N-Butylene-Isobutylene Price Trend and Forecast 2026-2027

Germany remained the priciest N-Butylene-Isobutylene market tracked, rising just above 3.0% in Q2 2026 to near USD 1,030.00/MT from about USD 1,000.00/MT in Q1, and it was continued recovery from Middle East-driven supply disruption together with expanding butyl rubber demand that kept the market elevated. The global average climbed from close to USD 780.00/MT to near USD 815.00/MT, a gain of roughly 4.5%. What stands out here is that this market fell through most of 2025 on crude oil softness before a genuine Middle East supply disruption reversed the trend sharply in early 2026, and the global average is likely to run in the USD 780 to 900/MT range through the second half of the year.

N-Butylene-Isobutylene refers to the mixed C4 olefin stream comprising normal butylene and isobutylene, produced as co-products of steam cracking and fluid catalytic cracking operations, or through the dehydrogenation of isobutane. The largest downstream pull comes from methyl tertiary butyl ether and ethyl tertiary butyl ether production for gasoline octane enhancement, followed by butyl rubber synthesis for tire innerliners and pharmaceutical stoppers, polyisobutylene for lubricant viscosity modifiers, and antioxidant intermediate synthesis. Because this feedstock is a direct byproduct of crude oil refining and cracking operations, crude oil benchmark movements, C4 stream availability from refinery and cracker operations, and downstream butyl rubber and MTBE demand cycles are what really move the price from quarter to quarter.

N-Butylene-Isobutylene Price Forecast for 2026

The recovery from the Middle East supply disruption should continue supporting prices through H2 2026, particularly as butyl rubber and polyisobutylene demand keeps expanding. Tight Gulf Coast supply conditions in the United States specifically should remain a key variable given the concentration of tire-sector demand there.

A further Middle East supply disruption, or accelerating butyl rubber and polyisobutylene demand, could be what pushes prices above this forecast. A full normalization of crude oil and refinery C4 stream conditions could be what eases the market back toward the lower end instead.

For the Quarter Ending June 2026

N-Butylene-Isobutylene Prices Q2 2026:

• Germany: USD 1,030.00/MT
• United States: USD 830.00/MT
• India: USD 795.00/MT
• China: USD 605.00/MT

N-Butylene-Isobutylene Prices in Germany

Germany stayed the priciest market by a wide margin, with the price moving from about USD 1,000.00/MT to near USD 1,030.00/MT, a gain of just above 3.0%. It was continued recovery from Middle East-driven supply disruption, together with expanding butyl rubber and polyisobutylene demand, that carried the increase.

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

Butyl rubber and polyisobutylene demand has continued expanding this year, and it is this downstream pull, combined with the residual effects of the Middle East supply disruption that pushed prices sharply higher earlier in the year, that has kept German pricing on a steady upward path at the top of the range.

N-Butylene-Isobutylene Prices in United States

The United States price moved from about USD 760.00/MT to near USD 830.00/MT, a gain of just above 9.2%. It was tight Gulf Coast supply meeting firm seasonal demand from butyl rubber manufacturers, that carried the sharp increase.

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

Tight Gulf Coast supply met firm seasonal demand this quarter, and roughly sixty percent of tire makers rely on halobutyl rubber for inner liners, a downstream product that draws directly on this feedstock, and it is this combination of supply tightness and resilient tire-sector demand that produced one of the sharper quarterly increases recorded in this market.

N-Butylene-Isobutylene Prices in India

The Indian price moved from about USD 770.00/MT to near USD 795.00/MT, a gain of just above 3.2%. It was continued firm demand from butyl rubber and MTBE production, together with residual Middle East supply cost pressure, that carried the increase.

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

Demand from butyl rubber synthesis and MTBE production, the two largest downstream applications for this feedstock, has stayed firm, and it is this steady offtake, combined with the residual cost pressure from the earlier Middle East supply disruption, that has kept Indian pricing on a gradual upward path.

N-Butylene-Isobutylene Prices in China

The Chinese price moved from about USD 590.00/MT to near USD 605.00/MT, a gain of just above 2.5%. It was steady domestic demand from butyl rubber and antioxidant intermediate production, together with residual feedstock cost pressure, that carried the increase.

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

China's substantial domestic butyl rubber and antioxidant manufacturing base has kept demand consistently firm, and it is this steady offtake, combined with the same Middle East-driven cost pressures affecting producers globally, that has pushed Chinese pricing gradually higher even as it remains the most affordable of the four markets tracked.

For the Quarter Ending March 2026

N-Butylene-Isobutylene Prices Q1 2026:

• Germany: USD 1,000.00/MT
• United States: USD 760.00/MT
• India: USD 770.00/MT
• China: USD 590.00/MT

N-Butylene-Isobutylene Prices in Germany

The price surged to close to USD 1,000.00/MT in Q1 2026, a rise of just above 8.7% from Q4 2025. It was Middle East supply disruptions, together with weak C4 stream availability from refinery operations, that drove the sharp increase.

