What are Specialty Chemicals?

Most chemicals are categorized in one of two groups: commodity chemicals, and specialty chemicals. Commodity chemicals are those that are produced in vast quantities, and are fairly basic and inexpensive to produce. These tend to be produced in a plant that produces enormous amounts of just one or two different chemicals.

Specialty chemicals are somewhat different, in that most specialty chemical manufacturers tend to produce much smaller amounts of their products. These specialty chemicals tend to be more expensive than their commodity counterparts (in part due to the effects of economies of scale), and are used less frequently for more specific and refined purposes. Specialty chemicals include inert greases, oils, and waxes, chemicals used in laboratories, water treatment chemicals, epoxies and resins, food additives, pharmaceuticals, and photographic chemicals.