Cyclohexanone (CAS 108-94-1), also known as oxocyclohexane, pimelic ketone or cyclohexyl ketone, is a six-membered cyclic ketone with the molecular formula C₆H₁₀O and a molecular weight of 98.15 g/mol. It is a clear, oily liquid with a colourless to pale yellow tinge, a characteristic pungent odour, a boiling point of 155 °C, a flash point of approximately 44 °C and a density of 0.95 g/cm³ at 20 °C. Its commercial identity is defined by a structural feature that organic chemistry rarely produces so cleanly: cyclohexanone is the single intermediate from which both major polyamide chains diverge. It is converted to caprolactam for nylon 6 and oxidised to adipic acid for nylon 66, which means that more than 95% of all cyclohexanone produced globally is consumed by the nylon value chain. That near-total dependence on a single polymer family is unusual even among commodity intermediates, and it makes cyclohexanone demand a direct derivative of automotive production, textile consumption, engineering plastics and electronics. At the same time, cyclohexanone is a solvent of exceptional solvency power, dissolving nitrocellulose, PVC, vinyl copolymers, acrylics and epoxy resins, and it serves coatings, printing inks, adhesives, pesticides and pharmaceutical processing where its ketone functionality and medium evaporation rate are difficult to replicate. The global market reflects this dual identity. The market was valued at USD 9.25 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 9.66 billion in 2026 and USD 13.64 billion by 2034 at a 4.41% CAGR, with Asia-Pacific accounting for 62.35% of 2025 revenue. Alternative scopes place the 2025 market at USD 8.12 billion, rising to USD 12.32 billion by 2032 at a 6.14% CAGR. The divergence is methodological, but the direction is consistent: cyclohexanone is a mature, nylon-anchored intermediate with moderate volume growth, where the qualifying question for buyers is not “what does a tonne cost” but “which grade, water content and colour specification does my application actually require.”
Core Application Fields and Demand Architecture
Cyclohexanone demand splits along a fault line that separates polymer-chain conversion from solvent performance, and each side of that fault line imposes a different specification logic.
On the polymer-chain side, caprolactam is the dominant outlet. Caprolactam accounted for 67.8% of cyclohexanone application share in 2024, and the segment is driven by nylon 6 demand from textiles, engineering plastics, automotive components and consumer goods. The specification logic here is rigorous: water, colour and trace impurities must be controlled because they carry through to cyclohexanone oxime, Beckmann rearrangement and caprolactam polymerisation, where a colour body or a catalyst poison can shift fibre spinability and resin performance. Adipic acid is the second polymer outlet, feeding nylon 66 for automotive airbags, under-hood components, carpets, industrial yarns and cable coating. Together, caprolactam and adipic acid consume the overwhelming majority of cyclohexanone, which is why the molecule’s demand curve tracks nylon rather than any single end-use industry.
On the solvent side, cyclohexanone functions as a high-solvency active solvent for nitrocellulose, PVC, vinyl chloride copolymers, acrylics and epoxy resins. It is used in lacquers, anti-corrosive coatings, PVC printing inks, screen inks, adhesives and paint strippers, and it is valued for its ability to reduce viscosity and promote adhesion without the rapid evaporation that causes blushing or the slow evaporation that traps solvent in the film. The specification logic here differs from the polymer-chain side: colour and water still matter, but the governing criteria are solvency power, evaporation profile and compatibility with the resin system. Cyclohexanone is also used as a solvent in pesticides, herbicides, dyes and pharmaceutical processing, and as an extraction medium and reaction solvent in specialty chemical synthesis. These applications are smaller in volume than caprolactam and adipic acid, but they carry higher value per tonne and are less exposed to the nylon cycle.
A third stream—reagent and high-purity grade—serves analytical laboratories, electronics and pharmaceutical applications, where water, evaporation residue and APHA colour are controlled to the tightest limits. ACS-grade cyclohexanone typically specifies assay ≥99% by GC, water ≤0.05%, evaporation residue ≤0.05% and colour ≤10 APHA at the time of manufacture. This is the smallest but most specification-intensive segment, and it is where a supplier’s analytical and documentation depth determines whether the lot can enter a validated QC or electronic process.
