Acrylonitrile Price Trend and Forecast 2026-2027

Key Takeaways

• Global average Acrylonitrile (ACN) prices, taken as the simple average of four regional benchmarks, fell from USD 1.34/KG in Q1 2025 to USD 1.19/KG by Q4, a drop of -11.19% across the year, and eased a little further to USD 1.18/KG in Q1 2026.
• The market was clearly divided. Europe rose against the trend while North America, North East Asia and South America all fell, so the declining global average is really three regional drops partly offset by one gain.
• Europe was the lone riser, climbing +10.16% from USD 1.28/KG to USD 1.41/KG and ending as the most expensive region at USD 1.43/KG. South America fell the most, down -19.69% on the year.
• North America and North East Asia declined steadily, by -15.97% and -16.79% respectively, as soft downstream demand and ample supply weighed on prices. North East Asia ended the cheapest region at USD 1.09/KG.
• Acrylonitrile is a made-on-purpose intermediate, produced mainly by the ammoxidation of propylene, and most of it goes into acrylic fibre, ABS and SAN resins. That means ACN prices track propylene feedstock costs and the textile, automotive and plastics demand cycle.

What Is Acrylonitrile (ACN) and Why Does It Matter?

Acrylonitrile (ACN) (CAS 107-13-1, EC InfoCard 100.003.152, PubChem CID 7855) is a colourless, volatile liquid with the formula C3H3N and a sharp, faintly pungent odour. It is one of the more important nitrogen-containing building blocks in the chemical industry, valued because its reactive vinyl group and nitrile group let it polymerise readily and add nitrogen and strength to the materials it goes into. Almost none of it is used directly; instead, Acrylonitrile is consumed as a feedstock for fibres, resins and rubbers, which is why its price feeds through into textiles, automotive plastics and engineering materials.

The production economics are straightforward and important for price. The dominant process worldwide is the ammoxidation of propylene, often called the Sohio process, in which propylene, ammonia and air react over a catalyst to form Acrylonitrile (ACN), with hydrogen cyanide and acetonitrile as by-products. Because the main feedstock is propylene, ACN prices respond closely to propylene and the wider olefin chain, alongside ammonia. When propylene eases and downstream demand is soft, as in much of 2025, Acrylonitrile tends to follow lower.

Acrylonitrile also carries a serious health and regulatory profile that shapes how it is handled. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies it as Group 2B, possibly carcinogenic to humans, and the US EPA has classified it as a probable human carcinogen. It is volatile, flammable and toxic, and it is registered under the European Chemicals Agency REACH regime. That regulatory weight raises handling, monitoring and compliance costs and is part of the structural cost base for producers, particularly in Europe.

Which Sectors Are Driving Acrylonitrile (ACN) Demand?

Acrylic fibre. This is historically the single largest outlet for Acrylonitrile (ACN), taking roughly half of global demand. Acrylic fibre is used in apparel, knitwear, blankets, carpets and outdoor fabrics as a wool-like synthetic. Demand here tracks the textile and apparel cycle, and it is concentrated in Asia, which is why Asian ACN balances matter so much to the global market.

ABS and SAN resins. Acrylonitrile is a key monomer in acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene and styrene-acrylonitrile resins, engineering plastics prized for toughness and heat resistance. These go into automotive parts, appliances, electronics housings and consumer goods, so this segment moves with the automotive and durable-goods cycle and is one of the fastest-growing uses.

Nitrile rubber and adiponitrile. Acrylonitrile (ACN) is used to make nitrile butadiene rubber, valued for oil and chemical resistance in seals, gaskets, hoses and gloves, and it feeds adiponitrile, an intermediate for nylon 66. These applications give ACN a steady, diversified demand base across industrial and automotive markets.

Carbon fibre and acrylamide. Polyacrylonitrile is the dominant precursor for carbon fibre, a high-value, fast-growing use tied to aerospace, wind energy and lightweight composites. Acrylonitrile is also converted to acrylamide for water treatment and other specialty chemicals. These are smaller in volume but high in value and growth potential.

