Stats: Türkiye’s Q1 polymer imports up 6% year over year

ChemOrbis Stats Wizard data revealed that the total polymer imports of Türkiye were up by 3% in Q1 2025 from the prior quarter and stood at slightly above 1.5 million tons. The volume was also up by 6% from Q1 2024, when imports were 1.4 million tons. In January-February, Saudi Arabia (292,000 tons), the USA (216,000 tons), South Korea (159,000 tons), Egypt (95,000 tons), and Iran (54,000 tons) were the top five suppliers.

Compared with Q1 last year, Saudi Arabia’s market share rose from 17% to 19% while the USA raised its share from 12% to 14%. South Korea’s share in total polymer imports was up from 7% to 11%, putting the country in third place compared to fifth in Q1 2024. Egypt’s share was flat at 6%, while Iran’s market share was down by 1% to 6%. Compared to the same quarter of 2024, Russia faced a 5% drop in its share, putting the country in sixth place this year.

For detailed figures on tonnage and more, visit ChemOrbis Stats Wizard.

PPH: Russia sees a 15% slump in market share    

Q1 homo-PP imports totaled 465,000 tons, down by 7% from Q4 2024. Yet, the figure surged by 21% year on year. Saudi Arabia remained the largest supplier with 166,000 tons, lifting its market share by 8% to 36% compared to Q1 2024.

South Korea overtook Russia’s place and became the second biggest source with 76,000 tons. The country’s share rose from 7% to 16% compared to the same period of last year. Egypt was the third largest supply source with 57,000 tons, maintaining a 12% share in total imports. Meanwhile, Russia exported 35,000 tons of PPH to Türkiye in Q1 as the fourth supplier in the list, seeing its share plunge from 23% to 8%.

PP Copolymer: South Korea dethrones S. Arabia    

Türkiye’s Q1 PP copolymer imports stood at 113,000 tons, indicating a 4% loss quarter on quarter. The figure was up by 2% from Q1 2024, meanwhile. South Korea (25,000 tons), Saudi Arabia (24,000 tons), and Belgium (16,000 tons) were the top three sellers. South Korea overtook Saudi Arabia’s place, lifting its share from 14% to 22% year over year. At the same time, Saudi Arabia’s market share saw a 5% increase. Belgium’s share was down by 1% on the year, as a side note.

PVC: Highest volume since Q3 2023    

Imports of PVC hit their highest quarterly volume since Q3 2023 in the first quarter of 2025. Standing at 261,000 tons, the figure soared by 34% from Q4 2024 and 9% from Q1 2024, ChemOrbis Stats Wizard further suggested.

In Q1 2025, the USA was Türkiye’s top PVC supplier with 75,000 tons of sales, while the country lifted its share from 20% to 29% year-over-year. France (31,000 tons) remained in the second spot in the list of top suppliers, although its share was down by 3% to 12%. It was followed by Egypt (26,000 tons), with the country’s share decreasing from 11% to 10%.

LDPE: Iran falls behind in the list with a 10% drop in share    

Türkiye imported 91,000 tons of LDPE in the first quarter of this year, down by 3% from the previous quarter and 51% from Q1 2024. Spain (12,000 tons) was the largest supplier, lifting its share by 2% to 13% on the year. It dethroned Iran, whose market share plunged from 14% to 4%, putting the country in the tenth spot in the list of LDPE suppliers.

Spain was followed by Saudi Arabia (10,000 tons), with the country raising its share from 8% to 11% on the year. The US (8,000 tons) was the third largest LDPE supplier, although the country’s market share was down by 1% to 9% compared to Q1 2024.

LLDPE: US and S. Arabia remain on top, yet lose share on year

Q1 LLDPE imports were reported at 157,000 tons, down by 18% from the last quarter of 2024. Meanwhile, the figure showed a gain of 4% year on year. The US was the biggest seller with 55,000 tons, followed by Saudi Arabia (34,000 tons) and Iran (21,000 tons). The US and Saudi Arabia faced 2% and 3% losses, respectively, in their market shares, yearly. Iran’s share in total imports was up by 2% to 13%, meanwhile.

MLLDPE: UAE advances from 3rd to 2nd in list of top sellers

Q1 imports of mLLDPE edged down by 1% on the quarter and declined by 4% on the year to about 33,000 tons. The USA remained the top supplier with 14,000 tons, although its share eroded from 54% to 43%.

The UAE raised its share visibly from 8% to 16%, which put the country in second spot in the list, overtaking the Netherlands’ place, with 5,000 tons of mLLDPE sales to Türkiye. The country had been the third-largest seller in the same period of 2024.

The UAE was followed by the Netherlands (4,000 tons), with the country lifting its share by 2% to 11% on a yearly basis in Q1 2025.

HDPE: US overtakes S. Arabia’s place with a 9% gain in share

Türkiye’s HDPE imports in Q1 recorded a 23% increase from the prior quarter to stand at 269,000 tons, while they receded by 9% on the year. The US dethroned Saudi Arabia and became the top supplier with 61,000 tons, while lifting its share from 13% to 22%. Saudi Arabia ranked as the second largest supplier with 54,000 tons, while the country’s share was down from 22% to 20% in total HDPE imports. Iran also exported 54,000 tons of material to Türkiye, seeing a 1% fall in its share year over year.

Styrenics: PS volumes spike q-o-q, EPS and ABS move down

In January-March, PS imports spiked by 36% to 29,000 tons from the previous quarter. The volume represented a decrease of 23% from Q1 2024. Belgium, South Korea, and Iran were the top three sellers, with respective volumes of 9,000 tons, 7,000 tons, and 4,000 tons. Belgium saw a 3% gain in its market share while South Korea’s share was up steeply from 11% to 25% year-on-year. Iran’s share declined from 18% to 13%, bringing the country to the third spot in the list compared to second place in Q1 last year.

EPS imports in Q1 were down by 25% to slightly below 6,000 tons on a quarterly basis, which also indicated a 16% drop yearly. Iran, Austria, and China were the main supply sources, all with 1,000 tons of sales to Türkiye.

Türkiye’s Q1 ABS imports at almost 29,000 tons pointed to a 16% slump from Q4 2024. The figure also retreated by 7% year over year. South Korea remained by far the biggest supplier with 18,000 tons, raising its share by 1% to 61% yearly. It was followed by Saudi Arabia and Taiwan, both with 3,000 tons. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s market share rose to 10% compared to 6% in Q1 2024, when the country had ranked as the fourth largest supplier.

PET: Both bottle and textile indicate notable gains over the year

PET bottle imports edged up by 1% to 25,000 tons in the first three months of 2025 on a quarterly basis, while the volume posted a dramatic increase compared to the same period of 2024. China, Egypt, and Malaysia were the top suppliers, with shares of 67%, 16%, and 6%, respectively.

As for PET textile, the total Q1 imports stood at 23,000 tons and indicated a 24% jump from the previous quarter. The figure pointed to a larger hike of 58% year-on-year. China and Malaysia were the top two suppliers, with 64% and 15% shares, respectively. India raised its share from 4% to 9% compared to the same period of last year, becoming the third biggest supplier of Türkiye.