Specialty chemicals are manufactured because of their performance or function. They can be single-chemical entities or formulations whose composition influences the performance and processing of the end product. Specialty chemistry produces these high-value chemicals, which are used in products vital to consumers and industry and subsequently serve a range of important markets including performance chemicals, 农用化学品和药品.
Unlike commodity chemicals which may have dozens of different applications, a specialty chemical only has one or two core applications. 在全球市场中, 有更多样化的特种化学品, while commodity chemicals make up the majority weight of product volume.
Due to their complex chemistries and narrow range of applications, specialty chemicals are typically manufactured using a batch process. This is not necessarily automated, and has a distinct beginning and end point for each batch. Commodity chemicals are generally produced using continuous processes.