After a soft start, prices are firming.* Polyolefin polyolefin synthetic material used for surgical sutures, e.g. in polyethylene and polypropylene sutures. prices sledded downhill in December December: see month. , while PVC PVC: see polyvinyl chloride. PVC in full polyvinyl chloride Synthetic resin, an organic polymer made by treating vinyl chloride monomers with a peroxide. skated on flat resin resin, any of a class of amorphous solids or semisolids. Resins are found in nature and are chiefly of vegetable origin. They are typically light yellow to dark brown in color; tasteless; odorless or faintly aromatic; translucent or transparent; brittle, fracturing tabs. But last month saw the first signs that PP, PS, and PVC prices were climbing back uphill. PE prices down Polyethylene polyethylene (pŏl'ēĕth`əlēn), widely used plastic. It is a polymer of ethylene, CH2=CH2, having the formula (-CH2-CH2-)n prices were moving down by about 4 cents/lb in January January: see month. , following a similar drop in December. That final slump Slump A temporary fall in performance, often describing consistently falling security prices for several weeks or months. left the net rise in prices for 2005 at about 28 cents/lb. The last announced price hike, of 5 cents/lb, was delayed from Dec. 1 to Jan. 1 and then delayed again. A new date for implementation has not been set. Meanwhile, prices are rising on the London Metal Exchange London Metal Exchange (LME) A market for trading base metals, where traded options contracts are available against the underlying futures contract. . The LME See London Metal Exchange. LME See London Metal Exchange (LME). short-term Short-term Any investments with a maturity of one year or less. short-term 1. Of or relating to a gain or loss on the value of an asset that has been held less than a specified period of time. futures contract Futures Contract An exchange traded agreement to buy or sell a particular type and grade of commodity for delivery at an agreed upon place and time in the future. Futures contracts are transferable between parties. for February 18 in g-p blown-film butene bu·tene n. Any of several forms of butylene. butene See butylene. Noun 1. butene - any of three isomeric hydrocarbons C4H8; all used in making synthetic rubbers LLDPE LLDPE Linear Low Density Polyethylene sold at 57.7 cents/lb, up from January's 51.26 cents and December's 49.9 cents/lb. Contributing factors: Resin tabs moved downward due to relatively weak demand in December and early January, coupled with inventory drawdown Drawdown The peak to trough decline during a specific record period of an investment or fund. It is usually quoted as the percentage between the peak to the trough. Notes: by processors. "We expect that within the next 30 to 45 days, the drawdown of inventories will have been completed," said one major supplier in mid-January. Industry sources concur CONCUR - ["CONCUR, A Language for Continuous Concurrent Processes", R.M. Salter et al, Comp Langs 5(3):163-189 (1981)]. that upward movement in prices is likely