PS Prices and News

China’s comeback: What’s in store for polymer markets after the break? by Merve Sezgün
Chinese polymer players are stepping away from their desks this week as the country observes the National Day holiday. Despite the seasonal optimism brought by ‘Golden September, Silver October,’ demand recovery across most polymer segments has fallen short of expectations. Prices have struggled to gain momentum due to persistent oversupply, weaker international demand, and a sluggish domestic economy... 30-09-2024

Stats: EU27’s H1 2024 polymer imports down on year; PVC sees sharpest decline by Manolya Tufan
H1 2024 polymer imports to the EU27 from extra-union partners fell by 6% compared to the same period of 2023. Total polymer imports in the first half declined to around 4.7 million tons, marking the lowest volume since 2021... 02-09-2024

Stats: Türkiye’s overall polymer imports down by 7% in H1 on year by Merve Madakbaşı
According to ChemOrbis Stats Wizard Pro, cumulative polymer imports in January-June eroded by 7% to 2.9 million tons from the same period in 2023. The fall came in tandem with macroeconomic struggles at home, let alone the adverse impact of a shipping turmoil that has pervaded the markets since late last year. In H1, Saudi Arabia (586,831 tons), the USA (384,204 tons), South Korea (265,221 tons), Russia (236,652 tons) and Egypt (175,667 tons) were the primary polymer suppliers, with respective market shares of 20%, 13%, 9%, 8% and 6%... 23-08-2024

Slack demand dominates polymers ahead of Eid al-Adha, yet freight support still intact in Türkiye by Merve Madakbaşı
Prices for most polymers defied the lower upstream chain in June as successive increases in shipping costs amid logistic hurdles provided sellers with leverage to lift their prices. Yet, ebbing demand has come to the fore recently, outweighing supply curtailments and capping larger price hikes... 14-06-2024

Europe’s polymer markets impervious to surging freight rates amid weak fundamentals by Manolya Tufan
Regional polymer markets are torn between rising shipping costs and subdued market fundamentals as June approaches. The sentiment for most polymers has barely changed given chronic adversities, even though import prices saw some increases driven by surging freight costs. We will delve into the reasons behind the polymer markets’ indifference to the soaring ocean freight rates and accompanying import supply disruptions... 30-05-2024
Polystyrene (PS) is formed by the polymerization of styrene feedstock. As styrene is formed by adding ethylene into the benzene feedstock, benzene and ethylene prices are also taken into consideration, in addition to styrene while examining the production costs of PS.
There are two types of PS, namely GPPS and HIPS. These are divided into subgroups as injection and extrusion. While plastic hangers, protective foam, disposable cutlery, CD boxes are made of GPPS, HIPS is used in white goods and electronics.
The world's largest PS buyer is again China by a long way. As of 2020, China alone carries out 35% of global imports. It was followed by Malaysia and Germany, with 6% and 5% shares, respectively. Taiwan ranks first among the top PS importers list, followed by Belgium and France.
ChemOrbis Polystyrene (PS) prices and Plastics News section contain information on the market trends, as well as supply-demand factors and production costs that determine the pricing, statistics on imports and exports, along with maintenance shutdowns, restarts, and new capacities related to PS facilities.
Products:
GPPS injection, GPPS extrusion, HIPS injection, HIPS extrusion, EPS black/grey (inflammable), EPS white (inflammable), EPS white (regular)