On July 16, 2026, the South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance released Official Announcement No. 202.6-201, adjusting the implementation period of the provisional anti-dumping duty on butyl acrylate originating from China. The original tax rates remain unchanged, and the announcement is effective from the date of issuance.

According to the announcement, the core of this adjustment is to change the validity period of the provisional anti-dumping duty: the original validity period was set from April 22, 2026 to August 21, 2026, and is now extended to September 27, 2026; the Korean customs code for the product involved is 2916.12.3000, and the collection standards remain unchanged throughout the process.

I. Complete Timeline of the Case

1. Investigation Initiation Phase: On September 29, 2025, South Korea formally initiated an anti-dumping investigation into butyl acrylate originating from China. The dumping investigation period was defined as January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024; the injury investigation period spans a longer duration, covering January 1, 2021, to June 30, 2025, to fully assess the long-term impact of imports on the domestic industry.

2. Preliminary Ruling and Taxation: On April 22, 2026, the South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance made a preliminary ruling to impose provisional anti-dumping duties on imported butyl acrylate from China. The measure was implemented on the same day, with an originally scheduled collection period of 4 months, ending on August 21, 2026.

3. Period Extension Announcement: Announcement No. 202.6-201 was released on July 16, 2026, extending the deadline for provisional taxation by 37 days to September 27, 2026, allowing buffer time for the Korean side to complete the final ruling verification.

II. Overview of the Butyl Acrylate Industry: Concentrated Domestic Capacity and Stable Export Scale

Butyl Acrylate is a key organic chemical intermediate. Thanks to its excellent flexibility, adhesion, and weather resistance, it is mainly used in four major fields: architectural coatings, pressure-sensitive adhesives, textile auxiliaries, and plastic modification. Among them, coatings account for about 48.3% of consumption, and adhesives account for 27.6%. It is a core raw material for water-based emulsions, protective films, and industrial adhesives.

1. Domestic Total Capacity and Industry Concentration

As of the end of 2024, the effective total domestic capacity of butyl acrylate was approximately 3.02 million tons/year. The industry is characterized by significant concentration among leading players, with the top five enterprises accounting for 63% of the total national capacity (CR5=63%). Nearly 60% of production facilities are concentrated in the East China region, relying on port advantages to become the core domestic export production area.

In 2024, the apparent domestic consumption was 1.362 million tons. Amidst overcapacity, exports have become an important channel for digestion. In 2025, the total national export volume was 260,000 tons, and South Korea ranks among the top three overseas export markets for Chinese butyl acrylate.

2. Capacity and Market Share of Leading Enterprises

•Satellite Chemical: Butyl acrylate capacity of 780,000 tons/year, ranking first in China, accounting for 26% of total national capacity; relying on the integrated layout of the propane-propylene-acrylic acid-butyl acrylate full industry chain, it has prominent cost advantages and is a main enterprise exporting to South Korea from China, previously bearing the highest tax rate among the involved enterprises.

•Wanhua Chemical: Capacity of 760,000 tons/year, ranking second in China, accounting for 25% of total capacity; relying on the expansion of the petrochemical integrated base, it balances both the domestic high-end coating market and overseas export markets.

•Shanghai Huayi: Capacity of 320,000 tons/year, accounting for 8% of the market share; a long-established acrylic ester producer in the Yangtze River Delta, deeply cultivating the Asia-Pacific export channels.

•Yangzi Petrochemical-BASF, Ningbo Formosa: Both equipped with their own acrylic acid units, with single-plant capacity at the 200,000-ton level, accounting for a combined market share of about 14%.

•Taixing Shengke, Sanmu Chemical, and other medium-sized enterprises: Single-plant capacity ranges from 100,000 to 180,000 tons, with a combined market share of less than 10%; the remaining small and scattered capacities account for about 17%.

III. Brief Analysis of Industry Impact

This unilateral extension of the provisional anti-dumping duty period by South Korea will continue to raise the export costs for domestic butyl acrylate enterprises exporting to South Korea. Satellite Chemical, Shanghai Huayi, and other manufacturers with high shipment volumes to South Korea will face pressure on short-term export profits; in the short term, domestic enterprises may adjust exports to divert to Southeast Asia and the Middle East markets, and domestic spot circulation may increase slightly, bringing phased disturbances to the industry supply and demand pattern.

Industry insiders stated that the extension of the provisional anti-dumping duty is generally for the investigation authority to supplementally verify enterprise costs, dumping margins, and domestic industry injury data. It is expected that South Korea will release the final ruling results of this case before September 27, 2026, at which point the long-term anti-dumping tax rate and implementation period will be determined

Source: Chemnet