As of August 23, 2018 China imposed a 25% tariff on a number of products from the US, including HDPE, ethylene-alpha-olefins copolymers and EVA. The new tariffs did not reduce total US exports of ethylene polymers in August, which continued at record levels.
Tag Archives: US
US Imports of Fabricated Plastic Product Surge in Advance of Tariffs
Although trade data for July for the US does not reflect new tariffs of 25% on many fabricated plastic products from China, US statistics showed record volumes being imported each month from May through July.
US Polymer Exports, and, Imports of Fabricated Plastics Hit New Highs
Exports from the US of commodity polymers trended higher through most of the first half of 2018 and set a new record in June. Imports of fabricated plastic products also hit a new high in June.
US Exports of Recycle Polymers Were Down 14% in 2017; Imports into the US Rose 2%.
The US exported a total of 1.7 million tons of recycle polymers in 2017. Imports into the US of recycle polymers were 429,000 tons, up 2%. Continue reading
US Imported Record Volumes of Fabricated Plastic Products in 2017
Imports of fabricated plastic products that can be specifically identified by polymer were 3.5 million tons in 2017, up 17%. (Much larger volumes of fabricated products are imported as mixtures of polymers.) Imports were at record high levels for most of the year, including through the fourth quarter.
Surge in China’s Polyethylene Imports in November as Recycle PE Imports Drop
China’s polyethylene imports rebounded strongly in November 2017. This followed a relatively small holiday-related decline in October, versus previous years. Imports of recycle polyethylene continued trending downward, to their lowest monthly volume in the 2013-2017 period.
China’s Imports of Ethylene Polymers Up 20% Through October
China imported 11 million tons of ethylene polymers through October 2017, up 20%. Imports of all grades were up substantially and volume has been heavy since August.
US Propylene Exports Set New Record
United States exports of propylene hit 61,000 tons in June, 2017, at an average price of $813/ton. Shipments YTD were up 31% from the same period in 2016.
Surge in US Exports of LNG to Latin America, Asia, Middle East and Europe
The United States exported nearly 7 million tons of liquefied natural gas through June 2017, versus minor volumes in the same period in 2016. Shipments were global, with large volumes to all regions except Africa. As US exports to Western Europe and Latin America increased, shipments from the Middle East and Africa to those regions dropped.
China’s Imports of Polyethylene from Iran
Through May, 2017, China imported a total of 5.4 million tons of ethylene polymers, up 17% from the same period in 2016. Iran supplied 823,000 tons, or 15%, of the total, down 7%. A restriction on imports into China from Iran, will likely be made up by Saudi Arabia, US, Korea and UAE, among others.