Capacity Utilization Rate Statistics of the Pure Benzene Industrial Chain (May 15–21, 2026)

This week, the capacity utilization rates of the major downstream products—styrene, caprolactam, phenol, adipic acid, and aniline—declined from the previous period. For styrene, the Baolai styrene unit in Northeast China also entered its scheduled maintenance phase. Although the Jilin Petrochemical and Sinochem Quanzhou styrene units have been restarted and brought back online, the output losses from maintenance still exceed the incremental supply from the restarts. For phenol/acetone, the BlueStar Harbin phenol/acetone unit was shut down as planned on May 18, the Yangzhou Shiyou phenol/acetone unit was shut down for maintenance on May 20, and Wanhua experienced a brief shutdown. Domestic supply decreased significantly, dragging down the overall industry operating rate. Caprolactam output continues to be affected by recent maintenance shutdowns. For aniline, one 100,000-ton unit of Shandong Jinling began a temporary shutdown on the 20th; Dongying Huatai was temporarily shut down and has not yet resumed; Shanxi Tianji is running at half load; and Jiangsu Fuqiang is shut down for an estimated 20 days. For adipic acid, a 150,000-ton unit of Shenma began maintenance shutdown on the 20th, with the restart date uncertain; the Hengli unit is operating at 80% capacity.

In the next period, considering recent maintenance and restart activities, capacity utilization rates for styrene, caprolactam, phenol, and aniline are expected to increase, while the adipic acid capacity utilization rate is expected to decrease.