to recur once the inventory correction is worked out, possibly as early as the second quarter. Inventory restocking alone should prompt demand growth of 3% to 4% this year, and overall growth could reach 5% to 6%. Plant utilization rates, now reported to be somewhere in the 80% to 90% range, are expected to settle around 90% to 95% as the year progresses. Despite lower spot prices for ethylene ethylene (ĕth`əlēn') or ethene (ĕth`ēn), H2C=CH2, a gaseous unsaturated hydrocarbon. It is the simplest alkene. monomer monomer (mŏn`əmər): see polymer. monomer Molecule of any of a class of mostly organic compounds that can react with other molecules of the same or other compounds to form very large molecules (polymers). in December, January contract prices were generally expected to remain at the December level of 56.5 cents/lb. Several scheduled plant turnarounds taking place within the next three months are expected to keep monomer supply tight. PP prices lower, too Polypropylene polypropylene (pŏl'ēprō`pəlēn), plastic noted for its light weight, being less dense than water; it is a polymer of propylene. It resists moisture, oils, and solvents. prices dropped an average of 2 cents to 3 cents/lb in December, although discounts of as much as 5 cents to 6 cents were widespread. But firming prices were evident early last month when most major suppliers issued a 4 cents/lb price hike for Feb. 1. LME's February short-term futures contract for g-p injection-grade homopolymer ho·mo·pol·y·mer n. A polymer composed of identical monomeric units. rose to 53.2 cents/lb, after a slight dip in January to 47.85 cents from December's 48 cents/lb. Contributing factors: Lower resin tabs resulted from December's propylene propylene /pro·pyl·ene/ (pro´pi-len) a gaseous hydrocarbon, CH3CHdbondCH2. propylene glycol a colorless viscous liquid used as a humectant and solvent in pharmaceutical preparations. monomer contract prices dropping 5 cents/lb, coupled with sluggish end-of-year demand and processors drawing down inventories. However, demand rebounded last month by about 20%, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. some suppliers, and is projected to continue on this path. Suppliers expect their plant utilization rates to run in the 90% to 95% range. On the other side of the coin, slumping Slumping is a categorical description of an area of techniques for the forming of glass through the use of heating glass to the point where it becomes plastic. It is generally formed by the force of gravity. monomer prices will exert downward pressure on resin prices. At press time, proposed January contract prices were 4.5 cents lower than the month before. PVC flat in January January without a PVC price hike is a seasonal anomaly Abnormality or deviation. Pronounced "uh-nom-uh-lee," it is a favorite word among computer people when complex systems produce output that is inexplicable. See software conflict and anomaly detection. . But OxyChem's attempt at a 4 cents hike on Jan. 1 met no support. (Formosa had led the market down 2 cents in December