Description of the Company and Basis of Presentation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Description of the Company and Basis of Presentation

Description of the Company and Basis of Presentation

Description of the Company

Celanese Corporation and its subsidiaries (collectively, the "Company") is a global technology and specialty materials company. The Company’s business involves processing chemical raw materials, such as methanol, carbon monoxide and ethylene, and natural products, including wood pulp, into value-added chemicals, thermoplastic polymers and other chemical-based products.

In conjunction with the Company's focus on the Celanese brand, the names of the Company's reporting units have changed to engineered materials (formerly Advanced Engineered Materials), cellulose derivatives (formerly Acetate Products), food ingredients (formerly Nutrinova), emulsion polymers (formerly Emulsions), EVA polymers (formerly EVA Performance Polymers) and intermediate chemistry (formerly Acetyl Intermediates). There has been no change to the names or composition of the Company's business segments.

Definitions

In this Annual Report on Form 10-K ("Annual Report"), the term "Celanese" refers to Celanese Corporation, a Delaware corporation, and not its subsidiaries. The term "Celanese US" refers to the Company's subsidiary, Celanese US Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and not its subsidiaries.

Basis of Presentation

The consolidated financial statements contained in this Annual Report were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("US GAAP") for all periods presented. The consolidated financial statements and other financial information included in this Annual Report, unless otherwise specified, have been presented to separately show the effects of discontinued operations.

In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into contracts and agreements relative to a number of topics, including acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, supply agreements, product sales and other arrangements. The Company endeavors to describe those contracts or agreements that are material to its business, results of operations or financial position. The Company may also describe some arrangements that are not material but in which the Company believes investors may have an interest or which may have been included in a Form 8-K filing. Investors should not assume the Company has described all contracts and agreements relative to the Company’s business in this Annual Report.

For those consolidated subsidiaries in which the Company's ownership is less than 100%, the outside stockholders' interests are shown as noncontrolling interests.

The Company has reclassified certain prior period amounts to conform to the current period’s presentation.