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Indicative price brief for Caprolactam - Asia. Methodology: trade publications, broker reports, and industry sources reviewed by Nexchem. This is directional intelligence, not a regulated benchmark assessment.
CFR NE Asia caprolactam spot pricing. Chinese domestic caprolactam overcapacity analysis, cyclohexane and benzene feedstock cost from Hormuz, nylon 6 textile and engineering polymer demand, caprolactam-nylon 6 spread economics, and 3-scenario price outlook. Published monthly.
Asian caprolactam at USD 1,404 per metric tonne CFR NE Asia is down 5.6% year on year - again following the pattern of Chinese chemical overcapacity in markets where expansion since 2021 has outpaced demand growth - as Sinopec, PetroChina, and China BlueChemical have collectively expanded Chinese caprolactam capacity to approximately 7.2 million MT per year against domestic demand of approximately 5.4 million MT per year, creating a structural export surplus that is repricing CFR NE Asia below the level that European or Japanese producers can match on feedstock cost alone.
Asian caprolactam supply is dominated by Chinese domestic production from Sinopec at Shanghai and Nanjing, PetroChina at Fushun and Lanzhou, and China BlueChemical at Hainan, collectively approximately 6.2 million MT per year of Chinese nameplate capacity. Japanese Ube Industries and Toray Industries add approximately 480 KT per year of Asian caprolactam supply. The Chinese domestic expansion from approximately 2.8 million MT per year in 2018 to approximately 7.2 million MT per year in 2026 represents a 2.6 times capacity increase in eight years, significantly outpacing the 3% to 4% per year nylon 6 demand growth across Asian markets and creating the structural overcapacity that is maintaining CFR NE Asia pricing below European production cost. Demand for Caprolactam in Asia is structured across multiple end-use segments with differentiated price sensitivity, from commodity polymer and rubber applications to specialty chemical intermediates where performance requirements limit substitution and create defensible pricing above commodity benchmarks. CFR NE Asia Structural Price Pressure - Chinese caprolactam nameplate capacity at approximately 7.2 million MT per year against domestic demand of approximately 5.4 million MT per year creates a structural surplus of approximately 1.8 million MT per year that is exported primar. In the current 2026 supply and demand environment, Caprolactam pricing in Asia reflects both structural market conditions and active geopolitical supply chain disruption.
The IMF confirmed in March 2026 that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had disrupted approximately 20% of global seaborne oil and LNG supply. For CFR NE Asia caprolactam, the Hormuz disruption has a limited direct impact on pricing - Chinese domestic caprolactam production uses Chinese domestic cyclohexane and benzene feedstocks that are modestly affected by Middle Eastern aromatics import disruption but not severely so. The dominant pricing variable remains Chinese domestic capacity utilisation at approximately 54%, which is determined by Chinese nylon 6 demand conditions and caprolactam export economics rather than by Middle Eastern geopolitics. Weak Recovery from 2023 to 2024 Trough - Chinese nylon 6 filament yarn demand for textile and apparel applications is recovering modestly from the 2023 to 2024 trough at approximately 2.8% per year growth, below the hi.
The paid report is a professionally formatted PDF with structured sections, colour-coded grade price tables, alert boxes, capacity atlas tables, a 3-scenario price outlook, and analyst cards. The accompanying Excel file contains all price data in editable format for direct integration into procurement models.
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Every Nexchem Intelligence price report includes field-level analyst commentary covering supply shortages, qualification timelines, geopolitical friction, and pricing pressure - not generic market narrative. Nexchem analysts are active in the market and attribute all field intelligence to verifiable primary sources.
The paid report includes full scenario assumptions, quarterly price ranges for Q3 2026, Q4 2026, and Q1 2027, probability weighting for each scenario, and a procurement recommendation tailored to each case - covering what to do if the bull case materialises, what to hedge in the base case, and how to protect exposure in the bear case.
The IMF confirmed in March 2026 that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had disrupted approximately 20% of global seaborne oil and LNG supply. For CFR NE Asia caprolactam, the Hormuz disruption has a limited direct impact on pricing - Chinese domestic caprolactam production uses Chinese domestic cyclohexane and benzene feedstocks that are modestly affected by Middle Eastern aromatics import disruption but not severely so. The dominant pricing variable remains Chinese domestic capacity utilisation at approximately 54%, which is determined by Chinese nylon 6 demand conditions and caprolactam export economics rather than by Middle Eastern geopolitics.
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