Toluene: Feedstocks
Integration decides who profits from toluene
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.Toluene is a crude oil product. Its cost is the value it would have as petrol blendstock or as feed to xylene conversion. Integration decides competitiveness: complexes with paraxylene units can always place toluene, while stand-alone refiners sell into the solvent and petrol market.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oil Crude oil | reformate is about 15-25% toluene (indicative) | hydrocarbon source | about 85-90% of cash cost (indicative) | indicative |
| Kc Coking coal | by-product | minor source in China | by-product | indicative |
Who is low-cost, and why
Low cost sits with integrated Asian aromatics complexes and US Gulf refiners with large reformers. Toluene's floor is its gasoline blending value; its ceiling is its value as paraxylene feed.
Raw materials on the commodity table
Oil Crude oilWhat it is made into
| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| PX Paraxylene | via disproportionation and transalkylation |
| Bz Benzene | via disproportionation and hydrodealkylation |
| PU Polyurethanes (MDI, TDI, polyols) | via dinitrotoluene |
| Pnt Paints and coatings | solvent |
| Adh Adhesives and sealants | solvent |