Acrylonitrile - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts (2026-2031)

The acrylonitrile market size was valued at 8.40 Million tons in 2025 and is estimated to grow from 8.79 Million tons in 2026 to reach 11.07 Million tons by 2031, at a CAGR of 4.72% during the forecast period (2026-2031). This report is Segmented by Process Technology (Ammoxidation Process and Other Production Processes), Application (Acrylic Fiber, ABS/SAN Resin, Acrylamide, and More), End-Use Industry (Automotive and Transportation, Construction and Infrastructure, and More), and Geography (Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa). Market Forecasts are Provided in Terms of Volume (tons).

Global Acrylonitrile Market Trends and Insights

EU Bio-Chemical Incentives Accelerating Renewable ACN Pilots

The European Commission’s Chemical Industry Action Plan, published in July 2025, sets explicit funding priorities for renewable pathways in high-volume intermediates. OCI now ships bio-ammonia to AnQore’s Econitrile line, enabling a documented ~60% lifecycle-emissions cut compared with conventional ammoxidation. NREL researchers further validated a 98% conversion yield from 3-hydroxypropionic acid, a milestone that narrows the cost gap between fossil and renewable routes. Automotive OEMs that publish Scope 3 dashboards are beginning to specify renewable acrylonitrile in ABS compounds, a shift that could boost premium-grade demand once bio-ammonia availability scales beyond the current sub-500,000 t/y ceiling. Implementation speed is now constrained by green-hydrogen project timing, but medium-term momentum remains favorable as EU incentive structures reward low-carbon intermediates.

Surge in Electronics-Grade SAN for 5G Hardware Casings

Network-equipment manufacturers require housings that combine low dielectric loss, flame retardancy, and UV stability. Electronics-grade SAN, formulated with 28-32% acrylonitrile, meets these criteria and is displacing polycarbonate blends in outdoor 5G radio units supplied by Ericsson and Huawei. The higher monomer content directly lifts acrylonitrile uptake by roughly 15-20% per unit compared with general-purpose SAN grades. Regional supply chains gain redundancy because integrated players in South Korea and Japan can tailor recipes to meet UL 94 V-0 without post-compounding additives. Product life-cycle analyses show that SAN casings outlast polyolefin alternatives in demanding outdoor conditions, thereby lowering replacement costs for telecom operators. As base-station density rises, the associated pull-through effect on acrylonitrile market volumes will be most pronounced in Asia-Pacific’s high-population corridors.

Propylene Price Volatility Linked to Steam-Cracker Outages

Propylene feedstock accounts for roughly 65% of cash costs in standard ammoxidation. Unplanned cracker shutdowns in the US Gulf Coast during 2025 cut regional on-purpose propylene output and lifted spot prices above quarterly contract floors. European refiners simultaneously leaned on U.S. naphtha imports to replace embargoed Russian feed, tightening trans-Atlantic propylene balances and creating abrupt price spikes that smaller acrylonitrile producers struggle to hedge. These dynamics weaken the purchasing power of downstream ABS and acrylic-fiber converters, which are forced to carry higher inventories or accept exposure to floating indices that erode profitability during demand troughs. Until steam-cracker reliability improves and regional de-bottlenecking projects reach mechanical completion in late 2027, the acrylonitrile market will face periodic cost-push pressure.

Other drivers and restraints analyzed in the detailed report include:

• Emerging Sodium-Ion Battery Precursor Demand
• Rising ABS Demand in Automotive and Construction
• Engineering Plastics Substitution by Polyolefin Alloys

Segment Analysis

Ammoxidation accounted for 83.15% of the acrylonitrile market share in 2025, and continued brownfield upgrades place the pathway on a steady 5.12% CAGR through 2031. The legacy Sohio process converts propylene and ammonia over bismuth-molybdate catalysts at single-pass yields near 85%, a benchmark that newer propane or bio-routes have yet to match. INEOS completed an energy-efficiency revamp at its Seal Sands unit in 2024, confirming that incremental heat-integration and catalyst-cooling tweaks can lift site-specific yields by up to 3%. Renewable pilots, led by AnQore’s Econitrile line using OCI-supplied bio-ammonia, achieve roughly 60% lower lifecycle emissions, an attribute that automotive OEMs can translate into Scope 3 reductions. That said, bio-ammonia availability remains under 500,000 t/y, and propane ammoxidation still requires higher capex owing to oxygenate-resistant metallurgy. As a result, the conventional process will dominate absolute volume additions until bio-feedstock logistics improve.

