Global Ethanolamine Market Update 2026 | Brazil Anti-Dumping, BASF Price Rise & Carbon Capture Demand

The worldwide ethanolamine market is caught amid conflicting drivers including Brazilian anti-dumping sanctions, European price inflation from BASF, sluggish domestic Chinese downstream consumption and fast-growing emerging application sectors like carbon capture absorption. Multiple trade, cost and technical factors jointly shape short-term price volatility while promising steady long-term global market expansion from 2025 to 2034.

1. International Trade Barrier: Brazil Launches Anti-Dumping Duties on Chinese Ethanolamine

Effective April 2026, Brazil finalized anti-dumping investigation results and imposed five-year anti-dumping tariffs ranging from 23.6% to 97.3% on China-origin monoethanolamine and diethanolamine. The punitive tariff policy greatly lifts export cost for Chinese ethanolamine manufacturers and blocks conventional export channels into Brazil, one of core South American consumption markets for amine products. The new trade restriction becomes a major external pressure for China’s whole ethanolamine export business in 2026.

2. Cost-Driven Price Adjustment: BASF Lifts European Amine Price by Up to 30%

Triggered by global geopolitical tensions and volatile upstream petrochemical raw material cost, industry leader BASF rolled out a sharp price increase for European basic amines covering ethanolamine, with maximum price increment hitting 30%. The notable price adjustment transmits cost pressure across global chemical supply chains and brings sentiment fluctuations to China’s domestic ethanolamine spot market.

China’s local ethanolamine market keeps swinging under weak downstream buying momentum. East China market price stood near RMB 5,500/ton in January, climbed temporarily in March supported by raw material cost, before easing back to 7,300–8,000 RMB/ton by late May. Capacity shift also disturbs market balance: a new 130 kt/a production unit goes online while 60 kt/a outdated capacity is phased out in China this year.

3. Diversified Downstream & New High-Growth Application Fields

Traditional consumption stays steady in agrochemical, pharmaceutical, surfactant and metal processing industries; ethanolamine acts as core intermediate for glyphosate herbicide and multiple pharmaceutical raw materials. Meanwhile two high-potential emerging segments fuel future demand expansion. First, carbon capture absorbent market gains fast traction: CHN Energy kicked off large-volume procurement of ethanolamine products for CO₂ capture facilities, opening up sizable incremental market space for amine suppliers. Second, domestic technical breakthrough unlocks high-value conversion route: an Anhui-based 30 kt/a production base successfully realizes ethylamine manufacturing using ethanolamine feedstock, attaining over 99.9% product purity and optimizing China’s coal-to-high-end chemical industrial layout.

4. Long-Term Global & China Ethanolamine Market Forecast

Statistical data shows global ethanolamine market size hit USD 4.0 billion in 2025, projected to expand to USD 6.4 billion by 2034 at a CAGR around 5.20%. For China domestic market in 2026, total ethanolamine capacity will reach 1.017 million tons per annum after net capacity addition, with annual output estimated at 750,000 tons; downstream consumption is set to rise 3% up to 740,000 tons. The overall supply-demand gap will gradually shrink amid industry destocking throughout the year. Rising global green chemistry requirements further lift demand for eco-friendly pesticide and green solvent-grade ethanolamine.

Market Wrap-up

Currently ethanolamine sector is in structural reshuffling: mounting trade protectionism and fragile downstream consumption create short-term headwinds, whereas carbon capture application expansion and domestic ethylamine production innovation deliver sustainable long-term growth momentum for the whole industry.