BASF (CHINA)

What BASF (CHINA) does

BASF SE, headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany, is the world's largest chemical company, generating approximately €60 billion in 2025 sales and operating 234 production sites across 93 countries, including seven fully integrated Verbund sites where interconnected plants recycle by-products, share utilities, and minimize waste. Its North American affiliate, BASF Corporation (Florham Park, New Jersey), generated $18.1 billion in 2025 sales — roughly 26% of group revenue — and employs more than 13,300 people across more than 150 US locations, anchored by two major Verbund sites in Freeport, Texas and Geismar, Louisiana.

The company organizes operations into six segments — Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Nutrition & Care (core), Surface Technologies, and Agricultural Solutions (standalone) — and serves nearly every major industry, including agriculture, automotive, construction, electronics, energy, home care, nutrition, packaging, paints and coatings, personal care, pharmaceuticals, plastics and rubber, and textiles. Technical differentiators include the Verbund production system, proprietary UV filter chemistry (Tinosorb S, Uvinul, Z-COTE), canola seed genetics under the InVigor brand with LibertyLink weed control, the trinamiX miniaturized infrared sensor platform (Hertzstück), and a new ~600,000 metric-ton-per-year MDI capacity at Geismar following a ~$1 billion expansion.

Revenue is generated primarily through B2B direct enterprise sales with quote-based pricing across business units, complemented by licensing royalties (e.g., co-exclusive US marketing rights for Tinosorb S under the DSM agreement), multi-year contracts, and a "local-for-local" production strategy that places manufacturing near customers. Distribution is conducted through dedicated business unit contacts and an online product finder, targeting industrial buyers in automotive, agriculture, personal care, and other verticals, with R&D investment of approximately €990 million group-wide supporting incremental product and process innovation.

Name

BASF (CHINA)

Legal name

BASF SE

Website

https://basf.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1865

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

BASF is the world's largest chemical company, operating 234 production sites including seven integrated Verbund facilities across 93 countries. It supplies chemicals, materials, specialty ingredients, UV filters, seeds, and catalysts to nearly every major industry under a local-for-local production model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Chemicals

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325), Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Pesticide, Fertilizer, and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (3253)

SIC

Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890), Chemicals & Allied Products (2800), Agricultural Chemicals (2870)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Surfactants & Performance Additives (IMAEABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Personal Care & Cosmetic Ingredients (IMAEABAJ), Textile, Leather & Paper Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAM), Commodity Surfactants & Detergent Base Chemicals (IMAEAAAI), Aromatics (BTX: Benzene, Toluene, Xylenes) (EUALAHAC)

Keywords

• Industrial chemical manufacturing
• Agricultural crop solutions
• Automotive coatings materials
• Polyurethane MDI production
• Specialty care chemicals

Headquarters

HQ city

Ludwigshafen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Chemical Products Sales: BASF generates revenue through sales of chemical products across six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Nutrition & Care, Surface Technologies, and Agricultural Solutions. Products range from basic chemicals to advanced materials serving nearly all industries worldwide.
2. Licensing Royalties: BASF licenses its UV filter technologies (Tinosorb S) and receives co-exclusive marketing rights through agreements with partners like DSM Nutritional Products LLC

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BASF manufactures and sells a broad portfolio of chemical products across six reportable segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Nutrition & Care (core businesses), Surface Technologies, and Agricultural Solutions (standalone businesses). Products range from basic chemicals and intermediates to advanced materials, coatings, polyurethane inputs, UV filters, crop protection, seeds, and digital farming solutions, serving customers in nearly all industries through direct B2B sales and an integrated Verbund production network that includes the Zhangiang Verbund site in China.

Product overview

BASF offers a broad portfolio of chemical products and solutions organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Nutrition & Care (core businesses), Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions (standalone businesses). Product offerings span agriculture, automotive, construction, electronics, energy, home care, nutrition, packaging, paints/coatings, personal care, pharmaceuticals, plastics/rubber, and textile industries. Key consumer-facing products include UV filters (Tinosorb S, Uvinul, Z-COTE), agricultural seeds (InVigor Gold canola), and specialty chemicals. BASF also operates trinamiX, a start-up developing infrared sensor technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• trinamiX: BASF start-up that develops and produces miniaturized infrared sensors named Hertzstück for gas sensing, flame control, near-infrared spectroscopy, and consumer applications.
• InVigor
• Tinosorb

Products and services

• Tinosorb S (Bemotrizinol) A broad-spectrum UV filter providing UVB and UVA protection with absorption peaks at approximately 310nm and 340nm, offering exceptional photostability and the ability to stabilize other photo-unstable UV filters; sold as a UV-protection ingredient to sunscreen and personal-care manufacturers.
• InVigor Gold L322 Canola Seed A hybrid Brassica juncea canola seed for the 2027 U.S. season with earlier maturity, native pod shatter tolerance, and LibertyLink herbicide tolerance, designed to expand canola acreage into more arid regions; sold to canola growers and agricultural distributors.
• B2Last Bitumen Additive An innovative bitumen additive for road construction that enhances asphalt durability, reduces the carbon footprint of road works, and makes construction sites safer; sold to road builders, asphalt producers, and infrastructure contractors.

