Who buys methanol in Japan?

Chemical producers and the trading houses that supply them. One Japanese producer with plants abroad, its own methanol ships and domestic terminals supplies the largest share of the market; the rest is bought by formalin, acetic acid and MMA makers through trading companies. The importer of record is registered under the Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Act.

How is methanol priced into Japan?

Contract volume is priced against the monthly Asia Pacific posted contract price less a negotiated discount; spot parcels are fixed CFR against the Northeast Asian spot market. The posted price was USD 365 per tonne in March 2026, USD 740 from April to June and USD 700 for October.

Which origins can replace Saudi methanol?

The United States and Trinidad, which already supplied 28% between them in 2025; Malaysia and Brunei on the short haul; Chile and New Zealand; and Oman, which loads at Salalah and Sohar outside the strait. Each offer names the producer and load port.

What specification and inspection apply?

The IMPCA reference specification: purity 99.85% min on a dry basis, water 0.1% max, permanganate time 60 minutes min, with limits on acidity, chlorides, ethanol and appearance. The ship's tanks pass a wall-wash test before loading, and quality is certified at the load port from shore-tank and ship composite samples.

Can CBIL also fix the ship?

Yes. Our chartering desk, LaycanDesk, prices chemical parcel tankers for methanol, so a CFR and an FOB figure can be shown side by side.

North Asia · Japan

Methanol Suppliers CFR Japan

A market that imports every tonne, with 56% of it tied to one plant inside the Gulf

Japan declared 1,450,500 t of methanol imports in 2025 at a landed value of USD 466 million, about USD 321 per tonne, after 1,498,700 t in 2024. Saudi Arabia supplied 808,300 t (56%), the United States 216,200 t (15%), Trinidad and Tobago 195,100 t (13%), Malaysia 7%, Chile 5% and Brunei 3%. The Saudi tonnage is equity offtake: Japanese companies hold half of a methanol joint venture at Jubail with more than 4 million t a year of capacity. The Strait of Hormuz has been severely restricted since 28 February 2026: loadings inside the Gulf move irregularly and are confirmed cargo by cargo. In March 2026 the largest Japanese methanol supplier said the plant was undamaged and running but that its cargoes could not pass the strait, and that it was covering customers from its other sources and from stock; later that month it raised domestic prices, citing the freight and insurance on replacement supply, and distributors reported deliveries running about two weeks late in April. The Asia Pacific posted contract price moved from USD 365 per tonne in March to USD 740 from April to June, USD 620 in July, USD 550 in August and September and USD 700 for October 2026. Methanol enters Japan free of duty.

Japanese demand is chemical: formalin and resins, acetic acid, methyl methacrylate, solvents and coatings. Receivers take 10,000 to 30,000 t parcels on chemical tankers into their own shore tanks around Tokyo Bay, the Seto Inland Sea and the Sea of Japan coast. Methanol is a deleterious substance under the Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Act and a flammable liquid under the Fire Service Act, so the importer of record is a registered importer with licensed storage. CBIL brokers methanol to the IMPCA reference specification (99.85% min purity, water 0.1% max, permanganate time 60 minutes min) from the US Gulf, Point Lisas in Trinidad, Malaysia, Brunei and Salalah and Sohar in Oman, in zinc-silicate or stainless tanks that pass a wall-wash test before loading, with SGS or Intertek certification at load. A receiver that states its terminal, parcel size, laycan and price basis gets a firm answer; one without them gets a question first.

Need the ship as well? Our chartering desk prices methanol and chemical parcel tanker freight on LaycanDesk.

The market in figures

Declared imports: 2025: 1,450,500 t, USD 466 million, USD 321/t · 2024: 1,498,700 t
Origins, 2025: Saudi Arabia 56% · United States 15% · Trinidad and Tobago 13% · Malaysia 7% · Chile 5% · Brunei 3%
Share from inside the Gulf: 56% (about 67,000 t a month to replace)
Asia posted contract price, 2026: USD 365/t in March · 740 April-June · 620 July · 550 August-September · 700 October
Duty: Free
End uses: Formalin and resins, acetic acid, MMA, solvents and coatings

Landed values are the importing country's declared CIF, not CBIL prices.

Questions buyers ask

Who buys methanol in Japan?: Chemical producers and the trading houses that supply them. One Japanese producer with plants abroad, its own methanol ships and domestic terminals supplies the largest share of the market; the rest is bought by formalin, acetic acid and MMA makers through trading companies. The importer of record is registered under the Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Act.
How is methanol priced into Japan?: Contract volume is priced against the monthly Asia Pacific posted contract price less a negotiated discount; spot parcels are fixed CFR against the Northeast Asian spot market. The posted price was USD 365 per tonne in March 2026, USD 740 from April to June and USD 700 for October.
Which origins can replace Saudi methanol?: The United States and Trinidad, which already supplied 28% between them in 2025; Malaysia and Brunei on the short haul; Chile and New Zealand; and Oman, which loads at Salalah and Sohar outside the strait. Each offer names the producer and load port.
What specification and inspection apply?: The IMPCA reference specification: purity 99.85% min on a dry basis, water 0.1% max, permanganate time 60 minutes min, with limits on acidity, chlorides, ethanol and appearance. The ship's tanks pass a wall-wash test before loading, and quality is certified at the load port from shore-tank and ship composite samples.
Can CBIL also fix the ship?: Yes. Our chartering desk, LaycanDesk, prices chemical parcel tankers for methanol, so a CFR and an FOB figure can be shown side by side.