Carbon black is essentially an elemental carbon in a form different from diamond, cokes, charcoal and graphite. It consists of spherical like particles and is manufactured by the incomplete combustion of a heavy aromatic feedstock in a hot flame of (preheated) air and natural gas:

The primary units of carbon black are aggregates, which are formed when particles collide and fuse together in the combustion zone of the reactor. Several of those aggregates may be held together by weak forces to form agglomerates. These agglomerates will break down during mixing into rubber, so the aggregates are the smallest ultimate dispersible unit of carbon black. The difference between primary particle, aggregate and agglomerate is presented below:

All Cabot carbon blacks are produced using the Oil Furnace process, in which feedstock is injected into a hot gas flame zone in an enclosed reactor. A simplified schematic picture of the Oil Furnace reactor is shown in the next figure:

A broad range of carbon black types can be made by controlled manipulation of the reactor conditions. The carbon black formation reaction in the furnace is controlled by steam or water spray. The carbon black particles produced are conveyed through the reactor, cooled and continuously collected via filters. A simplified schematic picture of the carbon black overall process is shown below: