Asia-Pacific shipments of styrene monomer surged. Exports of general purpose and expandable polystyrene also expanded but ABS was down.

ITP projects Middle East total exports of styrene (including intra-regional trade) of 707,000 tons through September 2026, down 53%, a loss of over 800,000 tons from September 2025 YTD. Saudi Arabia, the main supplier in the region, declared force majeure in March on exports of styrene, methanol, glycols and ethanolamine. (ICIS)

Part of the decline in styrene from the Middle East was offset by strong Asia-Pacific shipments of 1.6 million tons, up 53%, an increase of 560,000 tons. Most of this was monomer from China exported within the Asia-Pacific region, but sizable volumes also were shipped to Europe.

The Middle East does not export large volumes of styrenic polymers. Asia-Pacific exports of polymers, however, surged. Again, this was mainly increased volumes out of China; polymer exports from most other countries in the region were down.

ITP projects Asia-Pacific exports of general purpose PS up 6% through September, to 1.3 million tons, noting increased intra-regional trade and also higher shipments to Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Exports of expandable PS are projected up 10%, to 0.6 million tons, also on higher intra-regional trade and gains to Eastern Europe and Latin America.

Asia-Pacific exports of ABS are projected down 3%, to 2.1 million tons, from a complex interplay of supply/demand factors noting, especially, weak demand in the automotive sector in Europe (S&P Global) and North America (TaiKuo Plastic):

From International Trader Publications’ World Trade Analyses on styrene monomer and styrenic polymers, continuously updated analyses based on latest statistics from all reporting countries.