Western Europe is the world’s largest exporter of butadiene, shipping nearly 500,000 tons in 2018, up 14% partly on a jump in exports to North America.

Western Europe’s largest export destination in 2018 was Asia-Pacific, 210,000 tons, up 9% from 2017. Exports to North America rose 78%, to 114,000 tons. Eastern Europe was also a growth export destination, but shipments to Latin America dropped.

North America was a strong import market in 2018, volume up 29%, to 270,000 tons. Imports from both Western Europe and Asia-Pacific were higher; supplies from Latin America, unchanged.

Asia-Pacific is the world’s largest import market for butadiene, volume in 2018 down 11%, to 469,000 tons. Although imports from Western Europe increased, supplies from the Middle East, Latin America and North America were down.

From International Trader Publications’ Butadiene World Trade Report, an on line Report, updated daily, capturing nearly all of the world’s trade in butadiene.