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List of largest chemical producers

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The Friedrich-Engelhorn-Hochhaus, headquarters of BASF from 1957 to 2013

Chemical & Engineering News publishes an annual list of the world's largest chemical producers by sales, excluding formulated products such as pharmaceutical drugs and coatings.[1] In 2018, sales of the top fifty companies amounted to US$951,000,000,000, an increase of 11.8% compared to the top fifty producers of 2017.[2] The American Chemistry Council estimated that global chemical sales in 2014 rose by 3.7% to US$5,389,000,000,000.[3]

In 2018, Forty-eight of the companies on the list disclosed chemical profits, which totaled US$110,100,000,000, an increase of 1.3% from 2017. The average profit margin for chemical operations for these companies was 9.6%.[1]

Top fifty producers by sales (2021)[edit]

Rank[4] Company Chemical sales in 2021
USD millions[A] 		Change from 2020
in percent 		Headquarters
1 BASF 92,982



Increase32.9%  Germany, Ludwigshafen am Rhein
2 Sinopec 65,848 Increase31.9%  China, Beijing
3 Dow 54,968 Increase42.6%  United States, Midland, Michigan
4 SABIC 43,230 Increase50.1%  Saudi Arabia, Riyadh
5 Formosa Plastics 43,173 Increase47.8%  Taiwan, Taipei
6 Ineos 39,937 Increase121%  United Kingdom, London
7 Petrochina 39,693 Increase41.7%  China, Beijing
8 LyondellBasell Industries 38,995 Increase66.6%  United States, Houston, Texas
9 LG Chem 37,257 Increase41.8%  South Korea, Seoul
10 ExxonMobil 36,858 Increase59.6%  United States, Irving, Texas
11 Mitsubishi Chemical Group 30,719 Increase24.8%  Japan, Tokyo
12 Hengli Petrochemical 27,961 Increase31.9%  China, Suzhou
13 Linde 27,926 Increase14.5%  Ireland, Dublin
14 Air Liquide 27,148 Increase13.4%  France, Paris
15 Syngenta 24,900 Increase20.9%  Switzerland, Basel
16 Reliance Industries 22,583 Increase65.6%  India, Mumbai
17 Wanhua 22,561 Increase98.2%  China, Yantai
18 Braskem 19,575 Increase80.4%  Brazil, São Paulo
19 Sumitomo Chemical 19,176 Increase24.7%  Japan, Tokyo and Osaka
20 Shin-Etsu Chemical 18,885 Increase38.6%  Japan, Tokyo
21 Covestro 18,813 Increase48.5%  Germany, Leverkusen
22 Toray Industries 17,856 Increase20.9%  Japan, Tokyo
23 Evonik Industries 17,692 Increase22.6%  Germany, Essen
24 Shell 16,993 Increase45.0%  United Kingdom, London
25 DuPont 16,653 Decrease18.4%  United States, Wilmington, Delaware
26 Yara 16,617 Increase43.4%  Norway, Oslo
27 Rongsheng Petrochemical 16,001 Increase59.6%  China, Hangzhou
28 Lotte Chemical 15,827 Increase48.2%  South Korea, Seoul
29 Mitsui Chemicals 14,681 Increase33.1%  Japan, Tokyo
30 Indorama Ventures 14,626 Increase41.2%  Thailand, Bangkok
31 Chevron Phillips Chemical 14,104 Increase67.1%  United States, The Woodlands, Texas
32 Umicore 13,567 Increase34.4%  Belgium, Brussels
33 Solvay 13,527 Increase17.7%  Belgium, Brussels
34 Bayer 12,743 Increase9.7%  Germany, Leverkusen
35 Mosaic 12,357 Increase42.3%  United States, Plymouth, Minnesota
36 Nutrien 11,590 Increase62.0%  Canada, Saskatoon
37 Arkema 11,261 Increase20.7%  France, Colombes
38 Asahi Kasei 10,908 Increase20.9%  Japan, Tokyo
39 DSM 10,888 Increase13.5%  Netherlands, Heerlen
39 Hanwha Solutions 10,888 Increase22.8%  South Korea, Seoul
41 Eastman Chemical 10,476 Increase23.6%  United States, Kingsport, Tennessee
42 Johnson Matthey 10,412 Decrease2.48%  United Kingdom, London
43 Air Products 10,323 Increase16.6%  United States, Allentown, Pennsylvania
44 Eurochem 14,269 Increase22.6%  Switzerland, Zug
45 Borealis 10,164 Increase26.0%  Austria, Vienna
46 PTT Global Chemical 16,521 Increase51.7%  Thailand, Bangkok
47 Sasol 9,011 Increase10.8%  South Africa, Johannesburg
48 Tongkun Group 8,996 Increase28.5%  China, Tongxiang
49 Lanxess 8,940 Increase23.8%  Germany, Cologne
50 Hengyi Petrochemical 8,858 Increase66.8%  China, Hangzhou

