The addition of massive Chinese capacity dramatically impacted global trade flows.
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China’s Changing Role in Global Polyethylene Trade
China continues as the world’s largest PE importer but its percentage share of global trade volume has fallen over the 2020-2025 period. China’s imports are projected to decline further; China’s exports, to increase.
Continue readingITP Projects General Purpose Polystyrene Global Trade of 3.3 Million Tons in 2025, up 2%; Expandable Polystyrene Global Trade is Projected at 2.6 million tons, up 5%
Higher exports of both polymer grades are projected from Western Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Continue readingBrazil’s Soaring 2024 Polyethylene Imports Eased Somewhat Through September 2025; the Remainder of 2025 is Expected to be Impacted by Anti-Dumping Duties on US Polymer; Braskem Plans new Polyethylene Capacity in 2028
Brazil’s imports of polyethylene were at record high levels for most of 2024. Trade through September 2025 slowed versus the prior year, but the impact of a recent anti-dumping ruling against polymer imports from the US and Canada is expected to be realized in the fourth quarter.
Continue readingITP Projects PVC Global Trade of 15.7 Million Tons in 2025, up 10% from 2024
Rising exports out of North America are a prominent trend in 2025.
Continue readingUS Ethane Exports to China Expected to Rebound in July
The US imposed restrictions on ethane exports to China in late May and early June. Restrictions have since eased and exports are expected to rise.
Continue readingLiquefied Propane Gas Global Trade Continues Expanding and Adapting to Shifting Market Dynamics
LPG global trade expanded each year over the 2020 to 2024 period and continued through April 2025. Rising US exports, increasing demand globally for LPG as a petrochemical feedstock and a cleaner fuel, and the ban on EU imports from Russia were key market drivers.
Continue readingUS Polyethylene Exports to China Hit 16-Month Low Amidst Tariff Uncertainty
The impact of the trade war between the US and China and the associated tariff uncertainty was reflected in US exports of polyethylene to China in April 2025, the lowest in 16 months.
Continue readingNew Tariffs and US Exports of Polyethylene
On April 2, 2025 the US announced radical changes to tariffs on all imports into the United States. US polyethylene imports from and exports to Canada and Mexico are under the US-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement and are not impacted by the new tariffs. US exports of polyethylene, however, have risen rapidly since 2021 on higher shipments to Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Western Europe, and other regions. Responses, if any, by trading partners against imports of polyethylene or other products from the US are evolving. On April 3, China said it would apply a 34% tariff on all imports from the US.
Continue readingLatin America’s PE, PP, PS and PVC Trade in 2024: Key Trends, Challenges, and Regional Shifts
Latin America’s trade in commodity polymers in 2024 was characterized by sizable exports of HDPE, polypropylene homopolymer (PP), and uncompounded PVC (PVCU). Latin America was a growth import market for each of the commodity polymers, noting especially both large volumes and large percentage increases on linear/ethylene-alpha-olefin-copolymers (LL/EAOC), HDPE, PP, and PVCU.
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