1,3-Butanediol Price Trend and Forecast 2026-2027

1,3-Butanediol prices in the United States rose 2.3% in Q2 2026 to USD 3,050.00/MT from USD 2,980.00/MT in Q1, continuing a firm climb tied to elevated acetaldehyde and crotonaldehyde feedstock costs. Globally, the average rose from USD 2,733.20/MT in Q1 to USD 2,798.80/MT in Q2, a 2.4% gain. For H2 2026, a global average of USD 2,650.00-3,050.00/MT is expected, with steady demand from cosmetics and personal care applications, alongside growing interest in bio-based fermentation routes, likely to keep this market on its established upward path.

1,3-Butanediol, distinct from its more widely produced isomer 1,4-butanediol, is manufactured primarily through the hydrogenation of acetaldehyde-derived aldol condensation products, though emerging bio-fermentation routes using renewable sugar feedstocks are gaining commercial traction. It serves as a key humectant and solvent in cosmetics and personal care formulations, a solvent carrier in food flavoring applications, and an intermediate in specialty polyester and polyurethane production. Japan hosts significant production capacity given its long-established specialty chemical manufacturing base. Acetaldehyde and crotonaldehyde feedstock costs, cosmetics and personal care demand, and bio-fermentation route development are what drive prices in this market.

1,3-Butanediol Price Forecast for 2026

The outlook for 1,3-Butanediol through H2 2026 stays firm, tracking elevated petrochemical feedstock costs across the acetaldehyde-based production route alongside steady demand from cosmetics, personal care, and food flavoring applications. Growing interest in bio-based fermentation production, offering a more sustainable alternative to the traditional petrochemical route, should provide an additional structural demand driver as clean-label and sustainability-focused formulators increasingly specify renewable-sourced material.

The main upside risk is a further tightening of acetaldehyde feedstock availability or accelerating demand for bio-based grades outpacing fermentation capacity additions, which could push prices higher than currently forecast. The main downside risk is a faster-than-expected easing of petrochemical feedstock costs combined with softer cosmetics sector demand, which would relieve some of the current price pressure.

For the Quarter Ending June 2026

1,3-Butanediol Prices Q2 2026:

• United States: USD 3,050.00/MT
• Germany: USD 2,940.00/MT
• Japan: USD 2,820.00/MT
• China: USD 2,300.00/MT

1,3-Butanediol Prices in the United States

US 1,3-Butanediol prices averaged USD 3,050.00/MT in Q2 2026, the highest of any region tracked here, up 2.3% from USD 2,980.00/MT in Q1, as elevated acetaldehyde and crotonaldehyde feedstock costs continued supporting this market.

Why did the price of 1,3-Butanediol change in Q2 2026 in the United States?

Elevated feedstock costs, tied to the broader petrochemical cost environment affecting acetaldehyde and crotonaldehyde production, continued flowing through to finished 1,3-butanediol pricing, while firm demand from cosmetics and personal care manufacturers gave producers little reason to hold offers back.

1,3-Butanediol Prices in Germany

German prices averaged USD 2,940.00/MT in Q2 2026, up 2.4% from USD 2,870.00/MT in Q1, as steady cosmetics and personal care formulation demand kept this market firm.

Why did the price of 1,3-Butanediol change in Q2 2026 in Germany?

Steady demand from German and broader European cosmetics formulators, particularly for humectant and moisturizing applications, kept this market moving in step with the broader global firming trend.

1,3-Butanediol Prices in Japan

Japanese prices averaged USD 2,820.00/MT in Q2 2026, up 2.5% from USD 2,750.00/MT in Q1, as this established specialty chemical production base continued absorbing elevated feedstock costs.

Why did the price of 1,3-Butanediol change in Q2 2026 in Japan?

Established specialty chemical manufacturing infrastructure kept Japanese producers competitive even as elevated feedstock costs pushed prices higher across the broader global market.

1,3-Butanediol Prices in China

Chinese prices averaged USD 2,300.00/MT in Q2 2026, the lowest of the four regions, up 2.2% from USD 2,250.00/MT in Q1, as growing production capacity continued keeping this the most affordable market tracked in this report.

Why did the price of 1,3-Butanediol change in Q2 2026 in China?

Growing domestic production capacity continued keeping Chinese offers the most competitive of any region tracked here, even as the broader feedstock cost environment pushed prices higher in step with the rest of the market.

