Para-Xylene
The 1,4-dimethylbenzene isomer supplied by Chelora Chemicals — known in the trade as PX, the single most valuable xylene isomer and the essential feedstock for purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and polyester (PET) manufacture — exported from Indonesia in drums or ISO tanks with full batch documentation on every shipment.
What Para-Xylene is, and why buyers source it
A working overview of the compound's chemistry, its role as the polyester-chain feedstock, and the grades Chelora Chemicals keeps in regular supply.
Para-Xylene carries its two methyl groups directly opposite one another on the ring, the 1 and 4 positions. That symmetrical, linear arrangement gives para-xylene a distinctly higher melting point than its two siblings — the basis of its industrial separation — and, once both methyl groups are oxidised to carboxylic acids, produces terephthalic acid, a straight, rod-like diacid that polymerises into the highly crystalline, strong polyester fibre and resin chains the plastics industry depends on.
At room temperature it is a colourless, highly flammable liquid with a sweet aromatic odour that can begin to solidify if cooled below about 13 °C, a property kept in mind during cold-weather storage and transport. It is immiscible with water but miscible with most organic solvents.
Where it fits in the synthesis chain
Para-Xylene's dominant, overwhelming use — effectively its only large-scale use — is as the feedstock for purified terephthalic acid (PTA) or dimethyl terephthalate (DMT), produced by catalytic liquid-phase oxidation. PTA and DMT are polycondensed with monoethylene glycol to make PET resin, the polymer behind polyester fibre, bottle-grade resin and film, making para-xylene one of the highest-volume petrochemical intermediates in the world.
Grades we supply
Chelora Chemicals offers Para-Xylene in technical grade (≈99.5% assay) for general industrial use, and polymer grade (99.7%+, tightly controlled for ethylbenzene and other oxidisable impurities) for PTA/DMT feedstock manufacture. Both grades are supplied with a batch-wise certificate of analysis.
How Para-Xylene is made
An overview of the production route for orientation purposes. Our manufacturing partners' own process parameters and in-process controls are proprietary and are not disclosed beyond what is needed to interpret the certificate of analysis.
Para-Xylene is recovered from the mixed C8 aromatic stream by one of two industrial separation technologies, since it boils almost identically to meta-xylene and cannot be split out by ordinary distillation: simulated moving bed adsorption, which passes the mixture over a molecular sieve that selectively retains para-xylene, or fractional (melt) crystallisation, which exploits para-xylene's distinctly higher freezing point to crystallise it out of solution at low temperature. Either technology is typically paired with a catalytic isomerisation unit that converts the ortho- and meta-xylene-rich raffinate back toward equilibrium, maximising the overall para-xylene yield from a given feed of mixed xylenes.
Why adsorption and crystallisation are both used industrially
Because meta- and para-xylene boil within about one degree of each other, neither distillation nor any single separation technology dominates worldwide: simulated moving bed adsorption offers higher recovery per pass and is now the majority technology at large modern complexes, while fractional crystallisation, the original industrial method, remains in wide use, particularly where it is already installed.
Industries and processes that use it
Para-Xylene is consumed almost entirely by the PTA/DMT-to-PET polyester chain, making it one of the highest-volume aromatic petrochemicals produced worldwide. The field below accounts for nearly all of the demand we see through our export desk.
Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) Feedstock
Catalytically oxidised in the liquid phase to terephthalic acid, the dominant, overwhelming industrial use of this isomer.
Dimethyl Terephthalate (DMT) Feedstock
Oxidised and esterified to DMT, an alternative polyester-chain feedstock used by some PET and polyester-fibre producers.
PET Fibre, Resin & Film Chain
Supplies, through PTA/DMT and monoethylene glycol, the polyester (PET) resin used in textile fibre, bottle-grade resin and packaging film.
Specialty Polyester Chain
Feeds specialty high-performance polyester and polyester-alloy resins used in engineering plastics and films.
How the molecule is typically carried forward
The symmetrically opposed methyl groups govern almost all of this molecule's further reaction chemistry. Reaction classes below account for most of the ways Para-Xylene is converted into a finished product or intermediate.
Catalytic Liquid-Phase Oxidation
Both methyl groups are oxidised in a bromide-promoted, cobalt/manganese-catalysed liquid-phase process to give terephthalic acid directly.
Esterification to Dimethyl Terephthalate
Terephthalic acid (or an intermediate oxidation stage) is esterified with methanol to give DMT, an alternative feedstock purified by distillation rather than crystallisation.
Polycondensation with Ethylene Glycol
Terephthalic acid or DMT polycondenses with monoethylene glycol to build the PET polyester chain used in fibre, resin and film.
