Isobutene Price — China Factory EXW 2026

Isobutene price Spec: N/A

China EXW, VAT excluded

Newest China EXW USD 1,521.64 / MT · VAT excluded +15.1593 (1.01%) as of 20261023

Newest Price 1,521.64

Price Date 20261023

Day's Change +15.16

Day's Range 1,521.64 - 1,536.8

Month's Change -30.14

Month's Range 1,521.64 - 1,491.5

Year's Change +488.62

Year's Range 1,521.64 - 1,033.02

Watch the feedstock route split closely. MTBE cracking capacity is more exposed to gasoline additive policy risk, while TBA dehydration offers an alternative supply source. Any for...

Also known as 1,1-dimethylethene, 1,1-Dimethylethylene, 2-methyl-1-propen, 2-methyl-propen

Opinions

How is China's high-purity isobutene capacity evolving and what does it mean for pricing?

Watch the feedstock route split closely. MTBE cracking capacity is more exposed to gasoline additive policy risk, while TBA dehydration offers an alternative supply source. Any forced MTBE plant shutdowns could paradoxically tighten high-purity isobutene supply even as total C4 availability grows—a nuance worth factoring into forward purchasing decisions.

Can domestic Chinese isobutene fully replace imported material in high-end applications?

For procurement teams, the practical question is not just purity but supply reliability. Domestic producers with integrated upstream C4 units offer better security of supply and faster technical service—particularly relevant given import lead times and logistics costs for a liquefied gas with a -6.9°C boiling point. Trial batches remain advisable for sensitive polymerization applications.

What drives the price gap between polymer-grade and industrial-grade isobutene in China?

Buyers should also watch the separation challenge. Isobutene and 1-butene boil only 0.64°C apart, so direct distillation is impractical—most high-purity output comes via MTBE cracking or tert-butanol dehydration. That indirect route adds cost and links polymer-grade availability to MTBE plant operating rates, an often-overlooked supply constraint.

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Isobutene price context

What drives Isobutene prices

How is China's high-purity isobutene capacity evolving and what does it mean for pricing?: Watch the feedstock route split closely. MTBE cracking capacity is more exposed to gasoline additive policy risk, while TBA dehydration offers an alternative su...

Can domestic Chinese isobutene fully replace imported material in high-end applications?: For procurement teams, the practical question is not just purity but supply reliability. Domestic producers with integrated upstream C4 units offer better secur...

How we assess Isobutene price

China factory / mainstream market EXW quotes (VAT excluded where shown) - not a single global public index

Regional and specification detail so buyers can compare like-for-like grades

Landed cost figures from our calculator are planning estimates, not a customs ruling

Overview

Isobutene (2-methylpropene, CAS 115-11-7) is a colorless, highly reactive gas with a low boiling point of −6.9°C, typically stored under pressure. As a key C4 olefin, its value rises sharply with purity, serving as a core monomer across tire, pharmaceutical, and specialty chemical value chains.

Butyl rubber: copolymerized with isoprene to produce the leading outlet (~60% of consumption), prized for air-tightness seven times that of natural rubber, used in tire inner liners and medical stoppers.
Polyisobutylene (PIB): cationically polymerized for applications ranging from lubricants and sealants to vaccine adjuvants and food-grade products.
MMA and fine chemicals: chemical-grade material feeds methyl methacrylate, pivalic acid, and isoprene synthesis.
Pharmaceutical intermediates: routes via MBO and tert-butanol enable production of ACE inhibitors, L-menthol, and vitamin A precursors.

China's production centers in Shandong, drawing on refinery C4 fractions and MTBE cracking. Domestic output increasingly covers chemical and polymer grades, with import substitution advancing in high-purity segments, though gaps remain in color and volatility specs for premium PIB.

Key domestic producers:
Luqing Petrochemical – high-purity isobutene, integrated upstream supply.
Heze Xileng Chemical – polymer-grade (≥99%) product.
Shandong Hongrui New Materials – new 200 kt/yr PIB and 50 kt/yr high-purity isobutene project.

Properties

Name

Isobutene

1,1-dimethylethene

1,1-Dimethylethylene

2-methyl-1-propen

2-methyl-propen

CAS Number

115-11-7

EINECS No.

204-066-3

Risk Codes

S9;S16;S33

Safety Description

HS Code

2901230000

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Isobutene price Spec: N/A

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Opinions

How is China's high-purity isobutene capacity evolving and what does it mean for pricing?

Can domestic Chinese isobutene fully replace imported material in high-end applications?

What drives the price gap between polymer-grade and industrial-grade isobutene in China?

People Also Watch

Isobutene price context

What drives Isobutene prices

How we assess Isobutene price

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