Styrene: Production
How China doubled capacity and squeezed everyone else
What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| World capacity | about 50 Mt/yr world (indicative); China about 23.52 Mt/yr at end-2025 | Mysteel, Aug and Oct 2025 (China); world indicative | |
| World output | about 35 Mt (2024, indicative) | indicative | |
| Capacity utilisation | about 70% (indicative) | Global styrene plants averaged 88% in 2000-2018 (ICIS). New Chinese capacity pushed rates down; European producers cut rates in 2023 (Chemical Week). | ICIS, May 2019; Chemical Week, Nov 2023 |
| Concentration | China about 47%; top three regions about 65% (indicative) | ZPC alone has 2.4 Mt/yr (Chemical Week). Other leaders include Sinopec, Hengli, Shell, LyondellBasell, AmSty, INEOS Styrolution's suppliers and SABIC. | Chemical Week, Nov 2023; Mysteel 2025 |
| New capacity | China about 1.06 Mt/yr added in late 2025 | China's capacity rose from 22.462 Mt/yr on 20 August 2025 to 23.522 Mt/yr by year-end, while PetroChina Jilin phased out 140 kt/yr (Mysteel). Outside China new projects are few; Europe and parts of Asia are closing units. | Mysteel, Aug and Oct 2025 |
Top producing countries
China 47% · about 23.5 Mt/yr (end-2025) United States 10% · not published in sources reached; includes AmSty and the TotalEnergies/SABIC Carville plant Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran) 6% · about 3.2 Mt/yr South Korea 6% · not published in sources reached Japan 4% · not published in sources reached Western Europe 8% · shrinking after Terneuzen and Böhlen closures Mysteel, Oct 2025; share against indicative 50 Mt; indicative share; S&P Global Sustainable1 via S&P Global, Mar 2026; Chemical Week, Nov 2023; share indicativeLargest producers: global
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zhejiang Petrochemical (ZPC, Rongsheng) three 600 kt/yr EB/SM units plus 600 kt/yr POSM | China | 2.4 Mt/yr styrene capacity | 2023 | Chemical Week, Nov 2023 |
| Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) | China | 0.72 Mt/yr styrene capacity | 2026 | OPIS, May 2026 |
| Americas Styrenics (AmSty, Trinseo/Chevron Phillips JV) derived from Trinseo share | US | 1.05 Mt/yr styrene capacity (derived: Trinseo's 50% share is 526 kt/yr) | 2023 | Chemical Week, Nov 2023 |
| TotalEnergies and SABIC (Carville, Louisiana) considered for sale in 2023 | US | 1.2 Mt/yr styrene and polystyrene capacity | 2023 | Chemical Week, Nov 2023 |
| LyondellBasell and Covestro (Maasvlakte POSM) idled July 2023 | Netherlands | 0.68 Mt/yr nameplate | 2023 | Chemical Week, Nov 2023 |
| Kuwait Styrene Company force majeure in March 2026 | Kuwait | 0.52 Mt/yr | 2026 | OPIS, Mar 2026 |
| Chandra Asri force majeure in March 2026 | Indonesia | 0.24 Mt/yr | 2026 | OPIS, Mar 2026 |
Largest producers: India
India has no styrene monomer producer (indicative) and imports all it uses, mainly from the Middle East and Asia. The main buyers are polystyrene and ABS makers such as Supreme Petrochem, INEOS Styrolution India and Bhansali Engineering Polymers, plus SBR and UPR producers (indicative).
Position by region
| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| US | Large exporter; US styrene faced 50% Chinese duties in 2019 (ICIS); now competes with Chinese exports. |
| EU | High-cost and closing: Trinseo Böhlen 300 kt/yr (Dec 2022), Terneuzen 500 kt/yr (Nov 2023), Maasvlakte POSM 680 kt/yr idled (Jul 2023) (Chemical Week). |
| India | Fully import-dependent; Indian styrenics makers buy at CFR India against Asian markers. |
| China | Became a net exporter in 2025 as imports fell; Middle East supplied 56% of its remaining imports, 133,896 t (S&P Global). |
| Japan | Mature producer exposed to Chinese competition. |
| Middle East | About 3.2 Mt/yr; supplies over 20% of world styrene trade via Hormuz (S&P Global, Mar 2026). |