Detailed description of the main raw materials of polyurethane market overview

Market overview of main raw materials

The main raw materials of polyurethane include diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and polypropanediol (PPG), which have become international commodities at present. The production technology and equipment of these raw materials are complex, the product competition is quite fierce, the result of long-term development makes the production relatively concentrated.

Isocyanate is the general name of various esters of isocyanate. If it is classified by the number of -NCO groups, it includes mono-Isocyanate R-n =C=O, diisocyanate O=C= N-r-n =C=O and polyisocyanate, etc. It can also be divided into aliphatic isocyanates and aromatic isocyanates. Currently, the usage of aromatic isocyanates is large, such as MDI and TDI.

(1) the MDI

MDI's production technology and equipment requirements are complex, the production technology is controlled by several global giant enterprises. More than 95% of MDI production enterprises in the world are concentrated in Asia and Europe. In comparison, the growth rate of The European market is not as fast as that of Asia, but its MDI industry started early and the market is more mature.

On June 1, 2015, china-South Korea Free Trade Agreement was formally signed, which changed the tax rate of polyurethane raw materials. The export tax rate of China's POLYMERized MDI decreased faster than the import tax rate. With the increase of production capacity and output in domestic converged MDI market, import dependence decreases and export dependence increases, the implementation of China-South Korea free Trade Agreement will have a greater impact on China's converged MDI export than on China's converged MDI import.

(2) the TDI

In 2015, the price trend of TDI in various regions of China fluctuated greatly, and manufacturers' firm offer became an important driving force for the rise of TDI price. However, influenced by the demand, the price trend dropped several times and broke new lows repeatedly. The price range of 2015 is lower than that of the previous two years, and the high level of TDI market has disappeared. In addition, the overall operating rate of domestic TDI manufacturers in 2015 was lower than that in 2014, resulting in a lot of output reduction.

(3) the PPG

PPG is one of the main raw materials for the production of polyurethane products, and its usage in polyurethane foam can reach more than 90%, accounting for a large proportion. The production capacity of polyether polyols is mainly concentrated in basF, Bayer, Dow Chemical, Shell and other large multinational companies due to the large scale of production units of polyether polyols. China's polyether polyol manufacturers only through technology introduction, independent research and development has formed a certain scale. In recent years, with the expansion of large manufacturers, the varieties and specifications of polyether polyols are basically complete, and the quality and stability of products are also greatly improved.