EIA: Butane exports follow propane into record territory

U.S. propane exports have hit new highs in recent years. Now, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), butane is following suit.

The United States is exporting record volumes of normal butane as global demand for liquefied petroleum gases (LPG) surges. U.S. normal butane exports averaged nearly 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2024, a 12 percent increase from the previous year, and have increased every year since 2006, EIA reports.

Butane, similar to propane, is used residentially and commercially as a fuel, primarily for cooking, EIA explains. It’s also used as a gasoline blend stock during the winter and as a base chemical to make rubbers and plastics. Butane can also be converted to isobutane through isomerization, a key process for producing high-octane gasoline components.

The United States is the largest butane exporter in the world, with 41 percent of U.S. butane headed to Asia and 36 percent to Africa, according to EIA.

Propane exports

While U.S. butane exports have increased every year since 2006, U.S. propane exports have increased every year since 2007, EIA also reports.

U.S. propane exports averaged a record 1.8 million bpd in 2024, the most since EIA began collecting this data in 1973.

The growth has been driven by higher demand in East Asia, mainly China, and a widening propane price differential between U.S. and global benchmarks.

U.S. propane exports surpassed 2 million bpd in November 2024 for the first time, as petrochemical and space heating demand in Asia increased, EIA notes.