N-Butanol Price Trend and Forecast 2026-2027

India remained the priciest N-Butanol market tracked, rising just above 2.8% in Q2 2026 to near USD 1,470.00/MT from about USD 1,430.00/MT in Q1, and it was firm coatings, adhesives, and construction-linked solvent demand that kept the market elevated. The global average climbed from close to USD 1,107.00/MT to near USD 1,113.75/MT, a gain of roughly 0.6%, essentially flat, as China's continued capacity-driven decline offset gains in India and Germany and a modest United States pullback. Notably, China's domestic industry has been expanding capacity by more than ten percent annually even as prices there fall, a structural expansion story distinct from the demand-driven moves seen elsewhere, and the global average is likely to run in the USD 1,080 to 1,200/MT range through the second half of the year.

N-Butanol, also known as 1-butanol or butyl alcohol, is a C4 aliphatic alcohol produced primarily through the hydroformylation of propylene, known as the oxo process. It serves widely as a solvent in coatings, adhesives, and construction-linked applications, and as a chemical intermediate for butyl acrylate and butyl acetate production. China accounts for a substantial share of global production capacity, which has continued expanding structurally even as the domestic market has experienced a sustained multi-year price decline tied to that same capacity growth. Because this product is a direct propylene derivative, propylene feedstock costs, regional capacity expansion or contraction, and downstream coatings, automotive, and construction demand cycles are what really move the price from quarter to quarter.

N-Butanol Price Forecast for 2026

China's structural capacity expansion shows no sign of slowing, which points toward continued softness in that market through H2 2026, even as India, Germany, and the United States follow steadier demand-driven paths. Coatings, adhesives, and automotive refinishing demand should keep supporting the non-Chinese markets tracked here regardless.

A propylene feedstock cost spike, or a slowdown in Chinese capacity additions, could be what pushes prices above this forecast. Continued Chinese capacity growth, or a renewed inventory correction in the United States, could be what pulls the broader average below it instead.

For the Quarter Ending June 2026

N-Butanol Prices Q2 2026:

• India: USD 1,470.00/MT
• Germany: USD 1,145.00/MT
• United States: USD 1,040.00/MT
• China: USD 800.00/MT

N-Butanol Prices in India

India stayed the priciest market by a wide margin, with the price moving from about USD 1,430.00/MT to near USD 1,470.00/MT, a gain of just above 2.8%. It was continued firm demand from coatings, adhesives, and construction-linked solvent applications, together with supportive import costs, that carried the increase.

Why did the price of N-Butanol change in Q2 2026 in India?

Demand from coatings, adhesives, and construction-linked solvents has stayed consistently firm, and it is this steady offtake, combined with import costs that remain supportive due to freight and currency-related pressure, that has kept Indian pricing at the top of the range even as cautious buying and competition among suppliers limited the pace of the increase.

N-Butanol Prices in Germany

The German price moved from about USD 1,108.00/MT to near USD 1,145.00/MT, a gain of just above 3.3%. It was continued demand from coatings, automotive refinishing, and industrial solvent applications, together with steady cost pressure from energy and feedstock, that carried the increase.

Why did the price of N-Butanol change in Q2 2026 in Germany?

Producers have faced steady cost pressure from energy, feedstock, and compliance-related expenses, and it is this cost base, combined with demand from coatings and automotive refinishing applications that has kept improving, that explains the continued German increase this quarter.

N-Butanol Prices in United States

The United States price eased from about USD 1,060.00/MT to near USD 1,040.00/MT, a decline of just above 1.9%. It was the restocking-driven rally of the prior quarter normalizing, together with cautious downstream demand, that gave the market room to ease.

Why did the price of N-Butanol change in Q2 2026 in United States?

The sharp restocking recovery that followed an earlier inventory correction has settled down this quarter, and it is this normalization, rather than any new weakness, that explains the modest United States pullback, with demand from the coatings and automotive sectors holding at a steady but unremarkable pace.

N-Butanol Prices in China

The Chinese price eased from about USD 830.00/MT to near USD 800.00/MT, a decline of just above 3.6%. It was continued structural capacity expansion, together with the elimination of inefficient older capacity reshaping the competitive landscape, that gave the market room to ease further.

Why did the price of N-Butanol change in Q2 2026 in China?

China's domestic industry has pursued a parallel trend of structural expansion alongside the elimination of inefficient capacity, with total capacity up more than ten percent over the prior year, and it is this expanding supply base, combined with new capacity additions planned for 2026, that has kept Chinese pricing on its downward path even as market concentration increases among larger producers.

For the Quarter Ending March 2026

N-Butanol Prices Q1 2026:

• India: USD 1,430.00/MT
• Germany: USD 1,108.00/MT
• United States: USD 1,060.00/MT
• China: USD 830.00/MT

N-Butanol Prices in India

The price reached close to USD 1,430.00/MT in Q1 2026, a rise of just above 4.1% from Q4 2025. It was firm demand from coatings, adhesives, and construction-linked solvents, together with supportive import costs, that pushed the market higher.