Top fifty producers by sales (2018)[edit]

Rank Company Chemical sales in 2018
USD millions[A] 		Change from 2017
in percent 		Headquarters
1 DowDuPont 85,977 37.6 United States Midland, Michigan, US
2 BASF 74,066 2.4 Germany Ludwigshafen, Germany
3 Sinopec 69,210 22.4 China Beijing, China
4 Sabic 42,120 12 Saudi Arabia Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
5 Ineos 36,970 2.1 United Kingdom London, UK
6 Formosa Plastics[B] 36,891 13.8 Taiwan Taipei, Taiwan
7 ExxonMobil Chemical 32,443 13.1 United States Irving, Texas, US
8 LyondellBasell Industries 30,783 8.7 United States Houston, Texas US/ Netherlands Rotterdam, Netherlands
9 Mitsubishi Chemical 28,747 7.1 Japan Tokyo, Japan
10 DuPont 25,935 37.6 United States Wilmington, Delaware, US
11 LG Chem 25,637 9.7 South Korea Seoul, South Korea
12 Reliance Industries 25,167 37.3 India Mumbai, India
13 PetroChina 24,849 n/a China Beijing, China
14 Air Liquide 24,322 2.8 France Paris, France
15 Toray Industries 18,651 8.7 Japan Tokyo, Japan
16 Evonik Industries 17,755 4.2 Germany Essen, Germany
17 Covestro 17,273 3.4 Germany Leverkusen, Germany
18 Bayer[C] 16,859 49 Germany Leverkusen, Germany
19 Sumitomo Chemical 16,081 8.7 Japan Tokyo, Japan
20 Braskem 15,885 17.7 Brazil São Paulo, Brazil
21 Lotte Chemical 15,051 4.2 South Korea Seoul, South Korea
22 Linde plc 14,900 30.3 United States Germany Dublin, Ireland
23 Shin-Etsu Chemical[C] 14,439 10.6 Japan Tokyo, Japan
24 Mitsui Chemicals 13,432 11.6 Japan Tokyo, Japan
25 Solvay 13,353 3.7 Belgium Brussels, Belgium
26 Yara 12,928 13.8 Norway Oslo, Norway
27 Chevron Phillips Chemical 11,310 24.8 United States The Woodlands, Texas, US
28 DSM 10,951 7.4 Netherlands Heerlen, Netherlands
29 Indorama 10,747 21.2 Indonesia Jakarta, Indonesia
30 Asahi Kasei 10,654 8.1 Japan Tokyo, Japan
31 Arkema 10,418 5.9 France Colombes, France
32 Syngenta 10,413 12.6 Switzerland Basel, Switzerland
33 Eastman Chemical 10,151 6.3 United States Kingsport, Tennessee, US
34 Borealis 9,852 10.2 Austria Vienna, Austria
35 SK Innovation 9,719 14.4 South Korea Seoul, South Korea
36 Mosaic 9,587 29.4 United States Tampa, Florida, US
37 Huntsman 9,379 12.2 United States The Woodlands, Texas, US
38 Wanhua Chemical 9,172 14.1 China Yantai, China
39 PTT Global Chemical 8,969 15.7 Thailand Bangkok, Thailand
40 Ecolab[C] 8,964 11 United States Saint Paul, Minnesota, US
41 Air Products & Chemicals 8,930 9.1 United States Allentown, Pennsylvania, US
42 Westlake Chemical 8,635 7.4 United States Houston, US
43 Lanxess 8,505 -25.5 Germany Cologne, Germany
44 Nutrien 8,130 75.9 Canada Saskatoon, Canada
45 Umicore[C] 8,113 27.1 Belgium Brussels, Belgium
46 Sasol 8,110 4.2 South Africa Sandton, South Africa
47 Tosoh 7,803 4.7 Japan Tokyo, Japan
48 Johnson Matthey[C] 7,579 16.1 United Kingdom London, UK
49 DIC 7,296 2 Japan Tokyo, Japan
50 Hanwha Chemical[D] 7,273 3.3 South Korea Seoul, South Korea
51 Celanese 7,155 16.5 United States Irving, Texas, US
A.^ Some figures converted at 2018 average exchange rates of US$1.00 = R$3.6513 Brazilian, CN¥ 6.609, €0.8462, ₹67.16, ¥110.1, ₩1,099.29, ر.س 3.75, R 13.2255, CHF 0.9784, NT$30.129, and ฿32.303.[1]
B.^ Estimate by Chemical and Engineering News.[1]
C.^ Sales include a significant amount of non-chemical products.[1]
D.^ Chemical sales less administrative expenses and cost of sales.[1]