by announcing a price cut.) Instead, Shintech announced a 2 cents increase for Feb. 1, supported by Georgia Georgia, country, Asia Georgia (jôr`jə), Georgian Sakartvelo, Rus. Gruziya, officially Republic of Georgia, republic (2005 est. pop. 4,677,000), c.26,900 sq mi (69,700 sq km), in W Transcaucasia. Gulf and Formosa Plastics Formosa Plastics Corporation (Traditional Chinese: 台灣塑膠公司; lit. "Taiwan Plastic Company") is a Taiwanese company based in Taiwan that primarily produces polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins and . OxyChem was considered likely to go along once Formosa made its move. Contributing factors: At the end of January, OxyChem was due to shut down its 300-million-lb/yr PVC plant in Scotford, Alberta, in conjunction with Dow (Direct OverWrite) See magneto-optic disk. Chemical's closure of a Canadian Canadian (kənā`dēən), river, 906 mi (1,458 km) long, rising in NE New Mexico. and flowing E across N Texas and central Oklahoma into the Arkansas River in E Oklahoma. vinyl chloride vinyl chloride or chloroethylene Colourless, flammable, toxic gas (H2C=CHCl), belonging to the family of organic compounds of halogens. It is produced in very large quantities and used principally to make PVC, as well as in other syntheses and in monomer plant. With mild winter weather, gas futures were trending down and expected to be lower in February and March. January PVC demand was not bad but weaker than in December. PS hikes announced Polystyrene polystyrene (pŏl'ēstī`rēn), widely used plastic; it is a polymer of styrene. Polystyrene is a colorless, transparent thermoplastic that softens slightly above 100°C; (212°F;) and becomes a viscous liquid at around 185°C; resin producers all supported a 6 cents/lb increase for Feb. 1, except Chevron Phillips Chevron Phillips is a chemical producer jointly owned by Chevron Corporation and ConocoPhillips. The company was formed July 1st, 2000 by merging the chemicals operations of both Chevron Corporation and Phillips Petroleum Company. , which announced a 5 cents hike for that date. Whether producers go with 5 cents or 6 cents depends on where benzene benzene (bĕn`zēn, bĕnzēn`), colorless, flammable, toxic liquid with a pleasant aromatic odor. It boils at 80.1°C; and solidifies at 5.5°C;. Benzene is a hydrocarbon, with formula C6H6. prices are headed. Meanwhile, EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) A PostScript file format used to transfer a graphic image between applications and platforms. EPS files contain PostScript code as well as an optional preview image in TIFF, WMF, PICT or EPSI, the latter being an ASCII-only format. prices were flat in January. Contributing factors: Benzene rose from $2.18/gal in December to $2.46 in January, with spot benzene as high as $2.65/gal. (A 10 cents change in benzene cost equals roughly 1 cents for styrene sty·rene n. A colorless oily liquid from which polystyrenes, plastics, and synthetic rubber are produced. Also called vinylbenzene. monomer or PS.) EPS prices are sensitive to Asian imports, but Asian prices