Regulatory Profile: A Non-SVHC Ketone Defined by Acute Toxicity, Occupational Exposure and Transport Classification
Cyclohexanone is not a SVHC, is not on the REACH Candidate List and is not classified as a carcinogen, mutagen or reproductive toxicant. Its regulatory identity is defined instead by its acute toxicity, its occupational exposure limits and its transport classification.
The CLP classification is the central fact for handling. Cyclohexanone is Flammable Liquid Category 3 (H226), Acute Toxicity Category 4 by oral, dermal and inhalation routes (H302, H312, H332), Skin Irritant Category 2 (H315), Eye Damage Category 1 (H318) and STOT Single Exposure Category 3 with respiratory irritation (H335). The signal word is Danger, and the pictograms are flame, skull and crossbones, and health hazard. This profile means cyclohexanone requires engineering controls, respiratory protection and eye/face protection in any industrial setting, and it means the supplier’s SDS and exposure-scenario documentation are part of the product’s fitness for use.
Occupational exposure limits are jurisdiction-specific and operationally decisive. In the United Kingdom, the EH40 8-hour TWA is 10 ppm (41 mg/m³) with a 10-minute STEL of 20 ppm (82 mg/m³). In Germany, the MAK value is 20 ppm (80 mg/m³) with a 30-minute STEL of 100 ppm (400 mg/m³) and a pregnancy group C notation. In the European Union, cyclohexanone is registered under REACH with registration number 01-2119453616-35-XXXX, and DNELs for workers have been derived for inhalation exposure (40 mg/m³ chronic systemic, 80 mg/m³ acute). In Russia and the EAEU, cyclohexanone is regulated through sanitary-hygienic norms for workplace air, and imported material must be accompanied by a Russian-language SDS that states the applicable limits and required ventilation and PPE measures.
Transport classification completes the regulatory picture. Cyclohexanone is UN 1915, Class 3, Packing Group III, a flammable liquid with a flash point near 44 °C. This classification governs packaging, labelling, segregation and transport documentation, and it means cyclohexanone cannot move through standard channels without dangerous-goods paperwork. For Russian and EAEU buyers, the shipment must carry UN 1915 documentation, and the packaging must be verifiable as compliant before release.
On the environmental side, cyclohexanone is readily biodegradable (87% over 14 days in OECD 301C), with acute fish toxicity LC50 values in the 481–578 mg/L range, indicating that it is not expected to cause acute harm at environmentally realistic concentrations. The operative environmental constraint is therefore spill prevention and aquatic discharge control rather than persistence or bioaccumulation.
Global Supply Structure and Manufacturer Differentiation
Cyclohexanone supply is a feedstock- and scale-driven business, and it is structured around producers with cyclohexane, phenol or benzene feedstock integration. The production routes include cyclohexane oxidation (the dominant route, co-producing cyclohexanol), phenol hydrogenation and benzene hydrogenation, and each route carries a different by-product and impurity profile. The major producers identified in market reporting include BASF, Fibrant, Toray, Ube Industries, Shandong Haili Chemical, Shandong Hongxin Chemical, Sinopec, CNPC, Formosa Chemicals & Fibre, Domo Chemicals and Highsun Group, alongside a cohort of Chinese producers concentrated in Shandong province.
Differentiation operates on three axes that matter more to a caprolactam or coatings formulator than the headline assay. The first is water and colour control. Cyclohexanone is hygroscopic to a degree, and residual water affects oxime formation, Beckmann rearrangement and the colour of the resulting caprolactam; colour bodies carried into the polymer can shift fibre appearance and resin quality. A supplier that controls water and APHA colour within narrow limits and documents them lot by lot reduces the downstream burden of re-assay and re-validation. The second axis is grade breadth and documentation depth. A supplier that can offer technical, synthesis, solvent and high-purity grades from a consistent production and analytical platform allows a customer to scale across applications without re-qualifying a new source. The third axis is supply reliability and regional logistics. Cyclohexanone moves in bulk, ISO tanks, drums and IBCs, and the UN 1915 Class 3, PG III classification means packaging and transport documentation are part of the product. A supplier with dangerous-goods capability into Russia and the EAEU, including Russian-language SDS and UN 1915 documentation, reduces the buyer’s clearance and qualification burden.
