US Chemical Production Saw Year-End IncreaseUS Chemical Production Saw Year-End Increase

The American Chemistry Council has come out with a year-end 2024 chemical production analysis.

Production increased in December as US manufacturing activity improved. Capacity utilization also tightened. Production rose year-over-year.

“US chemical production continued to expand during the last month of 2024, up by 1.2%” said David Lan, ACC’s director of Economics and Statistics. “Production rose in all regions of the country with the most gains observed in the West Coast region.” 

The gain in December mostly reflects higher chemical production in the US and China, with the rise in China at 2% outpacing the US at 1.2%. European production stabilized but remained weak. Some major producers in Asia saw declines. However, production was up worldwide compared to the same month last year.

“Global production picked up towards the end of the year with a 1.1% gain recorded in December,” added Lan. “Output increased in most regions despite some weakness in Europe and Japan. The most significant gains were seen in China, as manufacturers and exporters may have rushed to fulfill orders ahead of possible tariffs.” 

In the US, all chemical segments showed strength, with basic chemicals leading in December. Global output was up in all segments, with basic chemicals leading the pack. 

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Image: American Chemistry Council

Regionally, the West Coast and Northeast had higher gains month over month. The Mid-Atlantic came out a hair under those two regions, while the Midwest, Ohio Valley, and Southeast followed, all at the same level. Picking up the bottom was the Gulf Coast.

Speaking globally, Taiwan, Germany, China, and the US had the highest gains month-over-month, in that order.

The global chemical segments that saw the highest gains month-over-month were Organics, Inorganics, Basic Chemicals, and Coatings.

For more data, see the ACC Chemical Production Report here.