are firming. Market Prices Effective Mid-January (a) RESIN GRADE (b) cents/LB cents/CU IN (c) ABS MED IMPACT 80-90 3.0-3.4 HI IMPACT 85-125 3.2-4.7 X-HI IMPACT 95-140 3.6-5.3 HI HEAT 85-110 3.8 PIPE 85-110 3.2-4.1 SHEET 90-110 3.4-4.2 TRANSPARENT 125-165 4.9-6.4 FITTINGS 85-115 3.2-4.3 PLATING 95-105 3.5-3.9 FLAME RET 120-140 4.6-5.9 STRUCT FM 83-97 3.6-4.3 10% GLASS 125-140 5.0-5.6 30% GLASS 116-136 5.3-6.3 ABS/PC ALLOY 145-180 5.5-6.8 ABS/PVC ALLOY 130-135 5.8-6.1 ABS/NYLON ALLOY 190 7.3 ACETAL HOMOPOL 130-147 6.7-7.3 20% GLASS 160-220 9.0-12.4 COPOLYMER 133-145 6.8-7.4 25% GLASS 160-230 8.1-11.7 ACRYLIC G-P 117 5.0 IMPACT 192 8.2 ACRYLONITRILE COPOL EXTRUSION 78-110 3.3-4.7 INJECTION 130-191 5.4-7.9 ALKYD 65-74 4.9-5.5 CELLULOSICS ACETATE 187 8.6 CAB 189 8.2 CAP 189 8.2 DAP (G-P) 251-497 16.3-34.7 EPOXY G-P RESIN 116-126 NA (d) COMPOUNDS C/B/T (e) 123-166 9.4-12.9 R/C/D (f) 208-271 15.3-20.1 SEMICONDUCTOR NOVOLAC 193-228 13.1-15.9 ANHYDRIDE 188-268 13.9-19.2 EVA INJECTION 46-52 1.5-1.7 FILM EXTRU 42-49 1.4-1.6 EVOH 265 11.3 FLUOROPOLYMER CTFE 2500-5500 193-424 ECTFE 1470-1680 93.1-107.7 ETFE 1155-1680 70.7-102.8 FEP 971-1470 74.8-113.2 PFA 1785-2520 134.9-190.5 PTFE 450-900 34.8-69.7 PVDF 680-900 43.3-57.3 IONOMER PACKAGING 127-166 4.3-6.0 INDUSTRIAL 150-244 5.0-8.3 LIQUID-CRYSTAL POLYMERS INJECTION MIN FILLED 690-1035 44.2-72.1 GLASS FILLED 695-895 40-52 CARBON FILLED 1700-2000 83.2-138.6 UNFILLED 1000-1200 58-70 EXTRUSION UNFILLED 1200-2200 60.5-110.9 MELAMINE COMPOUND 90-94 5.5-5.6 MELAMINE/ PHENOLIC COMPOUND 75-83 4.5-5.0 NYLON TYPE 6 139-159 5.7-6.5 MIN FILLED 131-144 5.4-5.9 30% GLASS 148-173 6.0-7.0 TYPE 66 153-168 6.3-6.9 MIN FILLED 151-159 6.2-6.5 30% GLASS 142-192 5.8-7.9 TYPE 69 250-276 9.7-10.7 TYPE 6/10 286-313 12.4-13.6 TYPE 612 400 15.3 30% GLASS 309-311 14.7 40% GLASS 309 14.7 TYPE 46 295 12.6 TYPE 11 329-341 13.6-14.1 30% GLASS 331-350 15.0-15.8 40% GLASS 347-360 17.7-18.5 TYPE 12 318-341 12.1-13.0 30% GLASS 327-350 14.7-15.8 50% GLASS 299-340 15.6-17.8 TRANSPARENT AMORPHOUS 247-360 10.3-15.0 PHENOLIC MOLD COMP 75 3.8 REINFORCED GRADES 105-268 6.1-16 POLYAMIDEIMIDE (g) UNFILLED 2750 148.5 30% GLASS 2500 135 30% CARBON FIB. 3500 185 POLYARYLATE 200-280 8.8-12.3 POLYARYL-SULFONE 440 21.8 POLYETHYLENE G-P 94-96 3.1 FILM 88-91 2.9 PIPE COLD WATER 116-120 3.9-4.0 HOT WATER 162-166 5.5-5.6 POLYCARBONATE INJECTION 138-165 5.9-7.0 20% GLASS 177-190 7.6-8.2 30% GLASS 178-217 7.6-9.3 EXTRUSION 145-180 6.3-7.8 BLOW MOLD 155-190 6.7-8.2 STRUCT FOAM 149-181 6.4-7.8 20% GLASS 235-255 10.1-11.0 FR 166-197 7.1-8.5 CD 140-200 6.0-8.6 POLYESTER (TP) PBT TYPE UNFILLED 143-150 6.9 HI-IMP 154-165 7.6 30% GLASS, FR 185-207 11.9 STRUCT FOAM 159-165 NA (d) PET BOTTLE (RAILCAR) 84-87 4.3-4.4 MOD PET 30% GLASS 132-143 7.4 55% GLASS 148-155 9.8 30% GLASS, FLAME RET 147-157 9.2 PETG COPOL 114-124 5.2-5.6 POLYESTER THERMOSET G-P ORTHO 135-140 NA (d) ISOPHTHALIC 160-170 NA (d) BIS-A 205-210 NA (d) PEEK 4400 231 30% GLASS 3300 173 POLYETHERIMIDE 641-646 29.3-29.5 30% GLASS 526-531 24.0-24.2 POLYETHER-KETONE (PEK) 2950 130.1 30% GLASS 