Abstract: For co-production of metaxylene and paraxylene from a feedstock (line-4) of hydrocarbons, there is employed a simulated moving bed chromatographic column 5 having at least five zones and which delivers an extract, a raffinate and an intermediate raffinate. The feedstock has an ethylbenzene content of less than 5% by weight, and the chromatographic column comprises at least twenty-five beds, of which at least five beds are in zone 3B. The raffinate is distilled (31) to recover the metaxylene at a purity of at least 99% and orthoxylene. The extract is distilled (7, 10) to recover the paraxylene at a purity of at least 99.6%. The recovered isomers can be synthesized into isophthalic acid and terephthalic acid.