Why did the price of N-Butanol change in Q1 2026 in India?

Import costs remained supportive due to freight and currency-related pressure alongside steady overseas offers, and it was this cost backdrop, meeting firm demand from coatings and construction-linked solvent applications, that drove the Indian increase, even as cautious buying and supplier competition kept the pace measured.

N-Butanol Prices in Germany

The price reached close to USD 1,108.00/MT in Q1 2026, a rise of just above 4.5% from Q4 2025. It was improving demand from coatings, automotive refinishing, and industrial solvent applications, together with steady cost pressure, that pushed the market higher.

Why did the price of N-Butanol change in Q1 2026 in Germany?

Demand from coatings, automotive refinishing, and industrial solvent applications improved from the previous quarter, and producers faced steady cost pressure from energy, feedstock, and compliance-related expenses, and it was suppliers avoiding aggressive selling as replacement costs firmed that drove the German increase.

N-Butanol Prices in United States

The price surged to close to USD 1,060.00/MT in Q1 2026, a rise of just above 12.9% from Q4 2025. It was restocking improving sharply after an earlier inventory correction that drove the sharp increase.

Why did the price of N-Butanol change in Q1 2026 in United States?

Restocking activity improved sharply this quarter after an earlier inventory correction had left the market oversupplied, and it was this restocking-driven demand pickup, meeting supply that had adjusted lower in response to the correction, that produced the sharp United States increase.

N-Butanol Prices in China

The price eased to close to USD 830.00/MT in Q1 2026, a decline of just above 7.6% from Q4 2025. It was continued new capacity additions, together with the broader structural expansion of domestic production, that pressured the market lower.

Why did the price of N-Butanol change in Q1 2026 in China?

New production capacity for n-butanol and octanol continued being released this year, and it was this expanding domestic supply base, meeting demand that did not grow as quickly, that drove the continued Chinese decline entering the year.

Quarterly N-Butanol Price Trends

This market moved unevenly across the six quarters tracked here. Close to USD 1,123.00/MT in Q1 2025 rose slightly to about USD 1,130.00/MT, then eased to near USD 1,078.00/MT and close to USD 1,068.00/MT by Q4, before recovering to about USD 1,107.00/MT in Q1 2026 and holding near USD 1,113.75/MT in Q2. Across the full window that works out to essentially flat overall, though the regional stories diverge sharply underneath.

What was N-Butanol Price in 2025?

It was China's structural capacity expansion pulling that market down sharply, offsetting steady demand-driven gains in India and Germany, that shaped an uneven 2025 for this market overall. The global average opened near USD 1,123.00/MT in Q1 and eased to close to USD 1,068.00/MT by Q4, a decline of just above 4.9% for the year, masking sharply different regional trajectories underneath.

N-Butanol Prices in India in 2025

The Indian price climbed from about USD 1,250.00/MT in Q1 2025 to near USD 1,374.00/MT by Q4, a rise of just above 9.9% for the year, holding the highest absolute cost among the four markets tracked throughout. It was firm demand from coatings, adhesives, and construction-linked solvent applications that drove the sustained climb through 2025.

N-Butanol Prices in Germany in 2025

The German price climbed from about USD 990.00/MT in Q1 2025 to near USD 1,060.00/MT by Q4, a rise of just above 7.1% for the year. It was steady demand from coatings and industrial solvent applications, meeting energy and feedstock cost pressure, that drove the gradual climb through 2025.

N-Butanol Prices in United States in 2025

The United States price moved unevenly through 2025, climbing from about USD 1,150.00/MT in Q1 to a mid-year peak near USD 1,290.00/MT before easing sharply to close to USD 939.00/MT by Q4, a decline of just above 18.3% from that peak, as an oversupply-driven inventory correction weighed on the second half of the year. It was reduced activity in the automotive and industrial coatings sectors, meeting an inventory overhang, that drove the sharp correction before the restocking recovery that followed into 2026.

N-Butanol Prices in China in 2025

The Chinese price eased from about USD 1,100.00/MT in Q1 2025 to near USD 898.00/MT by Q4, a decline of just above 18.4% for the year, the sharpest annual decline among the four markets tracked. It was structural capacity expansion, with total domestic capacity climbing more than ten percent over the prior year, meeting demand that did not keep pace, that drove the sustained decline through 2025.

How We Can Help

Expert Market Research: Your Source for Real-Time N-Butanol Price Intelligence

The N-Butanol market splits sharply between China's supply-driven decline and demand-driven gains elsewhere, so Expert Market Research tracks propylene feedstock costs and Chinese capacity expansion closely alongside coatings, adhesives, and automotive refinishing demand cycles across the four markets covered here. This is combined with trade flow data to build the forecasts. Should the N-Butanol pricing data or procurement strategy support be needed, the team is ready to help.