Global Acrylonitrile (ACN) Price Trend in 2025

The global picture for Acrylonitrile (ACN) in 2025 was a steady decline. The four-region average eased from USD 1.34/KG in Q1 to USD 1.27/KG in Q2, USD 1.23/KG in Q3, USD 1.19/KG in Q4, and slipped to USD 1.18/KG in Q1 2026, a full-year fall of -11.19%. The global figure here is the arithmetic average of the European, North American, North East Asian and South American benchmarks, using the published VMP price in each region.

The orderly, quarter-after-quarter decline points to a well-supplied market with soft downstream demand rather than a sudden shock. Easing propylene feedstock costs and weak acrylic fibre, ABS and SAN demand pulled prices steadily lower across most of the world. The standout exception was Europe, which firmed even as the others fell, widening the regional spread: by Q1 2026 European Acrylonitrile (ACN) traded at USD 1.43/KG while North East Asia sat at USD 1.09/KG. That divergence between a tightening Europe and softening Americas and Asia is the defining feature of the year.

European Acrylonitrile (ACN) Price Trends in 2025

Europe was the only region where Acrylonitrile (ACN) rose in 2025, and it ended as the most expensive market. Prices climbed +10.16% from USD 1.28/KG in Q1 to USD 1.41/KG in Q4, then edged to USD 1.43/KG in Q1 2026, a Q1-to-Q1 gain of +11.72%. The strongest step came late in the year.

Europe's rise against the global trend reflected a tighter regional balance. Reduced operating rates and some capacity rationalisation, combined with a higher energy and REACH compliance cost base for a substance flagged as a probable carcinogen, kept European Acrylonitrile supply snug and prices firm. The late-year jump toward USD 1.45/KG suggests genuine regional tightness rather than demand strength, and it left Europe as the clear price leader of the four regions into 2026.

North American Acrylonitrile (ACN) Price Trends in 2025

North America started the year as the most expensive region but fell steadily to mid-pack. Acrylonitrile (ACN) declined -15.97% from USD 1.44/KG in Q1 to USD 1.21/KG in Q4, and continued down to USD 1.15/KG in Q1 2026, a Q1-to-Q1 fall of -20.14%. The decline was steady through every quarter.

North American Acrylonitrile opened 2025 firm, near USD 1.44/KG, but eased as propylene feedstock costs softened and downstream demand from fibres and resins weakened. Ample supply met a soft market, and prices ground lower quarter after quarter. The continued slide into Q1 2026 reflects a well-supplied region following the broader global decline rather than any local disruption, taking North America well off its early-year highs.

North East Asian Acrylonitrile (ACN) Price Trends in 2025

North East Asia fell sharply early and ended the cheapest region. Acrylonitrile (ACN) dropped -16.79% from USD 1.37/KG in Q1 to USD 1.14/KG in Q4, and eased further to USD 1.09/KG in Q1 2026, a Q1-to-Q1 fall of -20.44%. The steepest move came between Q1 and Q2.

North East Asia is the heart of global Acrylonitrile demand, anchored by China's huge acrylic fibre and ABS industries, and it carries significant production capacity. In 2025 ample supply met soft fibre and resin demand, and prices fell quickly from their Q1 level before stabilising at a low base. As the largest consuming region, its weakness was a key driver of the global decline, and the continued easing into Q1 2026 points to a persistently well-supplied market.

South American Acrylonitrile (ACN) Price Trends in 2025

South America saw the largest full-year decline of any region. Acrylonitrile (ACN) fell -19.69% from USD 1.27/KG in Q1 to USD 1.02/KG in Q4, then recovered slightly to USD 1.04/KG in Q1 2026, for a Q1-to-Q1 change of -18.11%.

South America blends local production with imports, so its pricing tracks global offer levels closely. The sharp 2025 decline, with a notable Q4 low, reflected cheaper imported material and weak regional demand pulling prices down faster than elsewhere. The modest rebound into Q1 2026 suggests the market found a floor near USD 1.04/KG, but South America still ended firmly on the same downward path as North America and Asia.

What Factors Drove Acrylonitrile (ACN) Costs in 2025?

Propylene feedstock costs. Because Acrylonitrile (ACN) is made by the ammoxidation of propylene, propylene is the master cost driver. Easing propylene and olefin costs through 2025 fed directly into lower ACN prices across most regions, the main reason the global market trended down.

