Producer
BASF SE
World's largest chemical company by revenue; dominant Western producer of food-grade sodium nitrite. BASF expanded sodium nitrite production capacity in Germany specifically to meet growing demand for high-purity pharmaceutical and food applications. Primary production at Ludwigshafen (world's largest contiguous chemical complex). Also produces sodium nitrite catalysts, sulfuric acid, and intermediates for pharmaceutical synthesis. BASF sells food-grade sodium nitrite to meat processors globally through distribution networks and third-party channels.
40
Inputs supplied
32
Goods downstream
9
Facilities
0
Stories
What they make
40 inputs BASF SE supplies
Click an input to see every good that depends on it, every country that produces it, and every other company in the supply chain.
manufactured
Polysulfone (PSU) / Polyethersulfone (PES) Resin →
chemical
Acrylic / Styrene-Acrylic Polymer Emulsion →
chemical
N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP) Solvent →
chemical
Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) Surfactant →
chemical
Viral Inactivation Reagents (Solvent/Detergent) →
chemical
Ethylene Oxide (EO) →
chemical
DEF/AdBlue (Diesel Exhaust Fluid, 32.5% Urea Solution) →
chemical
Food-Grade Sodium Nitrite / Nitrate (Curing Agent) →
chemical
Ferric Chloride (PCB Etching / Water Treatment) →
pharmaceutical
Ibuprofen API →
chemical
Amine Desulfurization Chemicals →
chemical
Butyl Acetate (pharma grade) →
chemical
Cold Flow Improver Additives →
chemical
Cosmetic Emulsifiers & Film-Formers →
mineral
Cosmetic Mica / Pearlescent Pigment →
mineral
Cosmetic-Grade Micronized Zinc Oxide (UV) →
chemical
Energy-Absorbing Foam (EPS/EPP, Car Seat) →
chemical
Ethylene Oxide (EO) →
chemical
Flexible Polyurethane Foam (Cushioning) →
chemical
Flotation Reagents (Beneficiation) →
chemical
Food Fortification Minerals (Iron/Zinc) →
manufactured
Footwear Rubber/TPU Outsole Compound →
chemical
Glycol Ethers (2-Butoxyethanol / Propylene Glycol Methyl Ether) →
chemical
HDPE Resin Wicker →
chemical
Menthol (Natural & Synthetic L-Menthol) →
mineral
Nickel-based Reforming Catalyst →
chemical
Organic UV Filters (Avobenzone/Octocrylene/Homosalate) →
chemical
PVC Film for IV Bags →
chemical
PVC Solvent Cement & Primer →
chemical
Polysulfone and PVDF polymer (membrane substrate) →
chemical
Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) Hydrophilicity Modifier →
chemical
Propylene Glycol (PG) →
chemical
Propylene Glycol Humectant (Personal Care Grade) →
chemical
Rigid Polyurethane Foam Insulation →
chemical
SBR Carpet Backing Latex →
chemical
Sodium Nitrite (Bacon / Ham Curing) →
chemical
Surfactant Emulsifiers & Adjuvants →
chemical
TDI / MDI Isocyanates (Polyurethane Foam Chemicals) →
chemical
Viscoelastic Memory Foam →
pharmaceutical
Vitamins A & E (Fat-Soluble, Bulk) →
Where it shows up
Goods downstream
Essential goods that depend on something BASF SE makes, pick one to see the full supply chain.
Health
Antibiotics →
Health
Blood products →
Food
Breakfast cereal & grains →
Logistics
Chlorine and water treatment chemicals →
Home
Cleaning and sanitation supplies →
Home
Cosmetics & makeup →
Health
Dialysis supplies →
Materials
Footwear →
Materials
Furniture →
Energy
Gasoline and diesel →
Materials
Home appliances →
Energy
Home heating oil →
Health
IV fluids →
Logistics
Industrial gases →
Home
Mattresses & bedding →
Health
OTC medicines →
Health
Oral care →
Home
Outdoor & patio furniture →
Materials
Paint and architectural coatings →
Home
Personal care and hygiene →
Agriculture
Pesticides and herbicides →
Materials
Plumbing pipes and fittings →
Food
Pork and pork products →
Agriculture
Potash and phosphate fertilizers →
Food
Processed meats and deli →
Home
Razors & shaving →
Home
Rugs & carpets →
Home
Strollers, car seats & baby gear →
Health
Sunscreen & sun care →
Health
Topical and dermatology Rx products →
Health
Vitamins & dietary supplements →
Water
Water filters and purification →
Where they make it
9 facilities
BASF Bishop TX Ibuprofen Plant →
USTexas · manufacturing
BASF's primary North American ibuprofen API production; uses BHC Green Chemistry 4-step process (1992) reducing raw material waste by 60% vs. original Boots synthesis. Acquired from Hoechst Celanese 1995.
