On February 4, 2025, the US imposed a 10% tariff on imports of all products from China, which included polymers and fabricated plastic products. US imports of polymers from China are small but there are large imports of fabricated plastic products. China countered with tariffs on imports from US of LNG and other products, but not on the large volumes of polymer shipped to China from the US.

A number of fabricated plastic products can be identified in global trade by specific polymer. Based on the volumes reported by the US from China in 2024, the highest volume fabricated product imports were: polyethylene and polypropylene sacks/bags; PE, PP and PVC plates/sheets/film; PVC floor/wall coverings. The US also imported large volumes of products of mixed polymer origin, including numerous household and industrial articles. (Volumes shown are understated because they include only imports reported by weight, not by count.)

From the US Polymer Trade Report, a monthly summary of US trade in all grades of commodity polymers – PE, PP, PS, PVC, PET – recyclable polymers, and, fabricated plastic products. ITP also publishes continuously updated World Trade Analyses, covering global trade and based on statistics from all available countries, for: PE Sacks/Bags; PE, PP, PS, PC, PET, PMMA and PVC film/sheet; PVC Floor/Wall Coverings.