Parallel advances in forced dynamic operation, in which reactor temperatures cycle to mitigate catalyst sintering, show laboratory yield bumps but need field validation at scale. Catalyst suppliers are simultaneously pursuing molybdenum-tellurium formulations that boost selectivity yet introduce volatility concerns when operating above 430°C. Integrated producers with captive propylene are best positioned to fund these innovations, reinforcing the structure where top-tier players command the lion’s share of incremental supply.

Complete Report Scope:

• By Process Technology
  • Ammoxidation Process
  • Other Production Processes
• By Application
  • Acrylic Fiber
  • Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)/Styrene-Acrylonitrile Resin (SAN)
  • Acrylamide
  • Nitrile-Butadiene Rubber
  • Other Applications
• By End-use Industry
  • Automotive and Transportation
  • Construction and Infrastructure
  • Electrical and Electronics
  • Textiles and Apparel
  • Other End-user Industries (Water and Waste-water Treatment, Packaging and Consumer Goods, etc.)
• By Geography
  • Asia-Pacific
    • China
    • India
    • Japan
    • South Korea
    • Rest of Asia-Pacific
  • North America
    • United States
    • Canada
    • Mexico
  • Europe
    • Germany
    • United Kingdom
    • France
    • Italy
    • Russia
    • Rest of Europe
  • South America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Rest of South America
  • Middle East and Africa
    • Saudi Arabia
    • South Africa
    • Rest of Middle East and Africa

Geography Analysis

Asia-Pacific held 69.81% acrylonitrile market share in 2025 and is projected to post a 5.53% CAGR through 2031. China alone added 1.31 million t/y of capacity during 2025, bringing national nameplate capacity above 5.7 million t/y. Major start-ups include Zhejiang Petrochemical’s 660,000 t/y Daishan Plant 2 and PetroChina’s 260,000 t/y Jilin unit, both integrated with downstream ABS, acrylic fiber, and carbon-fiber precincts. India remains structurally short, operating a single 41,000 t/y plant at Hazira, Gujarat; that imbalance, coupled with government Production-Linked Incentives, is spurring proposals for at least 200,000 t/y of new capacity post-2027. Japan and South Korea continue to lead in catalyst design and specialty SAN grades, though domestic demand is flat due to mature automotive and appliance sectors. Regional growth hinges on electric-vehicle penetration, 5G equipment build-out, and expanding textile exports from South Asia.

North America and Europe jointly account for just over one-fifth of global consumption. US Gulf Coast propylene volatility, aggravated by refinery turnarounds, constrained acrylonitrile operating rates in 2025. INEOS maintains strategic flexibility with 450,000 t/y at Green Lake, Texas, and 300,000 t/y in Cologne, Germany, underscoring the importance of vertical feedstock integration. European producers brace for the April 2026 occupational exposure limit of 1.0 mg/m³ under REACH, a compliance cost that could prompt smaller converters to exit or consolidate. The EU Chemical Industry Action Plan simultaneously funnels grants toward renewable acrylonitrile pilots, a dynamic that favors incumbents able to retrofit bio-ammonia inputs without massive capex.

The Middle East, Africa, and South America together are positioned for above-average growth. SABIC’s 420,000 t/y Al-Jubail unit leverages low-cost propane-rich feed and is evaluating downstream carbon-fiber precursor ventures. Turkey’s Petkim serves both European and Middle Eastern customers, although utilization is sensitive to regional political risk. Brazil’s vehicle production rebound supports ABS demand for interior trims, and local packaging converters are shifting toward flame-retardant ABS for appliance housings. Africa’s modest base makes it a focus for water-treatment acrylamide, particularly in mining-intensive economies where stricter discharge laws now apply.

List of Companies Covered in this Report:

• AnQore
• Asahi Kasei Corporation
• Ascend Performance Materials
• China Petrochemical Corporation
• Cornerstone Chemical
• Formosa Plastics Corporation
• INEOS
• Jiangsu Sailboat Petrochemical
• Jiangsu Shenghong Petrochemical
• LG Chem
• Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corporation.
• PetroChina
• Reliance Industries Limited.
• SABIC
• SGL Carbon
• Shanghai SECCO
• SOCAR (Petkim)
• Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.
• Taekwang Industrial
• TONGSUH PETROCHEMICAL CORPORATION,LTD.
• Toray Industries

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support