# Purified terephthalic acid: Overview

The powder behind most of the world's clothing

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pta/overview/

The powder behind most of the world's clothing What this tab covers What the chemical is, how big its market is, what it is used for (with shares, volumes, why it wins and what could replace it), and its chain from raw material to end user. Ends with three things to remember.

Purified terephthalic acid (PTA) is made by oxidising paraxylene in acetic acid and purifying the product by hydrogenation. Each tonne of polyester needs about 0.86 t of PTA. World demand is about 85 Mt a year (indicative), most of it in China, where integrated groups run from crude oil to yarn. Margins have been thin: Chinese processing fees were around CNY200/t in mid-2025, below cost (Tiger Brokers). India imported 1.95 Mt in January-November 2025 (S&P Global) and is building new plants, so PTA is central to India's textile competitiveness.
 Volume about 85 Mt a year of demand (2025, indicative, basis: world PX demand of about 57 Mt at 0.66 t PX per t PTA; China capacity 87-88 Mt run at about 70-75%) Market value about $55 billion (2025, indicative, basis: 85 Mt x about $650/t, Platts FOB China in January 2026) Growth about 3-4% a year to 2030, following polyester (indicative) S&P Global Platts, Jan 2026 (China capacity, price); Tiger Brokers, 2025; volume and value indicative

#### Key uses

| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Polyester fibre (filament and staple)** | 68% | about 58 Mtbasis | Polyester is the world's most used textile fibre: cheap, durable and easy to blend with cotton. PTA and MEG are polymerised and spun directly in integrated plants, which keeps costs low. indicative share | recycled PET fibre cotton viscose and lyocell |
| **PET bottle and packaging resin** | 22% | about 19 Mtbasis | PET is clear, light, strong and a good barrier, and it is recyclable. Bottle-grade resin uses PTA with a little isophthalic acid. indicative | recycled PET glass, aluminium PEF |
| **PET film** | 5% | about 4.3 Mtbasis | BOPET film for packaging, solar backsheets and electrical insulation. India is a large BOPET maker (Jindal Poly, Uflex, SRF, indicative). indicative | BOPP film |
| **Other (PBT, coatings, DOTP plasticiser, unsaturated resins)** | 5% | about 4.3 Mtbasis | Engineering plastics and coatings use terephthalate units for strength and heat resistance. DOTP is a non-phthalate plasticiser replacing DOP in PVC. indicative | varies |

 Shares are indicative global splits, applied to an indicative 85 Mt of 2025 demand.

#### From raw material to user

1. **Paraxylene** About 0.655-0.665 t PX per t PTA (indicative, licensor data).
2. **Oxidation** PX is air-oxidised in acetic acid with cobalt-manganese-bromide catalyst at about 200 C to crude terephthalic acid.
3. **Purification** Crude acid is dissolved in water and hydrogenated over palladium-carbon to remove 4-CBA, then crystallised and dried.
4. **Polymerisation** PTA plus about 0.33-0.34 t MEG per t polymer gives PET melt (indicative).
5. **Fibre, resin, film** Melt is spun to yarn or staple, chipped to resin, or cast to film.

#### Made from (commodity table)
[Oil Crude oil](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/crude_oil/)

#### Three things to know

- PTA margins are thin: Chinese processing fees were around CNY200/t in July-October 2025, implying losses (Tiger Brokers).
- China exported about 4.4 Mt in 2024 and about 3.8 Mt in 2025 (Tiger Brokers, derived) as India and Turkey cut purchases.
- India imported 1.95 Mt in January-November 2025, up 9.1% (S&P Global), after the quality-control order that had blocked Chinese supply was revoked.

#### Read the tabs
[Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pta/routes/)[Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pta/production/)[Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pta/feedstocks/)[Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pta/cycles/)[Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pta/trading/)[Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pta/movement/)[Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pta/regulation/)[Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pta/characteristics/)[Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pta/emissions/)

## Other sections

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