Method for producing (meth) acrylic acid esters

A process for preparing (meth)acrylic esters, which comprises:

• reacting (meth)acrylic acid with a C4-C12-alkanol in the presence of sulfuric acid or a mono-C4-C12-alkyl sulfate as a catalyst, wherein
• a) the reaction is carried out in an esterification unit which comprises a first reactor and at least one further reactor,
• b) a mixture of (meth)acrylic acid, C4-C12-alkanol and catalyst which contains not more than 5% by weight of water, based on the sum of the starting materials, is introduced into the first reactor,
• c) the esterification in the first reactor is conducted without removing ester, alkanol or water to a (meth)acrylic acid conversion of at least 40%, but only so far that the mixture remains a single phase, and
• d) the esterification is continued in the at least one further reactor with the water formed being removed by distillation until the amount of residual alcohol in the reaction medium is at most 5%.