Acid-Catalysed Isomerisation (Upstream)
Ortho- and meta-xylene-rich raffinate left after para-xylene recovery is isomerised back toward equilibrium over a zeolite catalyst to maximise overall para-xylene yield.
Para-Xylene against other amines we supply
Buyers sourcing Para-Xylene for PTA/DMT or PET-chain manufacture often need a related xylene isomer or the PET co-feedstock, monoethylene glycol. A quick reference to what else is on our regular supply list.
| Product | CAS Number | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Para-Xylene | 106-42-3 | C8 aromatic isomer | The product on this page — the essential feedstock for PTA/DMT and PET polyester. |
| Mixed Xylenes | 1330-20-7 | C8 aromatic isomer blend | The parent stream Para-Xylene is separated from — see its product page. |
| Meta-Xylene | 108-38-3 | C8 aromatic isomer | The closest-boiling sibling isomer, feedstock for isophthalic acid — see its product page. |
| Mono Ethylene Glycol | 107-21-1 | PET co-feedstock | The glycol monomer para-xylene's PTA is polycondensed with to make PET — see its product page. |
Exact physical constants and purity specifications are confirmed per batch on the certificate of analysis — treat the notes above as a sourcing guide, not a specification sheet, for products other than Para-Xylene.
Safety classification at a glance
Based on GHS classification as commonly listed for this substance. This is a summary for orientation only — always work from the current safety data sheet supplied with your specific batch.
Flammable liquid and vapour.
Causes skin irritation.
Causes serious eye irritation.
Harmful if inhaled.
Chemical-resistant gloves, splash goggles and suitable respiratory protection are the baseline for routine handling.
Keep away from heat, sparks and open flame; ground and bond containers during transfer.
Can partially solidify below 13 °C — insulate or trace-heat lines and tanks in cold climates to maintain flow.
Warning — GHS02 flammable and GHS07 harmful pictograms apply.
This compound is a flammable liquid that causes skin and serious eye irritation, and is harmful if inhaled. It must be handled with chemical-resistant gloves, splash-proof eye protection and suitable respiratory protection, and kept away from heat and open flame. Full first-aid, storage, spill and PPE guidance is in the MSDS issued with every shipment, and should be read in full before this material is handled.
Keeping it on spec between delivery and use
General storage guidance for this grade. Site-specific storage rules, segregation requirements and re-test intervals should follow your own EHS procedures and the MSDS issued with your batch.
Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from heat sources, open flame and strong oxidizing agents, in tightly closed original packaging. Because para-xylene can begin to solidify below 13 °C, tanks and lines in colder climates are insulated or trace-heated to maintain flow. Ground and bond all equipment during bulk transfer. If a batch is held past its retest date, re-check assay, ethylbenzene content and colour before use.
How it ships from Indonesia
Standard packing and export terms for this product. Confirm exact figures against your order — they vary slightly by destination and quantity.
What travels with every batch
Specification is agreed before the purchase order, not discovered on arrival. Every shipment of Para-Xylene leaves with a documented, checkable paper trail.
Certificate of Analysis
Batch-wise assay (by titration/GC), colour and relevant physical constants, issued against the agreed specification so your QC team can check it, not just file it.
Safety Data Sheet
GHS-format SDS in English covering hazard classification, handling, storage, first-aid and spill response for the exact grade of Para-Xylene shipped.
Technical Data Sheet
Reference physical and chemical properties, recommended storage and typical applications, for internal circulation to your process or R&D teams.
Certificate of Origin
Confirms Indonesian origin for customs clearance and any preferential-duty claim at your destination port.
Dangerous Goods Declaration
UN packing group, classification and shipper's declaration prepared ahead of loading so documentation never holds up customs.
Third-Party Inspection
Independent pre-shipment inspection and re-sampling can be arranged on request, at your cost, for buyers who require it as a matter of policy.
Frequently asked questions
What buyers most often ask our sales desk about this grade.
01What is Para-Xylene used for?+
02What is the CAS number of Para-Xylene?+
03How is Para-Xylene made?+
04What purity grades does Chelora Chemicals supply?+
05Is Para-Xylene hazardous?+
06Why is para-xylene separated by crystallisation or adsorption rather than distillation?+
07What packing options are available?+
08How long does delivery take?+
09Can I get a sample before placing a bulk order?+
10Do you supply the PET co-feedstock, monoethylene glycol, as well?+
Need Para-Xylene on spec, on time?
Send us your required purity, quantity, packing preference and destination port. Our desk quotes most enquiries within one working day.