List of largest chemical producers

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

| 32.9%  |  Germany, Ludwigshafen am Rhein
2  | Sinopec | 65,848  | 31.9%  |  China, Beijing
3  | Dow | 54,968  | 42.6%  |  United States, Midland, Michigan
4  | SABIC | 43,230  | 50.1%  |  Saudi Arabia, Riyadh
5  | Formosa Plastics | 43,173  | 47.8%  |  Taiwan, Taipei
6  | Ineos | 39,937  | 121%  |  United Kingdom, London
7  | Petrochina | 39,693  | 41.7%  |  China, Beijing
8  | LyondellBasell Industries | 38,995  | 66.6%  |  United States, Houston, Texas
9  | LG Chem | 37,257  | 41.8%  |  South Korea, Seoul
10  | ExxonMobil | 36,858  | 59.6%  |  United States, Irving, Texas
11  | Mitsubishi Chemical Group | 30,719  | 24.8%  |  Japan, Tokyo
12  | Hengli Petrochemical | 27,961  | 31.9%  |  China, Suzhou
13  | Linde | 27,926  | 14.5%  |  Ireland, Dublin
14  | Air Liquide | 27,148  | 13.4%  |  France, Paris
15  | Syngenta | 24,900  | 20.9%  |  Switzerland, Basel
16  | Reliance Industries | 22,583  | 65.6%  |  India, Mumbai
17  | Wanhua | 22,561  | 98.2%  |  China, Yantai
18  | Braskem | 19,575  | 80.4%  |  Brazil, São Paulo
19  | Sumitomo Chemical | 19,176  | 24.7%  |  Japan, Tokyo and Osaka
20  | Shin-Etsu Chemical | 18,885  | 38.6%  |  Japan, Tokyo
21  | Covestro | 18,813  | 48.5%  |  Germany, Leverkusen
22  | Toray Industries | 17,856  | 20.9%  |  Japan, Tokyo
23  | Evonik Industries | 17,692  | 22.6%  |  Germany, Essen
24  | Shell | 16,993  | 45.0%  |  United Kingdom, London
25  | DuPont | 16,653  | 18.4%  |  United States, Wilmington, Delaware
26  | Yara | 16,617  | 43.4%  |  Norway, Oslo
27  | Rongsheng Petrochemical | 16,001  | 59.6%  |  China, Hangzhou
28  | Lotte Chemical | 15,827  | 48.2%  |  South Korea, Seoul
29  | Mitsui Chemicals | 14,681  | 33.1%  |  Japan, Tokyo
30  | Indorama Ventures | 14,626  | 41.2%  |  Thailand, Bangkok
31  | Chevron Phillips Chemical | 14,104  | 67.1%  |  United States, The Woodlands, Texas
32  | Umicore | 13,567  | 34.4%  |  Belgium, Brussels
33  | Solvay | 13,527  | 17.7%  |  Belgium, Brussels
34  | Bayer | 12,743  | 9.7%  |  Germany, Leverkusen
35  | Mosaic | 12,357  | 42.3%  |  United States, Plymouth, Minnesota
36  | Nutrien | 11,590  | 62.0%  |  Canada, Saskatoon
37  | Arkema | 11,261  | 20.7%  |  France, Colombes
38  | Asahi Kasei | 10,908  | 20.9%  |  Japan, Tokyo
39  | DSM | 10,888  | 13.5%  |  Netherlands, Heerlen
39  | Hanwha Solutions | 10,888  | 22.8%  |  South Korea, Seoul
41  | Eastman Chemical | 10,476  | 23.6%  |  United States, Kingsport, Tennessee
42  | Johnson Matthey | 10,412  | 2.48%  |  United Kingdom, London
43  | Air Products | 10,323  | 16.6%  |  United States, Allentown, Pennsylvania
44  | Eurochem | 14,269  | 22.6%  |  Switzerland, Zug
45  | Borealis | 10,164  | 26.0%  |  Austria, Vienna
46  | PTT Global Chemical | 16,521  | 51.7%  |  Thailand, Bangkok
47  | Sasol | 9,011  | 10.8%  |  South Africa, Johannesburg
48  | Tongkun Group | 8,996  | 28.5%  |  China, Tongxiang
49  | Lanxess | 8,940  | 23.8%  |  Germany, Cologne
50  | Hengyi Petrochemical | 8,858  | 66.8%  |  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  |  Midland, Michigan, US
