirds alcohol by weight, so 2-ethylhexanol makes up about 55-65% of the cost.
2. EU rules have limited four low phthalates such as DEHP to 0.1% in articles, pushing makers towards DOTP and DINCH.
3. In August 2026 India put anti-dumping duties of $40.08/t on Chinese and $140.17/t on Korean phthalic anhydride.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Aromatics, olefins**Xylenes and propylene from oil refining
2. 2 **Acid and alcohol**Phthalic anhydride or PTA, plus 2-ethylhexanol
3. 3 **Esterification**Reacted at about 200-230 C with catalyst
4. 4 **Clear liquid**Stripped, filtered, shipped in tanks
5. 5 **Flexible PVC**Cables, flooring, film and medical tubing
 Covered in [Bioplastics: PLA, PHA, bio-PE and starch blendsChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/bioplastics-pla-pha-biope-starch/)

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## Other sections

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