The m-cresol industry is highly concentrated and market demand continues to grow.

Meta-cresol, also known as 3-cresol, has a chemical formula of C7H8O and a CAS number of 108-39-4. M-cresol is usually a colorless or light yellow liquid at room temperature, with a phenol smell, slightly soluble in water, soluble in ethanol, ether, sodium hydroxide and other solvents, and flammable. Meta-cresol is an important fine chemical product, widely used in pesticides, medicines, spices, dyes and other fields. Specific products include vitamin E, thymol, menthol, flufenacet, flufenacrin, fenitrothion, Fenthion, permethrin, antioxidant CA, dye DPA, resin plasticizer, pressure-sensitive fuel, developer, etc.

Well-known companies in the global m-cresol industry include Sasol of the United States, Lanxess of Germany, and Mitsui of Japan. The above-mentioned companies have strong innovation capabilities, rich experience in fine chemical production, and complete sales channels. They have very strong competition in the global m-cresol industry. force. In order to protect the order of the domestic market, China has adopted anti-dumping measures against m-cresol imported from abroad. In July 2019, the Ministry of Commerce issued Announcement No. 33 of 2019, deciding to conduct anti-dumping measures on imported m-cresol originating in the United States, the European Union and Japan. An anti-dumping investigation was launched. In November 2020, the Ministry of Commerce decided to implement temporary anti-dumping measures in the form of deposits on imported m-cresol originating in the United States, the European Union and Japan.

The production of m-cresol has high technical and environmental barriers, so there are few production companies in the world. After long-term development, Chinese local companies mastered large-scale m-cresol production technology around 2017 and achieved mass production, gradually getting rid of dependence on imports. However, due to high industry barriers and low investment from related companies, only three domestic companies, Anhui Haihua Technology Co., Ltd., Anhui Shilian Special Solvent Co., Ltd., and Dongying Haiyuan Chemical Co., Ltd., are producing. Among them, Anhui Haihua Technology Co., Ltd. has larger production capacity and output, a higher market share, and greater influence in the domestic m-cresol market. The production scale of other companies is relatively small, so China’s m-cresol market is highly concentrated. . According to the released “Cresol Industry Market In-depth Research and Investment Prospects Forecast Analysis Report from 2023 to 2028“, in 2022, China The output of m-cresol is 17,600 tons.

China is a major producer and consumer of pesticides, medicines, dyes and spices, and the market demand for m-cresol is relatively large. However, due to the complex production technology and process, there are few m-cresol production companies in China and even in the world, and the market supply capacity is limited. Under this circumstance, competition in the m-cresol industry is relatively relaxed. Analysts believe that in the future, with the development of China’s pesticide, pharmaceutical, dye and spice industries, China’s m-cresol market demand will still be It will continue to grow. In addition to realizing domestic substitution at home, it will also actively explore overseas markets, further increasing the market share of Chinese m-cresol companies. Therefore, China’s m-cresol industry has good development prospects.