Toluene: Trading
The 2026 Hormuz spike in Asian toluene
What this tab covers How it is bought and sold: buyers and sellers, price benchmarks and who publishes them, exchanges, contract types, traders, how Indian buyers price it, recent price points, and good sources to follow.Who buys, and where
- China
- India
- Southeast Asia
- United States (for blending in high-octane periods)
Who sells, and from where
- South Korea
- Japan
- Taiwan
- Singapore
- United States (when octane is cheap)
Price benchmarks
| Benchmark | Publisher | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Platts toluene FOB Korea | S&P Global Platts | spot, daily |
| OPIS/ICIS toluene Asia | OPIS, ICIS | spot, weekly and daily |
| US Gulf Coast toluene | Platts, OPIS | cents per gallon |
Exchanges
| Venue | Contract | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| none | no listed toluene futures found | Hedging uses related contracts such as ZCE paraxylene futures (5 t, launched September 2023, S&P Global) or naphtha swaps. |
Contract types
- Spot cargoes (2,000-5,000 t in Asia)
- Term contracts on monthly averages of Platts or ICIS assessments
- Domestic distributor sales in drums and tankers for solvent users
Traders and distributors
- Glencore
- Vitol
- Mitsui
- Sumitomo
- Producer trading arms
How Indian buyers price it
- Solvent buyers price imports on CFR India against Asian markers; domestic refiners sell at import parity (indicative).
- Distributors in Gujarat and Maharashtra supply pharma and agrochemical makers in drums at a premium to tanker prices (indicative).
Recent price points
| Date | Price | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Mar 2026 | $781/t | FOB Korea | S&P Global Platts |
Good sources to follow
S&P Global Commodity Insights chemicals newsfreemium research site · S&P GlobalPlatts aromatics prices
OPIS Energy Market Newsfreemium research site · OPISAsian aromatics and naphtha
Argus market opinion and analysis blogfree blog · Argus MediaAromatics and paraxylene analysis