Cyclohexanone Suppliers in China: 2026 Sourcing Map

Cyclohexanone (CAS 108-94-1) is a cyclic ketone with density 0.947 g/cm³ at 20°C, normal boiling point 155.6°C, and closed-cup flash point 44°C. The 2026 sourcing map for China separates merchant tonnage from captive supply because integrated caprolactam units consume a dominant share of domestic cyclohexanone production. Major production clusters are present in Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Henan, where feedstock positions include refinery benzene, coal-chemical hydrogen, and cumene-derived phenol. A sourcing map built only from supplier names is insufficient; process route, impurity profile, separation train, and contractual model define whether a supplier can serve solvent, caprolactam precursor, or downstream adipic acid chains. The most relevant screening questions are whether the supplier operates cyclohexane oxidation, phenol hydrogenation, or cyclohexene hydration; whether hydrogen availability and wastewater treatment are integrated; and whether analytical release data are produced by GC-FID, Karl Fischer titration, and Pt-Co colour comparison rather than broker-provided certificates.

What Constitutes a Verified Sourcing Map in 2026?

A verified map includes the following layers: feedstock position, reaction route, separation technology, storage and packaging capability, and regulatory documentation. State-owned integrated petrochemical platforms typically offer captive quality data but limited merchant volume. Independent fine chemical producers may offer flexible parcel sizes but require closer audit of distillation residues and batch traceability. The map should record whether the production site is co-located with a caprolactam train, because co-located sites often reserve prime-grade cyclohexanone for internal oximation and release lower-grade solvent material to merchant channels. Published data on merchant availability from individual Chinese suppliers is limited; therefore procurement teams rely on pre-qualification audits, retained samples, and contract-defined specification windows rather than generic capacity figures.

For each supplier, the 2026 mapping process should assign a route-specific risk score. Cyclohexane oxidation carries higher risk of residual esters and acids from saponification. Phenol hydrogenation carries hydrogen cost and catalyst deactivation risk but yields lower acid residues. Cyclohexene hydration integrates benzene partial hydrogenation over ruthenium-zinc catalysts and subsequent dehydrogenation; it produces high-purity cyclohexanone but depends on high-purity hydrogen and water-tolerant zeolite catalysts. A responsive sourcing map records these technical distinctions and the available test data under ASTM D1078, ASTM D1209, ASTM D1364, and ASTM D4052.

On a production-scale wiped-film distillation unit operating below 140°C at 0.02–0.04 MPa, oxidation-derived cyclohexanone exhibits batch-to-batch variance when neutralization of acidic cleavage products is incomplete. In one observed qualification program, permanganate time fell below 30 min in batches with elevated ester residues, while caprolactam precursor material required permanganate time above 60 min. This variance is not captured by GC purity alone, which is why distillation range and colour are release criteria. Load-by-load analytical verification is mandatory for spot purchases from non-integrated suppliers.

Cyclohexanone Specification Windows and Analytical Test Design

Representative acceptance windows for solvent and caprolactam precursor grades are shown below. These values are contract-defined and vary among producers; they should not replace a supplier-specific specification. Analytical equipment includes a split/splitless gas chromatograph with flame ionisation detection using a polyethylene glycol capillary column, Karl Fischer coulometric titrator, and Pt-Co colour comparator.

Compliance documentation for China-origin cyclohexanone should be verified against the following checklist:

When Phenol Hydrogenation Supplies Captive Caprolactam Chains

Phenol hydrogenation to cyclohexanone is commonly operated in fixed-bed tubular reactors over palladium on alumina extrudates at temperatures between 120–180°C and moderate hydrogen partial pressure. The reaction is exothermic, and selectivity is controlled by suppressing over-hydrogenation to cyclohexanol. Production-scale units monitor reactor pressure drop and hot-spot temperature because catalyst deactivation from trace organic acids shifts the product ratio toward cyclohexanol. When cyclohexanol rises above 0.2%, downstream oximation yield decreases and the caprolactam distillation train carries additional dehydration byproducts. This route is favoured at integrated sites with reformer or coal-gasification hydrogen because it avoids the saponification and acid-ester residues characteristic of cyclohexane oxidation. However, it transfers risk to phenol feedstock availability and benzene cumene chain volatility.

Cyclohexane oxidation, by contrast, holds per-pass conversion below 4–8% to protect ketone-alcohol selectivity. Air or lean oxygen is passed through a series of stirred reactors or bubble columns; the resulting KA oil is neutralised, saponified, and distilled. Boron-assisted oxidation improves selectivity but adds boric acid recovery and handling. The process yields more cyclohexanol than the phenol route and requires a dehydrogenation step to upgrade cyclohexanol to cyclohexanone. In China, this route is common where benzene hydrogenation to cyclohexane is integrated with existing aromatics units. The sourcing map should record whether the supplier uses air oxidation or oxygen-enriched oxidation, because oxygen-enriched units reduce off-gas volume but increase safety interlock complexity.

Bulk and packed export of cyclohexanone from China is classified under UN 1915, Class 3, Packing Group III, with HS code 29142200. Drums and ISO tanks are nitrogen-blanketed during filling to keep dissolved oxygen low and inhibit peroxide formation. Black mild steel is avoided for long-term storage because trace iron accelerates colour development. At coastal export terminals in Qingdao, Shanghai, and Ningbo, the practical constraint is not port availability but drum gasket compatibility; fluoropolymer-lined gaskets are specified for ketone service because natural gaskets swell and release extractables. Published transit data for China-origin cyclohexanone under 2026 freight conditions is limited, so shipment trials should include top, middle, and bottom sampling after 30 days to detect water ingress or colour shift.

Impurity Profiles and Their Downstream Kinetic Consequences in Nylon Chains

Cyclohexanone impurity profiles differ by route and directly affect nylon intermediates. In caprolactam synthesis, cyclohexanone is converted to oxime with hydroxylamine sulfate under controlled pH. Residual cyclohexanol, phenol, and acidic esters consume auxiliary reagents or create high-boiling colour bodies. In adipic acid production via nitric acid oxidation, oxygenated impurities increase nitric acid consumption and nitrous oxide off-gas load. A cyclohexanone stream containing 0.5% cyclohexanol may be acceptable for solvent applications but unacceptable for caprolactam-grade oxidative coupling because the impurity persists through oximation and can isomerise to cyclohexene under Beckmann rearrangement conditions, producing unsaturation that affects polymer colour. Published threshold values are often contract-defined and not fully public; supplier qualification requires spiked-laboratory evaluation under the customer’s actual oxidation or oximation parameters.

For solvent applications, the critical operational boundary is moisture and acidity. Aqueous layers in storage tanks promote corrosion and initiate aldol condensation at elevated ambient temperatures. Cyclohexanone should be stored away from strong oxidizers; contact with nitric acid can be vigorous. Amine-based additives are avoided because imine formation shifts the flash point and introduces nitrogen. At relative humidity above 60%, empty storage vessels should be pre-dried before product introduction to limit water absorption and preserve the 0.10% water specification during humid coastal handling.