Thailand has a strong economic position in Southeast Asia, with the second-largest petrochemical industry, which supports its domestic manufacturing sector. However, despite being the second-largest, Thailand still relies on chemical imports.

That is why a robust chemical supplier in Thailand has a significant role in fulfilling the nation’s need for chemicals. This article discusses the chemical industry in Thailand and how a top chemical supplier can support it. So, read this article until the end!

An Overview of the Chemical Industry in Thailand

The chemical industry is one of the crucial sectors globally, including Thailand, as it provides feedstocks for other industries. Thailand also plays a substantial role in the industry. The Southeast Asia Chemicals 2023 report by GBR mentioned that Thailand produces 32 million tons of chemicals per year, from upstream to downstream petrochemicals.

The downstream products flow to the textile, packaging, electronics, automotive, and other domestic sectors. Moreover, a report on the industrial economic status by the Office of Industrial Economics (OIE) stated that in the first quarter of 2025, the chemical shipment index grew by 4.60% (YoY), supported by hydrogen and nitrogen gases.

However, the manufacturing production index in the first quarter of 2025 declined 3.86% (YoY) due to a decrease in methyl ester and hydrogen gas demand.

The chemical industry in Thailand is also open to exports and imports. In 2024, Thailand exported 14.3 billion USD worth of chemical products, making it the 31st largest exporter of chemical products globally. Chemical products are also the 8th most exported product in Thailand. India, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Japan were the importers of Thailand’s chemicals.

Additionally, in the first quarter of 2025, OIE reported that the exports increased 7.93% (YoY) with a worth of 2,558.89 million USD. On the other hand, regarding imports, Thailand has a higher value of imports of chemical products than exports. 6Wresearch figured that the chemical market import trend in 2024 grew 34.15% (YoY).

Furthermore, the Office of Industrial Economics (OIE) presented that in the first quarter of 2025, Thailand imported chemicals with a value of 4,425.45 million USD, increasing 7.23% compared to the previous quarter.

Given the rising demand for imports, chemical suppliers in Thailand may be able to meet the demand by providing high-quality feedstocks to the country's industries as the market expands.

Chandra Asri Group and Aster as Chemical Suppliers in Thailand

Regarding chemical suppliers in Thailand, Chandra Asri Group and Aster are ready to provide high-quality chemicals for various industries. Chandra Asri Group is a prominent chemical, energy, and infrastructure company in Southeast Asia and is supported by Aster, our subsidiary based in Singapore.

As #YourGrowthPartner, Chandra Asri Group and Aster supply a wide range of chemical and petrochemical building blocks, such as:

1. Olefins

Chandra Asri Group and Aster provide a variety of olefins, including ethylene, propylene, pyrolysis gasoline, crude C4, and pyrolysis fuel oil. These olefins are used to produce other high-value products, such as polyethylene, styrene monomer, toluene, and so on.

2. Polyolefins

Polyolefins we supply include polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), metallocene linear low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene, homopolymer, random copolymer, impact copolymer, and terpolymer.

Our polyethylene is distributed under the trademark Asrene®, covering HDPE and LLDPE products, while our polypropylene is distributed under Trilene®.

3. Styrene Monomer

Styrene monomer is an aromatic hydrocarbon used to produce polystyrene (PS), styrene acrylonitrile (SAN), expanded polystyrene (EPS), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), unsaturated polystyrene resin (UPR), and styrene butadiene latex (SBL). Later on, these products are used to manufacture automotive parts, electronics, and many more.

4. Ethylbenzene and Toluene

Ethylbenzene is a flammable aromatic hydrocarbon used to produce styrene monomer, while toluene is the byproduct of styrene monomer. Toluene also has derivatives, like toluene diisocyanate and benzaldehyde.

5. Butadiene

Butadiene is a simple conjugated diene mainly derived from crude C4 distillation. Butadiene is mostly used to produce styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) for automobile tires, coatings, and adhesives.

6. Raffinate-1

Raffinate-1 is a byproduct produced during the extractive distillation of crude C4. It makes up 55-60% of crude C4, with butadiene accounting for the remaining portion. It is composed of isobutylene, butene-1, butene-2, and trace amounts of butanes and other compounds. Isobutylene is the primary feedstock used to produce methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and diisobutylene (DIB).

7. Butene-1, Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE), and Raffinate-2

Butene-1 is an organic compound that is often used as a co-monomer in the process of making polyethylene. It can also be used to make chemicals like 1,2-butylene oxide, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), maleic anhydride, and different n-butyl derivatives.

MTBE is a volatile organic compound that is often used as a gasoline additive to raise the octane level and as a chemical feedstock. It can also be used to make high-purity isobutylene (HPIB), which is used to make butyl rubber and polyisobutylene.

Raffinate-2 is a substance formed when MTBE is produced. Raffinate-1, which is used to make MTBE, is made up of about 50–55% Raffinate-2, and the rest is mostly isobutylene. Raffinate-2 is a C4 mixture that has a lot of butene-1, butene-2, and n-butane in it. It is usually used as feedstock for processes that recover butene-1.

Along with those chemicals, we also provide caustic soda, hydrogen, sodium hypochlorite, ethylene dichloride, diethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, ethoxylates, high-purity ethylene oxide, monoethylene glycol, polyether polyol, and propylene glycol.

So, if your company in Thailand needs a top chemical supplier, make sure to rely on Chandra Asri Group and Aster! Consult your industrial needs with us now!

Overview of Chemical Industry and Supplier in Thailand