Biodiesel (FAME): Trading
Rotterdam, France and Germany: Europe's blending hubs
Rotterdam, France and Germany: Europe's blending hubs 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
- ARA blenders (Netherlands, Belgium), France, Germany
- US importers for credits
- Marine bunker suppliers in Rotterdam and Singapore
Who sells, and from where
- EU producers (Germany, Netherlands, Spain)
- Argentina and Brazil when mandates allow
- China (UCOME) and Malaysia
Price benchmarks
| Benchmark | Publisher | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| FAME 0, RME, UCOME FOB ARA barges | Argus / S&P Global Platts | daily spot, $/t |
| US B100 SME Chicago and Gulf | OPIS / Argus | daily spot, $/gal |
| Indonesia biodiesel HIP | Indonesian Ministry of Energy | monthly administered |
Exchanges
| Venue | Contract | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ICE Futures Europe | low sulphur gasoil futures; financially settled FAME and UCOME swaps (indicative) | gasoil is the main hedge |
| CBOT | soybean oil futures | US feedstock hedge |
| Bursa Malaysia | crude palm oil futures (FCPO) | palm feedstock hedge |
Contract types
- Spot and term barge contracts in ARA priced as a premium to ICE gasoil
- Indonesian allocations to producers under the mandate, paid at HIP
- Indian OMC expressions of interest for UCO biodiesel at fixed prices (indicative)
Traders and distributors
- Vitol, Trafigura, Glencore, BP, Shell (indicative)
- Plantation groups and grain houses (Wilmar, ADM, Cargill, Bunge) (indicative)
How Indian buyers price it
- OMCs buy biodiesel through expressions of interest with prices linked to diesel prices (indicative)
- Imports of biodiesel need permission and are negligible (USDA 2026)
- Feedstock prices follow imported palm oil and soybean oil
Recent price points
| Date | Price | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | about $1,390/t | average world export unit value, HS 382600 ($21.4 billion / 15.4 Mt) | UN Comtrade 2024 (derived) |
| May 2026 | $1,130/t | palm oil benchmark (feedstock) | IMF via IMARC, Q2 2026 |
Good sources to follow
European Biodiesel Board statisticsfree research site · EBBEU FAME, HVO and SAF production, feedstocks and trade
UFOP Supply Reportfree research site · UFOPworld biofuel production and feedstock balances
farmdoc dailyfree blog · University of IllinoisUS biomass-based diesel, RFS and feedstock economics
BioEnergy Timesfree newsletter · BioEnergy TimesIndian biodiesel, UCO and SAF news