European oxo-alcohols pricing steady to softer

LONDON (ICIS)–The European oxo-alcohols market were steady to softer, depending on the product, sellers and buyers said on Wednesday.

Although many European sources were absent from the market due to a public holiday for various countries, those that were able to comment referred to a steady 2-ethyl hexanol (2-EH) market and softer n-butanol (NBA) pricing.

Most 2-EH sources said that, due to a rollover for feedstock propylene on Monday and a fairly balanced supply situation, flat prices were on offer.

However, a couple of buyers were confident a small decrease could be secured in the region of €10-20/tonne, but this remained to be seen.

NBA was said to be adjusting slightly lower in order to reflect an improving supply situation and sellers noted it was proving difficult to secure much over the mid €1,000s/tonne FD NWE, though also noted it is early days.

It remains to be seen where November activity settles, with many yet to place spot orders for the month.

NBA is a solvent with more than half if its production used as an intermediate chemical in the production of butyl acrylates for paints, coatings and adhesives, or acetates and glycol ethers. 2-ethylhexanol 2-EH is used to make plasticizers, mainly dioctyl phthalate (DOP). Key end markets include the construction, appliance and automotive industries.

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