Crude tall oil (CTO) is an oil extracted from pine wood or its by-products. It is a dark brown viscous mixture mainly composed of fatty acids, resin acids, and neutral substances. It is the product of acidification of pulp waste liquid (also known as black liquid soap) obtained from the production of pulp in sulfuric acid paper mills.

Crude tall oil is the raw material for producing refined tall oil. After fractionation to remove impurities such as water and saponification, refined tall oil is obtained. Refined tall oil is actually a mixture of tall oil fatty acids and tall oil rosin, which has a wide range of applications in industries such as paint, soap making, metalworking fluids, detergents, lubricants, adhesives, synthetic resins, etc.

Overview of Market Development

Crude tall oil, as an important industrial raw material, plays a crucial role in multiple industries. In recent years, driven by diversified application demands, technological innovation, and environmental policies, the global crude tall oil market has shown a steady growth trend. According to our research data, the estimated revenue size of the global crude tall oil market is $1145 million, an increase of 3.64% from 2023, and is expected to continue to increase to $1.752 billion by 2029. The CAGR for 2024-2029 is estimated to be 8.88%.

Segmented Market Analysis

From the perspective of product types, crude tall oil can be divided into three categories based on its source: softwood crude tall oil, mixed crude tall oil, and hardwood crude tall oil. Among them, softwood crude tall oil dominates the market, with an estimated market share of 89.61% in 2024.

Source: www.globalmarketmonitor.com

Market Analysis of Major Regions

From a regional perspective, the global crude tall oil market is dominated by North America and Europe, which account for over 80% of the global market. Among them, North America is the largest consumer market. Data shows that North American crude tall oil consumption is expected to reach 1001k tons in 2024, accounting for an estimated 41.19% of the global total consumption. In addition, the Asia Pacific region is also an important consumer market for crude tall oil, with an estimated consumption share of 12.84% in 2024 and continuously growing.

Regions	Consumption (K Tons)	Proportion
North America	1001	41.19%
Europe	976	40.17%
Asia Pacific	312	12.84%
South America	103	4.25%
Others	37	1.56%