Imports of crude naphthalene in 1937 amounted to 52,664,277 pounds valued at $1,133,157, or 2.2 cents per pound.
World production.
The output of naphthalene in the principal producing countries, in 1933 and 1935, is shown in table [35]. Most of these statistics were estimated from the output of tar or of other distillation products given in official reports of the countries or in consular reports.
The figures in table [35] indicate that the output in 1935 was an increase of about 100 million pounds over 1933 or 41 percent. Notwithstanding this sharp increase in world production, consumers had difficulty in obtaining their requirements. It is believed that the world output in 1937 substantially exceeded that in 1935.
Table 35.—Naphthalene (all grades): World production, by countries, 1933 and 1935
| [In thousands of pounds] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Country | 1933 | 1935 |
| Germany | 109,148 | 145,530 |
| Great Britain | 45,750 | 155,000 |
| UNITED STATES | 30,620 | 47,653 |
| France | 30,000 | 133,000 |
| Netherlands | 115,000 | 115,000 |
| Belgium | 11,025 | 125,000 |
| Czechoslovakia | 6,835 | 10,805 |
| U. S. S. R. | 110,000 | 115,000 |
| Poland | 15,000 | 18,000 |
| Spain | 11,250 | 12,000 |
| Italy | 12,500 | 13,000 |
| Canada | 12,000 | 13,000 |
| Total | 269,128 | 362,988 |
1 Estimated.
Source: Official statistics of the several countries and consular reports.
Germany.—Germany is the largest producer of naphthalene and the third largest producer of coal tar. With increased production of coal tar and intensive efforts to recover the maximum of naphthalene there has been a larger output of naphthalene in recent years, but increased consumption has created a scarcity in Germany as in all other important producing countries. As a result, greatly reduced quantities are available for export, a situation that is in marked contrast to earlier periods when superabundant production created a marketing problem. The manufacture of phthalic anhydride for alkyd resins is requiring increased quantities of naphthalene.