For the Quarter Ending March 2026

1,3-Butanediol Prices Q1 2026:

• United States: USD 2,980.00/MT
• Germany: USD 2,870.00/MT
• Japan: USD 2,750.00/MT
• China: USD 2,250.00/MT

1,3-Butanediol Prices in the United States

US prices rose 8.4% in Q1 2026 to USD 2,980.00/MT from USD 2,750.00/MT in Q4 2025, as elevated petrochemical feedstock costs pushed production expenses higher.

Why did the price of 1,3-Butanediol change in Q1 2026 in the United States?

Rising crude oil and natural gas prices, tied to the broader Middle East-linked energy market disruption, pushed acetaldehyde and crotonaldehyde feedstock costs sharply higher, and that pressure flowed directly through to finished 1,3-butanediol pricing across US cosmetics and personal care supply chains.

1,3-Butanediol Prices in Germany

German prices rose 8.3% in Q1 2026 to USD 2,870.00/MT from USD 2,650.00/MT in Q4 2025, tracking the broader feedstock cost spike.

Why did the price of 1,3-Butanediol change in Q1 2026 in Germany?

The same petrochemical feedstock cost spike affecting the broader acetaldehyde value chain pushed German production costs higher, even as steady demand from cosmetics formulators kept underlying consumption firm.

1,3-Butanediol Prices in Japan

Japanese prices rose 7.8% in Q1 2026 to USD 2,750.00/MT from USD 2,550.00/MT in Q4 2025, as elevated acetaldehyde costs pushed production expenses higher.

Why did the price of 1,3-Butanediol change in Q1 2026 in Japan?

Elevated crude oil and naphtha costs, tied to the broader Middle East-linked energy market disruption, pushed acetaldehyde feedstock costs higher across Japan's established specialty chemical manufacturing base.

1,3-Butanediol Prices in China

Chinese prices rose 8.2% in Q1 2026 to USD 2,250.00/MT from USD 2,080.00/MT in Q4 2025, tracking the global feedstock cost spike even as domestic production capacity continued expanding.

Why did the price of 1,3-Butanediol change in Q1 2026 in China?

Rising acetaldehyde and crotonaldehyde feedstock costs, tied to the broader global petrochemical cost environment, fed through to Chinese 1,3-butanediol pricing even as expanding domestic production capacity kept the pace of the increase comparatively moderate.

Quarterly 1,3-Butanediol Price Trends

Global 1,3-Butanediol prices dipped modestly in Q2 2025 before climbing steadily through the following two quarters, then accelerated sharply in Q1 2026 as rising crude oil and natural gas prices pushed acetaldehyde and crotonaldehyde feedstock costs higher across the value chain, a trend that continued, albeit more moderately, into Q2.

What was 1,3-Butanediol Price in 2025?

1,3-Butanediol firmed steadily across every market covered in this report through 2025, tracking gradually rising acetaldehyde and crotonaldehyde feedstock costs alongside firm cosmetics and personal care demand, setting the stage for the sharper acceleration that followed once Middle East-linked energy market disruption intensified in early 2026.

1,3-Butanediol Prices in the United States in 2025

US prices firmed from about USD 2,600.00/MT in Q1 2025 to USD 2,750.00/MT by Q4, a gain of roughly 5.8%, the smallest annual increase of the four regions, well before the sharper Q1 2026 feedstock-driven spike that followed.

1,3-Butanediol Prices in Germany in 2025

German prices firmed from about USD 2,500.00/MT in Q1 2025 to USD 2,650.00/MT by Q4, up roughly 6.0%, tracking steady cosmetics formulation demand through the year.

1,3-Butanediol Prices in Japan in 2025

Japanese prices firmed from about USD 2,400.00/MT in Q1 2025 to USD 2,550.00/MT by Q4, a gain of roughly 6.2%, the strongest annual increase of the four regions.

1,3-Butanediol Prices in China in 2025

Chinese prices firmed from about USD 1,950.00/MT in Q1 2025 to USD 2,080.00/MT by Q4, up roughly 6.7%, tracking gradually rising feedstock costs even as domestic capacity continued expanding.

How We Can Help

Expert Market Research: Your Source for Real-Time 1,3-Butanediol Price Intelligence

Expert Market Research tracks 1,3-Butanediol prices continuously across every major producing and consuming region, combining acetaldehyde and crotonaldehyde feedstock cost data, cosmetics and personal care demand signals, and bio-fermentation route development trends into a single, regularly updated view of the market. Our team can help your procurement function benchmark current offers, plan purchases around the feedstock-driven trends covered in this report, and build a defensible view of where this specialty humectant and solvent is headed next. Reach out to our team for a tailored briefing or a deeper look at any of the regional markets covered here.