Purified terephthalic acid: Feedstocks
Why PTA's cost is almost all paraxylene
Why PTA's cost is almost all paraxylene 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.PTA is about 85-90% paraxylene by cost, so its price is PX plus a thin processing margin. What decides competitiveness is integration with PX upstream and polyester downstream, and train size: Chinese 2.5-3 Mt/yr units have the lowest processing cost.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paraxylene | about 0.655-0.665 t (indicative) | terephthalate backbone | about 85-90% of cash cost (indicative) | indicative |
| Acetic acid | about 0.03-0.05 t consumed (indicative) | solvent, partly burnt | about 3% (indicative) | indicative |
| Oil Crude oil | indirect | ultimate feed | included above | indicative |
| Co Cobalt | small, mostly recycled | oxidation catalyst with manganese and bromide | below 1% (indicative) | indicative |
| Pd Palladium | small; Pd on carbon beds | purification | below 1% (indicative) | indicative |
Who is low-cost, and why
Large Chinese integrated plants have the lowest processing cost and offered PTA at PX plus $45-55/t in January 2026, while non-China producers needed PX plus at least $100/t (S&P Global). Older Korean, Taiwanese and Thai plants are squeezed.
Raw materials on the commodity table
Oil Crude oilWhat it is made into
| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| PSF Polyester fibre | about 68% of PTA |
| PET PET resin | about 22% |
| DOP Plasticisers | small share |