PVC: Feedstocks
Mostly chlorine, so salt and electricity matter
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.PVC is 57% chlorine and 43% ethylene-derived by mass. On the ethylene route the main costs are ethylene (about 0.48 t per t PVC) and electricity for chlorine; on the carbide route they are coal, coke, lime and power. Cheap US ethane and gas power and cheap Chinese coal set the bottom of the cost curve; naphtha-based Europe and Japan sit at the top.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NaCl Salt | about 1.0 t salt per t PVC (0.59 t chlorine x 1.75 t salt per t, chlorine tile) | chlorine source | about 3-5% (indicative) | chlorine tile; indicative |
| Gas Natural gas | about 0.48 t ethylene per t PVC (VCM tile x 1.0) | carbon backbone on the ethylene route | about 50-60% of cash cost on the ethylene route (indicative) | VCM tile; indicative |
| Tc Thermal coal | about 1.2-1.3 t coke per t PVC via carbide, plus power (indicative, basis: VCM tile 0.8-0.9 t coke per t carbide) | carbon and energy on the carbide route | dominant on the carbide route (indicative) | VCM tile; indicative |
| CaO Lime | about 1.3 t per t PVC (VCM tile 0.9 t per t carbide) | calcium for carbide | about 15-20% on the carbide route (VCM tile) | VCM tile (indicative) |
| Electricity | about 1.5-1.7 MWh per t PVC for chlorine on the ethylene route; about 4.5-5 MWh for carbide (indicative) | chlor-alkali electrolysis and carbide furnaces | about 20-30% (indicative) | chlorine and VCM tiles; indicative |
| Hg Mercury | about 1 kg catalyst per t PVC (VCM tile) | acetylene hydrochlorination | small | VCM tile (indicative) |
Who is low-cost, and why
US Gulf and Gulf ethane-based integrated producers are lowest cost; Chinese carbide producers with captive coal power are competitive inland; naphtha-based Europe and Japan are highest. In July 2025 FOB China ($625/t) and FAS Houston ($630/t) were close to ethylene-route cash cost of about $600-700/t (S&P Global; derived, indicative).