2600 153 POLYETHER-SULFONE 350-400 17.2-19.7 30% GLASS 425-525 21-25.9 POLYETHYLENE (RAILCAR) LDPE G-P MOLDING & EXTRU 86-88 [down arrow] 2.8-2.9 [down arrow] INJECTION 89-91 [down arrow] 2.9-3.0 [down arrow] LID RESIN 91-93 [down arrow] 3.0-3.1 [down arrow] LINER 87-89 [down arrow] 2.9 [down arrow] CLARITY 85-87 [down arrow] 2.8-2.9 [down arrow] EXTRU COATG 89-91 [down arrow] 2.9-3.0 [down arrow] BLOW MOLD 91-93 [down arrow] 3.0-3.1 [down arrow] LLDPE, BUTENE-BASED G-P MOLDING 75-77 [down arrow] 2.5-2.6 [down arrow] FILM 77-79 [down arrow] 2.6 [down arrow] LME 30 DAY (j) 57.7 [up arrow] 1.9 [up arrow] ROTOMOLD 79-81 [down arrow] 2.6-2.7 [down arrow] LLDPE, HAO-BASED G-P MOLDING 89-91 [down arrow] 2.9-3.0 [down arrow] LID RESIN 90-92 [down arrow] 3.0 [down arrow] LINER FILM 92-94 [down arrow] 3.0-3.1 [down arrow] HDPE G-P INJ MOLD 76-78 [down arrow] 2.6-2.7 [down arrow] FILM 86-88 [down arrow] 2.9-3.0 [down arrow] BLOW MOLD 80-82 [down arrow] 2.7-2.8 [down arrow] HMW-HDPE BLOW MOLDING 85-87 [down arrow] 2.9-3.0 [down arrow] FILM 87-89 [down arrow] 3.0 [down arrow] PIPE 92-94 [down arrow] 3.0-3.1 [down arrow] UHMW-PE 100-125 3.6-3.7 PPE/PPO-BASED RESIN INJECTION 180 6.8 20% GLASS (h) 283 12.3 30% GLASS (h) 291 13.3 EXTRUSION (h) 242 9.2 STRUCT FM 231 NA (d) PPS 40% GLASS 357-404 21.2-24.0 55% GLASS/ MINERAL 289-310 20.8-22.3 65% GLASS/ MINERAL 226-273 15.5-18.7 POLYPROPYLENE (RAILCAR) G-P HOMOPOL INJECTION 77-79 [down arrow] 2.5-2.6 [down arrow] LME 30-DAY (j) 53.2 [up arrow] 1.7 [up arrow] EXTRUSION FIBER 76-78 [down arrow] 2.5 [down arrow] PROFILES 81-83 [down arrow] 2.6-2.7 [down arrow] RANDOM COPOL BLOW MOLDING 82-84 [down arrow] 2.7 [down arrow] FILM 83-85 [down arrow] 2.7-2.8 [down arrow] INJECTION 80-82 [down arrow] 2.6-2.7 [down arrow] IMPACT COPOL MED IMP 91-94 [down arrow] 2.9-3.0 [down arrow] HI IMP 94-98 [down arrow] 3.0-3.2 [down arrow] POLYSTYRENE (RAILCAR) G-P CRYSTAL 70-78 2.6-2.9 HI HEAT 73-81 2.7-3.0 HIPS 71-79 2.7-3.0 SUPER HI IMP 81-87 3.0-3.3 FR 89-97 3.3-3.6 STRUCT FM (FR) 105-108 NA EPS UNMODIFIED 85-88 NA (d) MODIFIED 86-90 NA (d) POLYSULFONE 432-512 19.3-22.9 10% GLASS 607-612 27-27.3 30% GLASS 557-562 24.9-25 POLYURETHANE (TP) ESTER TYPE 185-255 8-11 ETHER TYPE 245-295 10.6-13 PU ISOCYANATES (j) POLYMERIC MDI 120-135 NA (d) 80/20 TDI 90-98 NA (d) PVC RESIN (RAILCAR) G-P HOMOPOL 59-61 NA (d) PIPE 56-58 NA (d) FILM 68-70 NA (d) COPOLYMER FLOORING 75-77 NA (d) DISPERSION HOMOPOLY 84-90 NA (d) COPOLYMER 89-93 NA (d) CPVC PIPE COMPOUND 119 NA (d) PVDC EXTRUDABLE 162 NA (d) SILICONES MOLD. COMP. 581-640 38.1-39.3 SPECIALTY GR. 891-3148 NA (d) SILICONE/EPOXY 339-343 22.5-22.8 STYRENE-ACRYLIC 108-112 3.7-4.0 SAN (G-P) 66-74 2.5-2.8 STYRENE MALEIC ANHYDRIDE G-P 110-115 4.2-4.3 HI IMP 130-140 4.2-4.5 FR 175-183 6.7-7.0 TP ELASTOMERS OLEFINIC 70-76 2.4 POLYAMIDE 287-337 10.4-12.3 POLYESTER 200-310 8.8-13.6 STYRENIC 83-237 2.9-8.3 UREA MOLDING COMPOUND BLACK & BROWN 76 3.8 WHITE & IVORY 81 4.0 VINYL ESTER COR RES 195-207 NA (d) HEAT & COR RES 220 NA (d) |
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