# Propylene

The second-largest olefin, made in crackers, refineries and dedicated propane plants, and turned mostly into polypropylene plastic.

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

Commodity chemicals · Olefins · No. 24

- Single chemical
- Feedstock: Oil, gas or coal
- about 135-140 Mt produced a year (2025, indicative: 188 Mt capacity x about 72-75% utilisation)
- 1.5 t CO₂e per t
- HS 290122
 Commodity chemicals · Olefins · Foundation · Matter

China built so many propane-to-propylene plants that capacity jumped 25% in four years and margins fell to almost nothing.

Chart: Illustration: Propylene

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Propylene comes from four sources: naphtha crackers, refinery catalytic crackers, coal or methanol plants and, increasingly, on-purpose propane dehydrogenation.

##### Three things to know

1. Capacity rose 25% from about 151 Mt in 2021 to 188 Mt in 2025, driven by Chinese propane dehydrogenation (PDH).
2. In late 2025 China's PP-propylene spread fell to $75/t, against $250-350/t needed, and PDH plants ran near 70%.
3. In April-May 2025 China raised tariffs on US propane to 125% before cutting them to 10%, scrambling PDH feed.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Feedstock**Naphtha, refinery gas oil, propane, coal
2. 2 **Production**Crackers, refinery FCC or PDH plants
3. 3 **Purification**Split to 99.5% polymer grade
4. 4 **Polymerisation**Most turned into polypropylene
5. 5 **Conversion**Packaging, sacks, fibres and car parts
 Covered in [The chemical industry: what it makes and how it is organisedChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/chem-industry-map/)[How a chemical process works: reactions, separations, catalysts and flowsheetsChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/how-chemical-processes-work/)[The economics of a chemical plant: costs, prices and profitChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/plant-economics-costs-and-profit/)[From crude oil and natural gas to the C1-C4 building blocksChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/oil-gas-to-building-blocks/)[From building blocks to plastics, fibres and detergentsChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/building-blocks-to-polymers/)[Scale, capacity and feedstock: which chemical plants get builtChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/scale-capacity-feedstock/)and 4 more

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

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