Commercial acrylonitrile (2-propenenitrile, CAS 107-13-1) is a C3 monomer with a molecular weight of 53.06 g/mol, a normal boiling point of 77.3°C, and a liquid density near 0.806 g/cm³ at 20°C. Bulk transactions are normally quoted in USD/MT or EUR/MT, while per-kilogram figures are derived arithmetic units, not a separate physical trading lot. If a cargo is quoted at $1,250/MT FOB USGC, the arithmetic equivalent is $1.25/kg only when the invoice mass is 1,000 kg/MT and the Incoterms, specification, currency, and port of custody transfer are unchanged. The term “ton” is itself a commercial variable: international bulk practice uses the metric tonne of 1,000 kg, but some North American terminals still express short tons of 2,000 lb. A short-ton quote of $1,250/ST converts to $1,377.89/MT after division by 0.907185 MT/ST. A per-kilogram quote is therefore not merely the metric-ton price divided by 1,000; it is a derivative that must preserve the specified basis of mass, location, and inhibited quality.

Throughout the bulk market, the word “basis” carries two distinct commercial meanings. The price basis identifies the Incoterms 2020 rule and the pricing point, such as FOB USGC, CFR China, CIF ARA, or delivered terminal. The analytical basis identifies the net mass method, density reference temperature, and inhibited monomer specification. For acrylonitrile, the analytical basis is commonly net tank gauged mass corrected to 20°C using density measured by ASTM D4052-22. The invoiced mass is the total inhibited liquid mass; it is not corrected downward for water content or low-boiling impurities unless the contract expressly states a dry-acrylonitrile basis. A quote is therefore incomplete if it gives only a number without stating whether the mass is shore-tank net, vessel bill-of-lading, or weighbridge-certified drum mass.

Across North American contract settlements, a monthly per-ton acrylonitrile price frequently contains a feedstock pass-through term and a producer conversion adder. The dominant route is propylene ammoxidation: C3H6 + NH3 + 1.5 O2 → C3H3N + 3 H2O. In engineering design and published producer data, polymer-grade propylene consumption is commonly placed at 1.04–1.12 t/t of acrylonitrile and ammonia consumption at 0.40–0.48 t/t, with the exact range determined by catalyst selectivity, reactor air-to-feed ratio, pressure drop, and ammonia decomposition to nitrogen. A contract formula may apply the propylene delta at a coefficient near 1.06 and the ammonia delta near 0.45, then add a conversion margin covering energy, catalyst loss, steam credits, and plant fixed-cost allocation. Dividing the resulting per-ton formula by 1,000 gives a per-kilogram number that is still a composite of raw material mass costs; it does not isolate monomer value independently of propylene and ammonia.

How Are Per-Ton Spot Quotes Converted to Per-Kilogram Indicative Prices?

The arithmetic conversion is direct, but the commercial conversion is not. A bulk deep-sea acrylonitrile parcel commonly falls between 3,000 MT and 10,000 MT, and the invoice unit remains the metric tonne. A per-kilogram expression is most often used in secondary markets: drum lots, ISO tank movements, or landed-cost calculations for downstream resin plants. For a 200 L steel drum, a typical filling limit near 95% at a density of 0.806 kg/L yields a nominal net mass of approximately 160 kg. A drum quote expressed in USD/kg therefore includes packaging, drum deposit, hazardous-goods handling, and short-haul logistics that are not embedded in a USD/MT marine cargo quote. The per-kilogram drum price is structurally higher than the divided bulk price, and published data for small-lot acrylonitrile distributions show that packaging and compliance charges can exceed 0.10 USD/kg depending on the destination and returnable container terms.

When a quote is stated CFR China, the per-kilogram equivalent includes ocean freight but not marine insurance, because the Incoterms 2020 CFR rule assigns insurance to the buyer. A true landed per-kilogram cost requires addition of the CIF insurance element if the quote were CIF, plus destination port charges, import duty, and onward trucking. If a buyer compares an FOB USGC quote of $1,250/MT with a CIF ARA quote of $1,380/MT, the per-kilogram comparison is not $1.25/kg versus $1.38/kg unless the buyer adjusts for freight, insurance, and destination terminal handling. The arithmetic unit conversion is valid; the economic scope is different.