2  | BASF | 74,066  | 2.4  |  Ludwigshafen, Germany
3  | Sinopec | 69,210  | 22.4  |  Beijing, China
4  | Sabic | 42,120  | 12  |  Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
5  | Ineos | 36,970  | 2.1  |  London, UK
6  | Formosa Plastics[B] | 36,891  | 13.8  |  Taipei, Taiwan
7  | ExxonMobil Chemical | 32,443  | 13.1  |  Irving, Texas, US
8  | LyondellBasell Industries | 30,783  | 8.7  |  Houston, Texas US/  Rotterdam, Netherlands
9  | Mitsubishi Chemical | 28,747  | 7.1  |  Tokyo, Japan
10  | DuPont | 25,935  | 37.6  |  Wilmington, Delaware, US
11  | LG Chem | 25,637  | 9.7  |  Seoul, South Korea
12  | Reliance Industries | 25,167  | 37.3  |  Mumbai, India
13  | PetroChina | 24,849  | n/a  |  Beijing, China
14  | Air Liquide | 24,322  | 2.8  |  Paris, France
15  | Toray Industries | 18,651  | 8.7  |  Tokyo, Japan
16  | Evonik Industries | 17,755  | 4.2  |  Essen, Germany
17  | Covestro | 17,273  | 3.4  |  Leverkusen, Germany
18  | Bayer[C] | 16,859  | 49  |  Leverkusen, Germany
19  | Sumitomo Chemical | 16,081  | 8.7  |  Tokyo, Japan
20  | Braskem | 15,885  | 17.7  |  São Paulo, Brazil
21  | Lotte Chemical | 15,051  | 4.2  |  Seoul, South Korea
22  | Linde plc | 14,900  | 30.3  |  Dublin, Ireland
23  | Shin-Etsu Chemical[C] | 14,439  | 10.6  |  Tokyo, Japan
24  | Mitsui Chemicals | 13,432  | 11.6  |  Tokyo, Japan
25  | Solvay | 13,353  | 3.7  |  Brussels, Belgium
26  | Yara | 12,928  | 13.8  |  Oslo, Norway
27  | Chevron Phillips Chemical | 11,310  | 24.8  |  The Woodlands, Texas, US
28  | DSM | 10,951  | 7.4  |  Heerlen, Netherlands
29  | Indorama | 10,747  | 21.2  |  Jakarta, Indonesia
30  | Asahi Kasei | 10,654  | 8.1  |  Tokyo, Japan
31  | Arkema | 10,418  | 5.9  |  Colombes, France
32  | Syngenta | 10,413  | 12.6  |  Basel, Switzerland
33  | Eastman Chemical | 10,151  | 6.3  |  Kingsport, Tennessee, US
34  | Borealis | 9,852  | 10.2  |  Vienna, Austria
35  | SK Innovation | 9,719  | 14.4  |  Seoul, South Korea
36  | Mosaic | 9,587  | 29.4  |  Tampa, Florida, US
37  | Huntsman | 9,379  | 12.2  |  The Woodlands, Texas, US
38  | Wanhua Chemical | 9,172  | 14.1  |  Yantai, China
39  | PTT Global Chemical | 8,969  | 15.7  |  Bangkok, Thailand
40  | Ecolab[C] | 8,964  | 11  |  Saint Paul, Minnesota, US
41  | Air Products & Chemicals | 8,930  | 9.1  |  Allentown, Pennsylvania, US
42  | Westlake Chemical | 8,635  | 7.4  |  Houston, US
43  | Lanxess | 8,505  | -25.5  |  Cologne, Germany
44  | Nutrien | 8,130  | 75.9  |  Saskatoon, Canada
45  | Umicore[C] | 8,113  | 27.1  |  Brussels, Belgium
46  | Sasol | 8,110  | 4.2  |  Sandton, South Africa
47  | Tosoh | 7,803  | 4.7  |  Tokyo, Japan
48  | Johnson Matthey[C] | 7,579  | 16.1  |  London, UK
49  | DIC | 7,296  | 2  |  Tokyo, Japan
50  | Hanwha Chemical[D] | 7,273  | 3.3  |  Seoul, South Korea
51  | Celanese | 7,155  | 16.5  |  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]

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2. ^ 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. ^ 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.
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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.