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

A Middle East supply disruption affecting crude and broader petrochemical feedstock flows pushed German pricing sharply higher this quarter, reversing the gradual decline recorded through most of 2025, and it was this geopolitical shock, meeting steady downstream demand, that drove the increase.

N-Butylene-Isobutylene Prices in United States

The price reached close to USD 760.00/MT in Q1 2026, a rise of just above 2.7% from Q4 2025. It was the early effects of the Middle East supply disruption, together with steady butyl rubber demand, that pushed the market higher.

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

The Middle East supply disruption affecting global petrochemical feedstock flows began reaching United States pricing this quarter, and it was this early cost pressure, meeting steady demand from butyl rubber manufacturers, that drove the increase ahead of the sharper Gulf Coast supply tightness that followed.

N-Butylene-Isobutylene Prices in India

The price reached close to USD 770.00/MT in Q1 2026, a rise of just above 2.7% from Q4 2025. It was the Middle East supply disruption, together with steady downstream demand, that pushed the market higher.

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

The Middle East supply disruption affecting global petrochemical feedstock flows reached Indian pricing as well, and it was this cost pressure, meeting steady demand from butyl rubber and MTBE production, that drove the increase.

N-Butylene-Isobutylene Prices in China

The price reached close to USD 590.00/MT in Q1 2026, a rise of just above 2.6% from Q4 2025. It was the Middle East supply disruption, together with steady domestic demand, that pushed the market higher.

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

The Middle East supply disruption reached Chinese pricing as well, and it was this cost pressure, meeting steady domestic demand from butyl rubber synthesis and antioxidant intermediate production, that drove the increase.

Quarterly N-Butylene-Isobutylene Price Trends

This market eased through most of 2025 before a sharp Middle East-driven reversal in early 2026. Close to USD 733.00/MT in Q1 2025 slid to about USD 725.00/MT, near USD 718.00/MT, and close to USD 720.00/MT by Q4, before jumping to about USD 780.00/MT in Q1 2026 and near USD 815.00/MT in Q2. That is a rise of roughly 11.2% across the full window, with the reversal concentrated almost entirely in the two most recent quarters.

What was N-Butylene-Isobutylene Price in 2025?

It was crude oil softness and weak C4 stream demand from refinery operations, affecting every market tracked here, that drove a gradual 2025 decline. The global average opened near USD 733.00/MT in Q1 and eased to close to USD 720.00/MT by Q4, a decline of just above 1.8% for the year, before the sharp Middle East-driven reversal that followed in early 2026.

N-Butylene-Isobutylene Prices in Germany in 2025

The German price eased from about USD 980.00/MT in Q1 2025 to near USD 920.00/MT by Q4, a decline of just above 6.1% for the year, as crude oil softness and weak C4 stream demand from refinery operations weighed on the market for most of the period. It was this softness, rather than any demand weakness, that defined the gradual decline through 2025, before the sharp Middle East-driven reversal that followed in early 2026.

N-Butylene-Isobutylene Prices in United States in 2025

The United States price eased from about USD 780.00/MT in Q1 2025 to near USD 740.00/MT by Q4, a decline of just above 5.1% for the year, tracking the same crude oil softness and weak refinery C4 stream demand affecting the broader market. It was this softness that defined the gradual 2025 decline, well before the tight Gulf Coast supply conditions that drove a sharp reversal in 2026.

N-Butylene-Isobutylene Prices in India in 2025

The Indian price eased from about USD 790.00/MT in Q1 2025 to near USD 750.00/MT by Q4, a decline of just above 5.1% for the year, tracking the broader crude oil softness affecting the market globally. It was this softness that defined the gradual 2025 decline, before the Middle East-driven reversal that followed into 2026.

N-Butylene-Isobutylene Prices in China in 2025

The Chinese price eased from about USD 610.00/MT in Q1 2025 to near USD 575.00/MT by Q4, a decline of just above 5.7% for the year, the smallest absolute cost among the four markets tracked throughout. It was crude oil softness and weak refinery C4 stream demand, combined with China's substantial domestic production base, that kept the Chinese benchmark the most affordable of the four all year.

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The N-Butylene-Isobutylene market tracks crude oil and refinery C4 stream economics closely, so Expert Market Research follows those alongside geopolitical developments affecting supply chains and downstream butyl rubber, polyisobutylene, and MTBE demand cycles across the four markets covered here. This is combined with trade flow data to build the forecasts. Should the N-Butylene-Isobutylene pricing data or procurement strategy support be needed, the team is ready to help.