Petrochemicals In Turkey

Petrochemicals in Turkey means sourcing feedstocks, waxes, carbon black, process oils and polymer-family materials from a country that manufactures at scale for both its own converters and export markets. For a procurement team, that translates into two practical questions: which grade solves the application, and which supplier can document origin, spec and delivery on spec and on time. This guide answers both, using industry data and BHD Group's own catalogue as the reference points.

• Türkiye's chemical industry turns over €81 billion across 22,469 companies and 388,620 direct employees (Cefic, undated).
• About 70% of Turkish-produced chemicals feed other industries as intermediates or raw materials; the remaining 30% go direct to end-users (AIChE, 2015).
• Turkey ranks as the 14th largest chemical importer and 27th largest exporter globally (AIChE, 2015).
• In 2024, the Turkish chemical sector exported 30.8 billion USD, 13.6% of the country's total exports (İKMİB, undated).
• STAR Refinery supplies roughly 25% of Türkiye's processed crude oil product demand, including feedstocks for the petrochemical sector (International Trade Administration, undated).

Who this guide is for

This overview is written for three roles that evaluate Turkish-origin petrochemicals differently. Procurement leads want spec, incoterm and lead-time clarity before they issue an RFQ. Technical and R&D buyers need to confirm a grade actually matches their formulation or process. Import and logistics coordinators need to know what documentation and packaging to expect at the port. Each section below speaks to one of those questions directly.

What is petrochemicals in Turkey, in practical terms?

Petrochemicals in Turkey covers the chain from refinery-derived feedstock through to finished industrial materials — waxes, carbon black, rubber process oils, polymers and industrial chemicals — produced or processed inside Türkiye and shipped to buyers worldwide. According to TKSD (undated), the sector relays a documented flowchart tracing that same path, from raw material to everyday product, which is a useful mental model for a new buyer.

Turkey's position matters commercially because so much of what it produces stays domestic first. As AIChE (2015) notes, roughly 70% of Turkish chemical output is consumed as an intermediate by other industries before it ever reaches an end-user — a sign of a mature, vertically layered supply base rather than a single-product exporter.

How does sourcing petrochemicals from Turkey work?

A Turkish-origin order typically moves through four stages: grade confirmation, documentation, loading and shipment tracking. BHD Group runs this as two divisions under one accountable house — BHD Chemical and BHD Sourcing — so a buyer deals with a single point of contact regardless of which family the order sits in.

Grade confirmation

Before quoting, the buyer's spec is matched against the product's data sheet. For asphalt and roofing work, that means confirming penetration grade; bitumen 60/70 is the grade BHD supplies, and it is the penetration-grade term buyers search for most often.

Documentation and origin

Turkish-origin status, COA and packaging detail are confirmed in writing before shipment — origin integrity is a paperwork discipline, not a marketing line.

Loading and shipment tracking

Container or bulk loading is scheduled against the agreed window, with tracking shared through to delivery.

Where Turkish petrochemicals are used

Naming a product family is not the same as claiming every possible use for it. The applications below are the ones with documented evidence behind them.

Waxes — candles and cosmetics

The waxes family is used to make pillar candles, serving the candles industry, and to make cosmetic creams and balms, serving the cosmetics and personal care industry. Buyers in this lane search by tier and grade — paraffin HP3/M3/UL2, PJ 'Ultra Snow White' (BP-2017, 0.5Y), and White/Snow White/Super Snow White — and by use case, from economy/utility candles and grave/church/mourning candles through to container candles, slack-wax blending, packaging wax and textile-yarn paraffin.

Carbon black and rubber process oils — tyres

The carbon-black family and the rubber-process-oils family are both used to make vehicle tyres, serving the tyre and rubber industry. Buyers in this lane look for N-series carbon black grades and base oil SN 500, often alongside anti-ozonant requirements in the compound spec.

Polymers — packaging

The polymers family is used to make packaging film, serving the packaging industry. This sits inside the broader growth in plastic raw material imports: Turkey imported more than 7.0 million tonnes and USD 9.0 billion of plastic raw materials in 2019, a 3.9% rise in volume year-on-year (PAGEV, undated).

Industrial chemicals — detergents and fertiliser

The industrial-chemicals family is used to make soap and detergent, serving the detergents and cleaning industry, and to make granular fertiliser spread on cropland, serving the agriculture and fertiliser industry.

What buyers should check before ordering

What to check before you order

• Confirm the exact grade or tier against your own formulation or engineering spec, not just the family name.
• Request the certificate of analysis and origin documentation in writing before loading.
• Confirm packaging format (bulk, drum, bag) matches your receiving setup.
• Agree the delivery window in writing, and confirm it against realistic port and transit timing.
• Ask which division — BHD Chemical or BHD Sourcing — is accountable for the order, so escalation has one owner.
• Check incoterms and who holds risk at each stage of the shipment.
• For wax orders, confirm the tier by name (e.g. HP3, Ultra Snow White) rather than a general description.
• For industrial orders, confirm the standard grade reference (e.g. bitumen 60/70, N-series carbon black) in the PO itself.

What are the benefits of sourcing petrochemicals in Turkey?

The scale of the domestic industry is the main structural benefit. With 22,469 companies and 388,620 direct employees generating €81 billion in turnover (Cefic, undated), Turkey has depth across feedstock, intermediate and finished-product layers, which supports steadier availability than a single-refinery origin. Export infrastructure is also maturing: the DFC's April 2023 non-technical summary documents a propane dehydrogenation–polypropylene project planned at Ceyhan by Ceyhan Polipropilen Üretim A.Ş. (U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, 2023), a sign of continued investment in Turkish petrochemical capacity.

For a buyer, the practical benefit is a shorter, more accountable supply chain: Turkish-origin material processed to origin, with one house standing behind the paperwork.

Working with BHD Group

BHD Group operates two divisions, one house: BHD Chemical and BHD Sourcing. Petrochemicals In Turkey is not a slogan here — it is the operating reality of a business built around Turkish-origin waxes, carbon black, rubber process oils, polymers and industrial chemicals, delivered at scale and quietly reliable order to order. If your team is evaluating a grade from this guide — a wax tier, a bitumen 60/70 shipment, an N-series carbon black — send the spec and we will confirm what BHD Chemical or BHD Sourcing can put behind it.

Sources

• Cefic (European Chemical Industry Council) — Landscape of the European Chemical Industry: Türkiye, cefic.org/landscape-of-the-industry/turkiye
• AIChE — Chemical Engineering Progress (2015), The Chemicals Industry in Turkey, aiche.org
• International Trade Administration (trade.gov) — Turkey Oil and Gas Equipment, LNG and LNG Terminals, Upstream/Downstream, trade.gov
• PAGEV — Turkish Plastics Industry Foundation, Turkish Plastics Industry, pagev.org
• İKMİB — Istanbul Chemicals and Chemical Products Exporters' Association, About İKMİB, ikmib.org.tr
• TKSD — Turkish Chemical Manufacturers Association, tksd.org.tr
• U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) (2023) — Ceyhan Propane Dehydrogenation–Polypropylene Production Project: Non-Technical Summary, dfc.gov