Low-value mixed butanes are processed to obtain a high yield of high-purity para-xylene. Processing steps may comprise fractionation to recover isobutane, dehydrogenation of the isobutane to isobutene, dimerization of the isobutene to obtain C.sub.8 iso-olefins and isoparaffins, aromatization of the dimerized C.sub.8 product, and recovery of high-purity para-xylene from the dimerized product by low-intensity crystallization. The availability of isobutane may be increased by isomerization of normal butane. Each of the processing steps may be tailored to the overall objective of high para-xylene yield from a relatively inexpensive feedstock.