# Soybeans

An oil-and-protein bean crushed mainly into animal feed; China buys about two-thirds of world soybean imports by value.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/

Oilseeds & oils · No. 91

- Not on a critical list
- HHI 2,420 · moderately concentrated
 Oilseeds & oils · Foundation · Matter

Three-quarters of every soybean becomes meal for pigs and chickens, and China buys two-thirds of world imports.

Chart: Illustration: Soybeans

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Soybeans were grown in China over 4,500 years ago. As a legume the plant fixes its own nitrogen, so it rotates neatly with maize. World output reached 398 Mt in 2024.

##### Three things to know

1. China bought 65.3% of world soybean imports by value in 2024, mainly to feed pigs and chickens.
2. World soybean output rose about 3.7-fold between 1990 and 2024, reaching 398 million tonnes.
3. A crusher gets about 0.78 t of meal and 0.20 t of oil from each tonne of beans, so protein sets the margin.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Field**Legume grown in rotation with maize
2. 2 **Elevator**Harvested and stored as whole beans
3. 3 **Crushing**Cracked, flaked and solvent extracted
4. 4 **Meal and oil**About 0.78 t meal, 0.20 t oil
5. 5 **End uses**Pig and poultry feed, cooking oil, biodiesel
 Covered in [From ground to marketCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/from-ground-to-market/)[Reserves, stocks and depletionCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/reserves-stocks-depletion/)[Prices and cyclesCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/prices-and-cycles/)[How commodities tradeCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/how-commodities-trade/)[How commodities moveCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/how-commodities-move/)[Criticality and geopoliticsCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/criticality-and-geopolitics/)and 3 more

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## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/soybeans/links/index.md)