China Coal Tar Industry Report, 2020-2025

In 2019, the coal tar deep-processing capacity in China would be up to 25.5 million tons in comparison with the market demand only standing at 11.7 million tons or so, showing still huge overcapacity.

Coal tar is a thick dark liquid which is a by-product of the production of coke and coal gas from coal.

It can be classified by the dry distillation temperature into low-temperature coal tar, medium-temperature coal tar and high-temperature coal tar; wherein high-temperature coal tar enjoys the highest share.

Production in the coking industry has been restricted and backward capacity faster eliminated since 2016 when the supply-side reform and nationwide environmental campaigns were underway. In 2018, China’s coke output reached 438.2 million tons and edged up 0.8% on an annualized basis; the output of coal tar totalled 18.06 million tons with a year-on-year decrease of 1.5%. From January to November of 2019, China’s coke output showed a like-for-like rise of 5.9% to 433.28 million tons. If the share of coal tar production is considered, the supply of coal tar in 2019 would remain at 19.65 million tons. In China, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia are the origins of coal tar, of which Shanxi province’s coal tar output in 2018 accounted for 21% of the national total.

In China, coal tar gets deep processed into phenols, naphthalene, wash oil, anthracene and asphalt and is also used to produce carbon black, for both of which consumption of coal tar in 2018 made up 74.7% and 22.2% respectively. In 2019, the coal tar deep-processing capacity in China would be up to 25.5 million tons in comparison with the market demand only standing at 11.7 million tons or so, showing still huge overcapacity.

Competition between the players in the Chinese coal tar deep-processing industry ever pricks up, and the CR10 of the industry is below 30%. This report focuses on the eleven companies such as Shanxi Coking Co., Ltd., Kailuan Energy Chemical Co., Ltd., Baowu Carbon Material Technology Co., Ltd, Baotailong New Materials Co., Ltd. and Jinneng Science & Technology Co., Ltd.

Shanxi Coking Co., Ltd., as a coal coking industry chain extension demonstration base of Shanxi Coking Coal Group Co., Ltd., now boasts production facilities with annual capacities up to coke 3,600 kilotons, coal tar processing 300 kilotons, coke oven gas to methanol 350 kilotons, crude benzol refining 100 kilotons and carbon black 80 kilotons as well as 45 product varieties like metallurgical coke, methanol, industrial naphthalene, coal tar, coking benzene, modified coal tar pitch and carbon black.

Kailuan Energy Chemical Co., Ltd., situated in Tangshan city, Hebei province, China, is primarily engaged in coal mining, raw coal washing and processing, coking as well as the production and sales of coal chemicals. It is now capable of annually producing 7,200 kilotons of coke, 200 kilotons of methanol, 300 kilotons of tar processing, 200 kilotons of benzene, 150 kilotons of adipic acid and 100 kilotons of methanol gasoline.

Baowu Carbon Material Technology Co., Ltd under Baowu Steel Group dedicates itself to the development of the new coal-based materials industry, with its manufacturing bases spreading in East China, South China and North China. It is capable of annually processing 1,650 kilotons of coke tar and 350 kilotons of crude benzene and producing 340 kilotons of carbon black, 350 kilotons of modified coal tar pitch and 100 kilotons of ultra high-power electrode (under construction).

China Coal Tar Industry Report, 2020-2025 highlights the following:

• Chinese coal tar market (demand & supply, import & export, competitive pattern, price trend and development forecast);
• Chinese coal and coke markets (demand & supply, import & export and price trend);
• Chinese market of coal tar deep-processed products like phenol oil, industrial naphthalene and coal tar pitch (demand & supply, import & export and price trend);
• 14 global and Chinese coal tar processing enterprises (operation, coal tar business, development forecast, etc.