Quantifiable outcome

• North America accounts for approximately 26% of BASF's global sales (2025)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments15 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DSM Nutritional Products LLCcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 12 June 2026BASF received co-exclusive rights to market and sell Bemotrizinol (Tinosorb S) in the United States pursuant to a Supplemental License Agreement with DSM Nutritional Products LLC. During the FDA's 18-month exclusivity period, BASF can market BEMT for use in sunscreen products manufactured in or imported into the United States.
• ArvacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2026BASF and Arva announced strategic collaboration to deliver a pathway for farmers and biofuel producers to benefit from the 45Z biofuel tax credit. This partnership enables agricultural producers to access tax incentives for sustainable biofuel production.
• BP Energy Retail CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 202615-year agreement with BP Energy Retail Company to acquire Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) linked to approximately 47 MW capacity from Swift Current Energy's Castle Gap Wind project in Central Texas. Supports Scope 2 emissions reduction at US sites.
• Swift Current EnergyminorOthersRenewable energy provider whose Castle Gap Wind project in Central Texas provides approximately 47 MW of capacity for BASF's renewable energy certificates through BP agreement.
• TotalEnergiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture steam cracker operation in Port Arthur, Texas - one of the world's largest steam crackers. Historical partnership established in 1958 as Dow Badische Chemical Company.
• Dow Chemical CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical joint venture in 1958 (Dow Badische Chemical Company) to establish first BASF manufacturing site in US after World War II in Freeport, Texas with $7 million investment.
• Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBASF and Stanford deepen an eight-year collaboration exchanging expertise to drive catalyst breakthroughs and translate research into real-world applications.
• Harvard UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnerships for R&D collaborations enabling solutions for evolving customer needs.
• University of California SystemminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnerships for R&D collaborations enabling solutions for evolving customer needs.
• Chattanooga State Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership delivering TECH Academy program - week-long immersive program introducing students to technical and craft careers through hands-on skills training and facility tours.
• River Parishes Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership hosting TECH Academy in Louisiana at RPCC facilities for workforce development and technical career exploration.
• John H. CarterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTECH Academy partner providing facility tours and industry exposure for students exploring manufacturing careers.
• Ascension Welding and FabricationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTECH Academy partner providing industry access for students in Louisiana workforce development program.
• NASA Stennis Space CenterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTECH Academy partner providing facility tours for students exploring technical career opportunities.
• KomatsuminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTECH Academy partner in Chattanooga providing facility tours for students exploring manufacturing and technology careers.
• Branch TechnologyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTECH Academy partner in Chattanooga showcasing construction technology innovation.
• Chattanooga BakeryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTECH Academy partner in Chattanooga providing food production industry exposure.
• TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTECH Academy partner in Chattanooga providing infrastructure and energy industry exposure.

Scale indicators23 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Covestro: Covestro is a leading producer of MDI, TDI, and polyurethanes — directly competing with BASF's MDI franchise (the focus of BASF's $1B Geismar expansion). Highly comparable on raw materials, customer base (construction, automotive, furniture), and technology stack.
• Dow Inc. Dow is a global materials science company producing commodity plastics, intermediates, and performance chemicals — overlapping with BASF's Chemicals, Materials, and Industrial Solutions segments. BASF and Dow have a historical joint venture (Dow Badische) and share Freeport, TX steam cracker operations via the Port Arthur joint venture with TotalEnergies.
• LyondellBasell Industries: LyondellBasell is one of the world's largest plastics, chemicals, and refining companies, with major U.S. Gulf Coast operations that overlap directly with BASF's polyolefins, intermediates, and refining-adjacent chemistries. Comparable scale and customer base in packaging, automotive, and construction.
• Lanxess: Lanxess is a German specialty chemicals company focused on additives, intermediates, and consumer protection chemistries — directly competing with BASF's Industrial Solutions and specialty additives businesses serving rubber, plastics, and agriculture.
• Evonik Industries: Evonik is a German-headquartered specialty chemicals company with strong overlap in personal care ingredients, additives, and high-performance materials — direct competition in Care Chemicals and Specialty Additives where BASF operates.
• Solvay: Solvay (post-Syensqo separation) remains a specialty chemicals player with overlapping offerings in advanced materials, soda ash, and silica — comparable to BASF in performance additives and industrial intermediates for automotive, electronics, and consumer goods.
• DuPont de Nemours: DuPont operates specialty materials, electronics, and water-protection businesses that overlap with BASF's Performance Materials, Electronics, and Care Chemicals segments. Both serve automotive, electronics, and industrial customers with high-performance, application-engineered chemistries.

Broad incumbents

• SABIC: SABIC is a Saudi-headquartered petrochemicals giant producing olefins, aromatics, and specialty plastics — competing with BASF in petrochemical feedstocks and intermediates, particularly in Asia where SABIC has invested heavily via its Saudi Aramco parentage.
• Mitsubishi Chemical Group: Mitsubishi Chemical is one of Japan's largest diversified chemical companies with overlapping portfolios in specialty materials, performance polymers, and industrial chemicals — competing with BASF in automotive, electronics, and healthcare intermediates across Asia and globally.

Regional players

• Sinopec (China Petrochemical Corporation): Sinopec is China's largest petrochemical and chemical producer and a key domestic competitor to BASF's Zhanjiang Verbund site. Overlaps heavily with BASF in olefins, aromatics, intermediates, and polymers for the Chinese market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/basf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BASF (CHINA)