Basic chemicals & Commodity Chemicals to Polymers and Speciality Chemicals

Basic chemicals & Commodity Chemicals to Polymers and Speciality Chemicals




Basic chemicals, or "commodity chemicals" are a broad chemical category including polymers, bulk petrochemicals and intermediates, other derivatives and basic industrials, inorganic chemicals, and fertilizers. Typical growth rates for basic chemicals are about 0.5 to 0.7 times GDP. Product prices are generally less than fifty cents per pound. 



Polymers, the largest revenue segment at about 33 percent of the basic chemicals dollar value, includes all categories of plastics and man-made fibers. The major markets for plastics are packaging, followed by home construction, containers, appliances, pipe, transportation, toys, and games.


  •  The largest-volume polymer product, polyethylene (PE), is used mainly in packaging films and other markets such as milk bottles, containers, and pipe.

  • Polyvinyl chloride(PVC), another large-volume product, is principally used to make pipe for construction markets as well as siding and, to a much smaller extent, transportation and packaging materials.

  • Polypropylene(PP), similar in volume to PVC, is used in markets ranging from packaging, appliances, and containers to clothing and carpeting.

  • Polystyrene (PS), another large-volume plastic, is used principally for appliances and packaging as well as toys and recreation.

  • The leading man-made fibers include polyester,nylon, polypropylene, and acrylics, with applications including apparel, home furnishings, and other industrial and consumer use.


The principal raw materials for polymers are bulk petrochemicals.
Chemicals in the bulk petrochemicals and intermediates are primarily made from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas, and rude oil. Their sales volume is close to 30 percent of overall basic chemicals.



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