Largest companies since 1988[edit]

Since Chemical & Engineering News began keeping records in 1989, BASF has been the world's largest chemical producer by annual sales more frequently than any other company. The other companies that have headed the list are Dow Chemical, DowDuPont (which broke up into Dow, a new DuPont, and Corteva Agriscience in 2019), Hoechst (which merged with Rhône-Poulenc in 1999 and is now a subsidiary of Sanofi), ICI (acquired by AkzoNobel in 2008) and Bayer.

Year Company Chemical sales
USD millions[A] 		Source
1988 Bayer 22,694 [5]
1989 BASF 17,122 [6]
1990 BASF 18,520 [7]
1991 ICI 18,127 [8]
1992 BASF 22,883 [9]
1993 Hoechst 16,682 [10]
1994 Hoechst 19,702 [11]
1995 BASF 22,030 [12]
1996 BASF 26,519 [13]
1997 BASF 27,047 [14]
1998 BASF 27,740 [15]
1999 BASF 31,250 [16]
2000 BASF 30,791 [17]
2001 Dow Chemical 27,805 [18]
2002 Dow Chemical 27,609 [19]
2003 Dow Chemical 32,632 [20]
2004 Dow Chemical 40,161 [21]
2005 Dow Chemical 46,307 [22]
2006 BASF 49,516 [23]
2007 BASF 65,037 [24]
2008 BASF 70,485 [25]
2009 BASF 54,817 [26]
2010 BASF 70,391 [27]
2011 BASF 85,603 [28]
2012 BASF 79,760 [29]
2013 BASF 78,615 [30]
2014 BASF 78,698 [31]
2015 BASF 63,749 [32]
2016 BASF 60,653 [33]
2017 BASF 69,195 [2]
2018 DowDuPont 85,977 [1]
2019 BASF 66,400 [34]
2020 BASF 67,500 [35]
2021 BASF 92,982 [4]
A.^ Foreign currencies converted to USD using average exchange rates of that year.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Tullo, Alexander H. (30 July 2019). "C&EN's Global Top 50 chemical companies of 2018". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Tullo, Alexander H. (30 July 2018). "C&EN's Global Top 50 chemical companies of 2017". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  3. ^ Davis, Nigel (7 September 2015). "ICIS Top 100 Chemical Companies". ICIS Chemical Business. Reed Business Information.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Tullo, Alexander H. (July 24, 2022). "C&EN's Global Top 50 chemical firms for 2022". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  5. ^ Aftalion, Fred (1991). History of the international chemical industry. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 375. ISBN 978-0-81-228207-8.
  6. ^ Layman, Patricia; Storck, William (5 November 1990). "Europe dominates global chemical sales". Chemical & Engineering News. Vol. 68, no. 45. American Chemical Society. p. 20. doi:10.1021/cen-v068n045.p020.
  7. ^ Layman, Patricia L. (5 August 1991). "German Firms Continue To Dominate Global Top 50 Chemical Producers". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  8. ^ Layman, Patricia L. (7 September 1992). "Shifts in Rankings, Losses Mark Global Top 50 list". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  9. ^ Layman, Patricia L. (26 July 1993). "Sales Up, Profitability Suffers For Global Top 50 Chemical Makers". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  10. ^ Layman, Patricia L. (25 July 1994). "Global Top 50 Chemical Producers Troubled By Low Prices, Slow Economies". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  11. ^ Layman, Patricia L. (24 July 1995). "Global Top 50 Chemical Producers Show Rise In Profits And Sales". