Despite typical declines in October, China’s imports of virgin and scrap commodity polymers and exports of fabricated plastic products are up 5-6% year to date.

The National Holiday in October 2012 resulted in a slump in virgin and scrap polymer imports and also in exports of numerous fabricated plastic products. The declines during the month, however, were not as steep as evident in the last three years.

Year to date through October, China’s imports of virgin commodity polymers, including polymers of ethylene, propylene, styrene, VCM and PET, are up 5%. Imports of scrap and waste commodity polymers are up 6%. Exports of the more than 6 million tons per year of fabricated plastic products monitored directly have been at record levels for several months and show a year to date gain of 8%.

The last two months of the year are likely to see a rebound in import volumes, the magnitude of which will be a strong indicator of demand in the country.

This information is from The China Polymer Trade Report which follows trade flows for all of the above and clarifies trends that are specific to a particular product or reflective of broader factors.