Steep Drop In US Exports of Polypropylene in April 2020

US exports of polypropylene, combined homopolymer and copolymer, dropped by 54,000 tons from March to April, mainly on lower volumes to Mexico and Canada.

For most of 2019, US exports had been roughly steady around 170,000 tons per month, ending the year up 10% on shipments of 2.0 million tons. Exports to Mexico and Canada accounted for nearly two-thirds of the US total last year and through April 2020.

The sudden decline in April, to 135,000 tons, was mainly because of lower volumes to Mexico and Canada. US exports YTD totaled 686,000 tons, up 7%.

From International Trader Publications’ United States Polymer Trade Report, a monthly analysis of US trade in all polymers of ethylene, propylene, styrene, VCM and PET, recycle polymers and fabricated plastic products.