Regional Demand Dynamics
Cyclohexanone demand is regionally asymmetric in a way that follows nylon capacity, coatings production and semiconductor manufacturing rather than the geography of benzene or phenol feedstock.
Asia-Pacific is the centre of gravity for both capacity and demand. The region accounted for 62.35% of global cyclohexanone revenue in 2025, valued at USD 4,794.7 million, driven by China’s dominant caprolactam, nylon fibre, engineering plastics, textile, automotive and electronics industries. China is the largest single demand centre, and its cyclohexanone capacity is integrated with caprolactam and nylon 6 production in Shandong and other coastal chemical clusters. The region’s demand is volume-led and increasingly quality-differentiated, with commodity-grade material serving domestic nylon and higher-specification grades serving export-oriented coatings and electronic applications.
North America and Europe are mature, specification-intensive markets. North American demand is anchored in nylon 66 for automotive airbags and under-hood components, nylon 6 for carpets and industrial yarns, and coatings and inks, with steady growth supported by engineered polymer production. Europe’s demand is shaped by automotive lightweighting, engineering plastics and a strong coatings and adhesives sector, and it is more exposed than other regions to substitution by bio-based solvents in coating applications. Both regions are growing at low-to-mid single digits in volume, with value growth driven by high-purity and specialty grades rather than by commodity nylon-chain volume.
Russia and the EAEU form an import-dependent contour with a distinctive trade structure and a strategically important high-purity niche. In 2024, Turkey constituted 94% of Russia’s cyclohexanone and methylcyclohexanone imports by value, with India holding 5.6%, and the average import price was USD 1,743 per tonne. Russia’s exports are oriented almost entirely toward Uzbekistan (90%), with Germany at 8.6%. The Russian market is segmented into technical, synthesis, solvent, purified and high-purity grades, and the high-purity segment—particularly semiconductor-grade cyclohexanone—is structurally import-dependent. IndexBox projects that Russia’s semiconductor-grade cyclohexanone demand could expand by 40–60% from 2025 levels by 2035, implying a 4–6% CAGR, with 60–70% of advanced-node demand remaining tied to foreign sources even with domestic purification investment. China is identified as the dominant source for this segment, reinforced by land-based rail routes and closer technology cooperation, while India and Turkey may stabilise as secondary supply nodes. For Russian buyers, the practical constraints are UN 1915 Class 3 dangerous-goods logistics, Russian-language SDS, and a certificate of analysis that reports water, colour and assay against the grade specification.
Future Outlook and Strategic Imperatives
The cyclohexanone market will grow at a moderate rate in volume—roughly 4–6% depending on scope—but the composition of that growth is shifting toward high-purity and specialty grades, where contamination control and documentation depth matter more than commodity scale.
Three structural forces will shape competition. First, grade mix will determine revenue growth. Caprolactam and adipic acid will remain the volume anchors, but the higher-value segments—solvent-grade for coatings and inks, and high-purity grade for electronics and semiconductor processing—will grow faster and command a premium. Suppliers that can hold grade-specific specifications across lots, and document water, colour and residue on the certificate of analysis, will be better positioned than those offering only a commodity nylon-chain cut. Second, regional supply diversification and import substitution will reshape trade flows. Russia’s semiconductor-grade demand is projected to remain structurally import-dependent through 2035, and the first two or three registered import alternatives in each purity tier are expected to enjoy a competitive moat of at least two years given the 12–18 month requalification cycle. Suppliers with EAEU certification, Russian-language documentation and compliant dangerous-goods logistics will be preferred. Third, bio-based solvent substitution will exert pressure on the solvent-grade segment in coatings and inks. Bio-based alternatives are being positioned as 20–30% more efficient in viscosity reduction and fully biodegradable, and their adoption will be most pronounced in consumer and decorative coatings rather than in high-solvency industrial applications where cyclohexanone’s performance remains difficult to match.
For Russian and EAEU buyers, the strategic implication is that cyclohexanone procurement should be treated as a grade-and-documentation partnership rather than a price comparison. A lot that carries water or colour above the caprolactam specification does not simply cost the price of the tonne; it can shift oxime conversion, caprolactam colour and fibre spinability. A shipment that arrives without a Russian-language SDS or UN 1915 documentation can be held at customs and disrupt a continuous polymer or coatings process. The lowest-risk supplier is the one that can match the grade to the application, document water and colour lot by lot, and support the buyer with Russian-language documentation and compliant dangerous-goods logistics.