BASF Geismar — Kollidon (PVP) Plant →
USLouisiana · manufacturing
The U.S. cGMP Kollidon production site (pharma.basf.com).
BASF Grenzach UV-Filter Plant →
DEBaden-Württemberg · chemical_plant
BASF Care Chemicals UV-filter (Tinosorb/Uvinul) production; capacity expanded per 2019 announcement.
BASF Ludwigshafen Chemical Complex — Germany →
DERhineland-Palatinate · manufacturing
World's largest contiguous chemical manufacturing complex (~10km²; 200+ production plants). BASF produces food-grade and pharmaceutical-grade sodium nitrite here, with expanded capacity specifically for high-purity applications. The Verbund concept means all BASF chemical plants share feedstocks, energy, and infrastructure on one campus — making Ludwigshafen the single most critical chemical production site in the world by product diversity.
BASF Ludwigshafen Citral Complex →
DERhineland-Palatinate · chemical_plant
Citral/isophytol → vitamins A & E; 31 Oct 2017 fire triggered global vitamin A/E force majeure.
BASF Ludwigshafen L-Menthol Plant →
DERhineland-Palatinate · chemical_plant
Citral-route L-menthol; announced 2011 as world-largest synthetic menthol plant.
BASF Ludwigshafen — Kollidon (PVP) Plant →
DERhineland-Palatinate · manufacturing
Birthplace of PVP (BASF lab, 1929). One of three global cGMP Kollidon sites (pharma.basf.com).
BASF Shanghai — Kollidon (PVP) Plant →
CNShanghai · manufacturing
One of three cGMP Kollidon production sites (Asia) (pharma.basf.com).
BASF Verbund Site — Ludwigshafen →
DERhineland-Palatinate · headquarters
World's largest integrated chemical complex (Verbund concept); corporate HQ; produces specialty chemicals, MDI, and specialty pharma APIs alongside commodity chemicals.
What else they do
Business segments
The company's full revenue map, where this supply-chain role fits within their broader business.
Chemicals (Petrochemicals + Intermediates)
18%Agricultural Solutions (BASF Crop Protection)
20%Materials (Polyurethanes + Plastics)
20%Nutrition, Care & Vitamins
12%Surface Technologies + Battery Materials
30%
Intelligence
What's known
Sourced claims about this company's role in supply chains, chokepoints, concentration, incidents, dual-use connections.
Did you know2025
BASF simultaneously produces sulfuric acid AND the vanadium pentoxide catalysts used in the Contact Process to manufacture sulfuric acid globally. Nearly every H2SO4 plant in the world uses a Contact Process catalyst — and BASF (under the brand name O4-115 and others) is one of the leading suppliers of these catalysts. BASF is therefore both a direct H2SO4 producer and an indirect enabler of almost all other H2SO4 production. Additionally, BASF is investing in semiconductor-grade ultra-pure H2SO4 production (Ludwigshafen, operational 2027) for the chip manufacturing industry — the same chemical at different purity levels serves both global agriculture (fertilizer) and global electronics (semiconductors).
BASF SE ↗Origin2023
BASF's origins connect to the most consequential chemical innovation in human history: the Haber-Bosch process for industrial nitrogen fixation. Fritz Haber (chemist, University of Karlsruhe) demonstrated laboratory-scale ammonia synthesis from hydrogen and nitrogen in 1909. Carl Bosch (BASF engineer) scaled it to commercial production — overcoming massive engineering challenges with high-pressure reactor design, catalyst selection, and heat management. BASF opened the world's first industrial Haber-Bosch plant in Oppau in 1913. The process enabled synthetic nitrogen fertilizer at the scale needed to support modern agriculture. Without Haber-Bosch ammonia, the global food system could support approximately 4 billion fewer people than currently live — roughly half of today's 8 billion humans owe their existence to the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen synthetically. Fritz Haber was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1918. BASF, founded in 1865 in Ludwigshafen as a dye company, became the commercial vehicle for the invention that transformed humanity's relationship with food production.
BASF SE ↗