Incoterms 2020 Basis and Regional Price Benchmarks

Bulk acrylonitrile quotations are ordinarily issued as FOB loading port, CFR destination port, or CIF destination port. Under FOB, the seller clears for export and places the product on board the buyer’s nominated vessel; risk transfers at the origin vessel, and the buyer bears freight, insurance, and destination charges. Under CFR, the seller contracts and pays for carriage to the named destination port, but the buyer bears insurance. Under CIF, the seller pays carriage and minimum marine insurance to the named destination port; discharge, terminal handling, and import formalities remain with the buyer. DDP occurs rarely in bulk acrylonitrile because import licensing, value-added tax, and terminal custody are typically buyer-controlled. The cost matrix below isolates the pricing consequences of each Incoterms 2020 rule for liquid acrylonitrile cargoes.

Regional price benchmarks for acrylonitrile are not uniform. USGC spot quotes are commonly assessed as FOB barges or FOB tankers, while Asian spot activity is frequently referenced as CFR China or CFR Taiwan. A European buyer comparing a $1,300/MT CIF ARA quote with a $1,150/MT FOB USGC quote must add USGC-to-ARA freight. For a 3,000–5,000 MT chemical parcel, published freight rate ranges for this route can span 75–110 USD/MT depending on vessel class, bunker surcharges, and port congestion. The landed per-kilogram equivalent then moves to approximately 1.225–1.260 USD/kg before insurance and terminal charges. A quote that states “delivered terminal” or “free within terminal” is not the same as CIF, because it includes discharge and shore-tank custody transfer. The quotation must define whether the price is at ship’s flange, tank flange, or truck rack, because the custody transfer point determines when buyer’s loss control begins.

When a Spot Quote Includes MEHQ-Inhibited Purity, Packaging, and Independent Survey

A spot quotation for inhibited acrylonitrile must specify the sales specification, not merely the generic chemical identity. The typical polymer-grade sales specification is assay ≥99.5 wt%, water ≤0.5 wt%, APHA color ≤5, distillation range 74.5–78.5°C at 101.3 kPa, and monomethyl ether hydroquinone inhibitor at 35–50 ppm. The quote should identify the certificate-of-analysis template and the analytical method for each parameter. A common compliance matrix is given below.

The packaging basis is a separate quotation variable. Bulk marine shipments use stainless steel or coated mild steel tanks with nitrogen padding and closed-loop transfer because acrylonitrile has a flash point near -5°C and a vapor pressure of approximately 11 kPa at 20°C. ISO tank containers in acrylonitrile service are often 24,000–26,000 L nominal capacity and constructed in 316L stainless steel, with pressure relief settings according to the tank design code. For small lots, 200 L steel drums with a net mass near 160 kg are used, and the quote must state whether drum deposit, return, or disposable packaging is included. Drums are not appropriate for long-term high-ambient storage; producer safety data sheets commonly require storage below 25°C, and storage above 30°C can accelerate inhibitor depletion and thermal polymerization. Transport classification is UN 1093, Class 3, Packing Group II. A compliant quotation includes dangerous-goods declaration, safety data sheet, emergency response telephone, and the inhibitor certificate-of-analysis concentration at the time of loading. In the European Union, REACH registration obligations and the Annex II safety data sheet format apply; a quotation alone does not transfer registration responsibilities unless the buyer is the importer of record.

After Loading: Mass, Density, and Independent Inspection Variables

Once incoterm and specification are fixed, the remaining price variable is invoice quantity. Bulk acrylonitrile cargoes are measured by independent surveyors at shore tanks or vessel tanks using the observed liquid volume, calibrated tank strapping tables, and density at 20°C according to ASTM D4052-22. The invoice mass is the net volume multiplied by the density, not the nominal purchase-order volume. A contract tolerance of ±5% on quantity is common for marine cargoes, and the per-ton price is applied to the independent surveyor’s bill-of-lading mass, not to the order quantity. A three-way survey at load port and discharge port identifies transit loss, and the quotation should state the contractual loss allowance or shortage treatment. If no allowance is stated, shortage is typically resolved under the sales contract and applicable marine insurance adjustment.

Temperature is a direct quantity variable because acrylonitrile volume changes with temperature. Buyer and seller must agree on density reference temperature and the correction table used. The quotation should state whether density is measured on air-saturated or degassed sample, because dissolved gases can shift fourth-decimal density readings on digital density meters. For a shore tank measured at 25°C, the volume must be corrected to 20°C before invoice mass is calculated. Without correction, a temperature difference of 5°C can produce a mass discrepancy exceeding 0.5% across a 5,000 MT cargo. For ISO tank and drum movements, the quotation states whether mass is confirmed by weighbridge or in-line mass flow meter. In case of discrepancy, the bill of lading quantity from the independent surveyor usually controls, but only where the contract expressly assigns it.