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  12. ^ Layman, Patricia L. (22 July 1996). "Global Top 50 Chemical Producers Shift Rankings During Profitable 1995". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  13. ^ Layman, Patricia L. (21 July 1997). "Slowdown for global top 50". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  14. ^ Layman, Patricia (20 July 1998). "Global top 50 chemical producers". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  15. ^ Layman, Patricia L. (26 July 1999). "BASF still tops global top 50". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  16. ^ Short, Patricia L. (24 July 2000). "Global top 50: BASF retains apex". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  17. ^ Short, Patricia L. (23 July 2001). "Global top 50". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  18. ^ Short, Patricia L. (29 July 2002). "Global top 50". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  19. ^ Short, Patricia L. (28 July 2003). "Global top 50". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  20. ^ Short, Patricia L. (19 July 2004). "Global top 50". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  21. ^ Tullo, Alexander H. (16 May 2005). "Global top 50". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  22. ^ Short, Patricia L. (24 July 2006). "Global top 50". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  23. ^ Short, Patricia L. (6 August 2007). "'Top 50' correction". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  24. ^ Short, Patricia L. (28 July 2008). "Global top 50". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  25. ^ Tullo, Alexander H. (3 August 2009). "Global top 50". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  26. ^ Tullo, Alexander H. (26 July 2010). "Global top 50". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  27. ^ Tullo, Alexander H. (25 July 2011). "Global top 50". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  28. ^ Tullo, Alexander H. (30 July 2012). "Global top 50". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  29. ^ Tullo, Alexander H. (29 July 2013). "Global top 50". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society.
  30. ^ Tullo, Alexander H. (28 July 2014). "C&EN's Global Top 50 Chemical Firms For 2014". Chemical & Engineering News. American Chemical Society. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  31. ^ Tullo, Alexander H. (27 July 2015). "Global Top 50". Chemical & Engineering News. Vol. 93, no. 30. p. 16.
  32. ^ Tullo, Alexander H. (25 July 2016). "C&EN's Global Top 50". Chemical & Engineering News. Vol. 94, no. 30. p. 35.
  33. ^ Tullo, Alexander H. (24 July 2017). "C&EN's Global Top 50 chemical companies of 2016". Chemical & Engineering News. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  34. ^ "C&EN's Global Top 50 chemical firms for 2020". cen.acs.org. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  35. ^ "C&EN's Global Top 50 chemical firms for 2021". cen.acs.org. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
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