Shanghai XinChem Co., Ltd. (XinChem)
As a world-leading supplier of organic chemicals, Shanghai XinChem Co., Ltd. (XinChem) offers cyclohexanone (CAS 108-94-1) in technical, synthesis, solvent and high-purity specifications, serving caprolactam and adipic acid producers, nylon-chain customers, coatings and inks manufacturers, pharmaceutical and specialty chemical processors, and electronic and high-purity applications. Our cyclohexanone is supplied with controlled water, colour and assay, lot-specific certificate-of-analysis data and the documentation support—including Russian-language SDS and UN 1915 Class 3 transport documentation—that grade-specific qualification and dangerous-goods logistics require.
Technical and Quality Advantages
Grade-Specific Impurity Control: Cyclohexanone is supplied against technical, synthesis, solvent and high-purity specification windows, with water, APHA colour, evaporation residue and assay controlled to the limits relevant to the intended use. Because water and colour bodies carry through to oxime formation, Beckmann rearrangement and polymer colour, lot-level impurity data is the specification that determines whether the lot can enter a caprolactam reactor or a high-purity electronic process rather than only a general-purpose solvent line.
Lot-Specific Certificate of Analysis: Each lot is supported by a certificate of analysis reporting assay (GC), water, colour (APHA) and evaporation residue against the agreed specification. For caprolactam and high-purity customers, this documentation is the basis for incoming qualification and for demonstrating conformance to downstream polymer and electronic specifications.
Russian-Language SDS and UN 1915 Documentation: Safety data sheets are available in Russian and English, with documentation covering the H226, H302/H312/H332, H315, H318 and H335 classification, the applicable occupational exposure limits (including the EH40 10 ppm TWA / 20 ppm STEL basis), and the UN 1915, Class 3, PG III transport classification. This package reduces clearance friction for a flammable liquid that cannot move without dangerous-goods documentation.
Grade Breadth and Supply Reliability: Cyclohexanone is available in bulk, ISO tanks, drums and IBCs, with scheduling structured to accommodate both qualification volumes and recurring contract quantities. The technical, synthesis, solvent and high-purity grades are supplied from a consistent production and analytical platform, allowing customers to scale across applications without re-qualifying a new source.
Packaging and Logistics Flexibility
Cyclohexanone is available in bulk and ISO tanks for large-volume caprolactam and industrial customers, in 200 L drums and IBCs for mid-scale coatings, inks and specialty operations, and in sealed containers for pilot, laboratory and high-purity qualification. For Russia and EAEU destinations, XinChem arranges Class 3 dangerous-goods logistics with UN 1915 documentation, Russian-language SDS and certificate-of-analysis support, reducing clearance friction for a product that is both flammable and specification-sensitive.
Application Support and Supply Reliability
XinChem’s technical team assists with grade selection for caprolactam and adipic acid production, nylon-chain integration, coatings and inks formulation, pharmaceutical and specialty chemical processing, and high-purity and electronic applications, and with the water, colour and documentation requirements that grade-specific qualification demands. Supply schedules accommodate both qualification orders and contract volumes, with stock and logistics planning aligned to the feedstock and trade-flow dynamics that shape cyclohexanone availability.
Why Choose XinChem
Expertise: Deep experience in cyclic ketones and nylon-chain intermediates, with application knowledge spanning caprolactam, adipic acid, coatings and inks, and high-purity electronic applications.
Consistency: Control of water, colour and assay against grade-specific specifications—the parameters that determine whether cyclohexanone performs in a caprolactam reactor or a high-purity process, or becomes a colour and conversion problem.
Compliance Readiness: Documentation structured around the CLP acute-toxicity and eye-damage classification, occupational exposure limits, and UN 1915 Class 3 transport rules, with Russian-language SDS support.
Responsiveness: Direct technical and commercial access, with order structures from qualification volumes to bulk and contract supply.
Contact us now to discuss your cyclohexanone requirements and request a specification sheet or qualification sample.
Website: www.xinchem.com
Email: sales1@xinchem.com
WhatsApp: +86 18049800532
Post time: Nov-05-2026