Soft acrylic fibre, ABS and SAN demand. ACN demand is led by acrylic fibre and ABS and SAN resins, so weak textile, automotive and durable-goods activity removed the pull that would otherwise support prices. This soft downstream demand was central to the decline in North America, North East Asia and South America.

Asian oversupply. North East Asia, the largest consuming region, carried ample capacity into a soft market, and that surplus weighed on regional and global prices. Cheaper Asian-origin material spilling into other regions, including South America, accelerated declines there.

European supply tightness. Europe bucked the trend because its regional balance tightened, with reduced operating rates and some rationalisation. Combined with a higher energy and REACH compliance cost base, this kept European Acrylonitrile firm and rising even as the rest of the world fell.

Regulation and cost base. As a substance classified by IARC as possibly carcinogenic and by the US EPA as a probable carcinogen, Acrylonitrile carries meaningful handling, monitoring and compliance costs. These are durable structural factors that underpin the regional cost differences, especially Europe's premium.

Acrylonitrile (ACN) Market Forecast for 2026

The early read on 2026 is that the decline is bottoming out. Global average Acrylonitrile (ACN) eased to USD 1.18/KG in Q1 2026, down just 0.84% from Q4 2025, a much smaller drop than earlier in the cycle. From here the direction depends on propylene feedstock costs and on a recovery in acrylic fibre, ABS and SAN demand. A demand pickup would steady prices; continued Asian oversupply would keep them soft.

Expect the regional split to persist, with Europe dearest on tight supply and its cost base, North America in the middle, and North East Asia and South America at the low end on ample supply. The key variable is whether Asian demand and operating rates rebalance. The ranges below use the Q1 2026 actuals as the anchor and widen modestly to capture both a recovery and further softening.

Key Analyst Insights for the Acrylonitrile (ACN) Market

The headline for Acrylonitrile (ACN) in 2025 is a feedstock-and-demand-led decline with one notable exception. The global average fell -11.19% as easing propylene costs and soft acrylic fibre and resin demand pulled most regions down. Anyone managing ACN exposure should treat it as a propylene-plus-downstream story: watch propylene on the cost side and acrylic fibre, ABS and SAN demand, concentrated in Asia, on the demand side, because those are the levers that actually moved the price.

The second insight is that Europe broke ranks. While North America, North East Asia and South America all fell, European Acrylonitrile rose +10.16% on a tight regional balance and a high cost base, ending as the dearest market. That divergence is a reminder that the global average can mask opposite regional moves, and that the relevant benchmark for any buyer or producer is the regional one that applies to their supply, not the blended world figure.

Third, the direction into 2026 hinges on Asia. North East Asia is the largest consuming region, and its oversupply and soft demand drove much of the global decline. With the Q1 2026 fall much shallower than earlier quarters, the market looks close to a floor, and a recovery in Asian fibre and resin demand is the most likely trigger for stabilisation. Until then, the picture is one of soft, well-supplied pricing outside a structurally tighter Europe.

Key Takeaways for Buyers and Manufacturers

For Buyers

• Benchmark against your own region, not the global average. European Acrylonitrile (ACN) reached USD 1.43/KG in Q1 2026 while North East Asia sat at USD 1.09/KG. The regional balance that applies to your supply is what sets your price.
• Watch propylene and downstream demand. Because ACN is made from propylene and sold into acrylic fibre, ABS and SAN, those are the leading signals. Easing propylene and soft fibre demand drove the 2025 decline.
• Use the soft market, but watch for a floor. With prices down across most regions and the Q1 2026 drop much smaller, buyers retain leverage but should note the market is bottoming. Secure favourable terms while the soft conditions last.
• Treat Europe as the exception. Its rising, tight-supply pricing runs counter to the global trend, so European buyers should plan for structurally higher and firmer costs than the global picture implies.

For Manufacturers

• Margins are a propylene spread. Manage Acrylonitrile (ACN) economics as the margin over propylene and ammonia, since those feedstocks drive most of the price movement through the cycle.
• Operating-rate discipline matters in a soft market. With Asian oversupply weighing on prices, capacity discipline and integration into resilient derivatives are the levers to protect returns until demand recovers.
• Position for higher-value uses. Carbon fibre precursor, nitrile rubber and ABS for automotive and electronics are the more resilient, higher-value outlets. Investment and integration should target these over commodity acrylic fibre volume alone.