Asia-Pacific was the world’s largest exporter of all of these engineering polymers in 2024 and volumes were up from the prior year, especially for PET. Asia-Pacific was also the world’s largest importer of polyacetals, polycarbonates and PMMA. Trade flows shifted markedly for both exports and imports.
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North America’s ABS, SAN, Polyacetal, Polycarbonate, PMMA and PET Trade in 2024: Key Trends and Regional Shifts
North America exported sizable volumes of polycarbonates, polyacetals, ABS and PET film/fiber grade in 2024 and imported large volumes of bottle and film/fiber grade PET, and ABS.
Continue readingChina Imposes Anti-dumping Duties on Imports of Polyacetals from US, EU, Japan, and Taiwan
On May 18, 2025 China set a rate of 74.9% on imports of polyacetals from the US, 34.5% on imports from EU, and varying rates on imports from Japan and Taiwan. Imports from Japan were set a duty of 35.5%, except for Asahi Kasei, with a company-specific rate of 24.5%; imports from Taiwan were at 32.6%, except for Formosa Plastics, at 4%, and Polyplastics, at 3.8%.
Continue readingChina’s Polymer Trade in April 2025: Record Exports, Low Imports, Huge Challenges Ahead
Following the traditional Chinese New Year slowdown in February, China’s exports of all the commodity polymers – PE, PP, PVC, Styrenics, and PET – rebounded to record levels in March and continued strong in April. Exports of fabricated products also were high. Imports were flat. Major headwinds are expected to impact exports in the coming months.
Continue readingThe US Eyes Tougher Sanctions on Countries Importing Iranian Petrochemicals
While US sanctions currently target specific companies that facilitate exports of Iranian oil, Washington is weighing a broader move: sanctions on countries that import Iranian petrochemicals. This potential escalation could impact ethylene glycol, methanol, polyethylene, and liquefied butane and propane gases, among others, with wide-ranging implications for global trade flows. Iranian export statistics show China as the largest destination for these products. Volumes do not, however, correlate with China’s import statistics.
Continue readingChina Exported Record Volumes of PE, PP, PS, PVC, and PET in March 2025. Shipments of Fabricated Plastic Products Also Surged. Imports Remained Low.
China’s exports of commodity polymers have surged each March in 2021 – 2025 following the Chinese New Year slowdown in February. March of 2025 was the highest volume ever recorded, new capacity and an uncertain trade environment adding to the strong growth trend from 2024.
Continue readingAfrica’s ABS, SAN, Polyacetal, Polycarbonate, PMMA and PET Trade in 2024: Key Trends and Regional Shifts
Africa’s only sizable exports of engineering polymers are PET.
The region’s imports of PET are much larger. The region also imports small volumes of ABS, SAN, Polyacetal, PC, and PMMA.
Continue readingUS-China Polyethylene Tariffs: History, Market Effects, and New Developments
In 2018, the US imposed tariffs on Chinese goods and China retaliated with a 25% tariff on PE imports from the US. This caused a drop in China’s imports from US in 2019 but this was followed by a resurgence in mid-2020 through mid-2021, aided in part by Covid-19-related demand. Imports from the US slowed in 2021 as China expanded capacity, but volumes began climbing again and reached a peak in 2023 at 2.8 million tons. This slowed to 2.6 million tons in 2024. From 2022 through 2024 China’s total annual imports were steady, roughly around 17 million tons per year. The increased US share of the total was at the expense of reduced supplies from the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Further declines in China’s PE imports from the US are likely in 2025 because of new tariffs and expanding capacity in China.
Continue readingKorea Increased PE, PP, and Styrenic Polymer Exports in a Difficult Trade Environment in 2024 by Shifting Export Destinations; PVC and PET Shipments Contracted
Competition from China and depressed demand globally made 2024 a particularly challenging year.
In 2024 Korea exported 4.5 million tons of ethylene polymers (all grades), up 1%; 3.8 million tons of propylene polymers, up 9%; 1.9 million tons of styrenic polymers, up 4%; 0.7 million tons of PVC, down 7%; and 0.8 million tons of PET, down 4%.
Continue readingAsia-Pacific’s PE, PP, PS, and PVC Trade in 2024: Key Trends, Challenges, and Regional Shifts
The Asia-Pacific region exported sizable volumes of polypropylene, propylene copolymers (PRC), polystyrene, and uncompounded PVC (PVCU) in 2024. Export trends for polyethylene grades were mixed, polypropylene surged on new capacity, styrenic exports were relatively flat, PVC shipments dropped.
With a major impact on global trends, Asia-Pacific continued as the world’s largest regional importer of all grades of polyethylene, but fell to second place for polypropylene and PRC, after Eastern Europe. Import demand in the larger Asia-Pacific markets – China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia – varied by polymer, declining in some, others showing impressive growth.
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