Commodity prices rise more slowly.* Seasonal slowing of 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 demand and a brief dip in oil prices slowed the pace of price escalation es·ca·late v. es·ca·lat·ed, es·ca·lat·ing, es·ca·lates v.tr. To increase, enlarge, or intensify: escalated the hostilities in the Persian Gulf. v.intr. in commodity resins resins, n.pl complex, insoluble, sticky substances secreted by plants. Used as astringents, antimicrobials, and antiinflammatories, and are burned as incense. Can cause oral ulcers and epidermal irritations. during the first quarter. But oil is back up and plastics suppliers are hungry for more increases. Meanwhile, engineering resins and thermosets thermosets, materials that can not be softened on heating. In thermosetting polymers, the polymer chains are joined (or cross-linked) by intermolecular bonding. Thermosets are usually supplied as partially polymerized or as monomer-polymer mixtures. are experiencing breathtaking breath·tak·ing adj. 1. Inspiring or exciting: a breathtaking view; a breathtaking ride. 2. Astonishing; astounding: breathtaking insensitivity. double-digit dou·ble-dig·it adj. Being between 10 and 99 percent: double-digit inflation. hikes. PE prices pause briefly Polyethylene polyethylene (pŏl'ēĕth`əlēn), widely used plastic. It is a polymer of ethylene, CH2=CH2, having the formula (-CH2-CH2-)n prices remained stable through January January: see month. and February February: see month. , but the reprieve reprieve (rĭprēv`): in law, see pardon. may be temporary. In March and April, suppliers aim to put through the 5 cents/lb increase that has been pending since December December: see month. . And they seem intent on following that with implementation of the 4 cents increase announced for February--most likely in May. Contributing factors: A seasonal slowdown For articles with similar titles, see Slow Down (disambiguation). A slowdown is an industrial action in which employees perform their duties but seek to reduce productivity or efficiency in their performance of these duties. in demand coupled with some inventory build-up build·up also build-up n. 1. The act or process of amassing or increasing: a military buildup; a buildup of tension during the strike. 2. across the supply chain were among the key factors that prevented suppliers from pushing through their price hikes. However, suppliers are unlikely to back off from their already announced increases. With no new capacity coming on stream, both PE and 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). supplies are tight and expected to get tighter as demand picks up. February monomer contract prices were generally expected to hold even at 41.5 cents/lb, but March contract prices looked likely to rise 2 cents to 3 cents/lb. Resin plant utilization rates, which slid a bit to about 93% in January, were expected to move up to the mid- mid- pref. Middle: midbrain. 90s in the second quarter. PP prices move up 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 moved up about 2 cents/lb as a partial implementation of the 3 cents increase announced for Feb. 1. Added to January's 3 cents hike (out of 5 cents announced), PP prices are already up a total of 5 cents/lb this year. And suppliers appear intent on implementing the 3 cents to 4 cents/lb price increase slated for March 1. Contributing factors: 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 hit a high of 46.5 cents/lb in February while March contracts looked to rise another 2 cents to 3 cents. Despite a seasonal slowdown in the first quarter, resin demand is projected to rebound rebound (rē´bownd), n/v 1. a recovery from illness. n 2. an outbreak of fresh reflex activity after withdrawal of a stimulus rebound adjective this quarter, accompanied by tightening supply since plant capacity utilization Capacity Utilization measures the rate at which a firm makes use of their capital productive capacities, such as factories and machinery. Capacity Utilization generally rises when the economy is healthy and falls when demand softens. is already in the 95% range. PVC PVC: see polyvinyl chloride. PVC in full polyvinyl chloride Synthetic resin, an organic polymer made by treating vinyl chloride monomers with a peroxide. going up this month PVC resin suppliers were getting 2 cents/lb more in March and appeared united in an effort to get another 1 cents in April. Only OxyChem Oxychem (more formally called Occidental Chemical Corporation) is the chemicals division of the Occidental Petroleum Corporation. It is based in Dallas, Texas and is a major producer of commodity chemicals such as potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide, as well as plastics was trying for 2 cents as of April 1. However, Shintech announced an additional 1 cents hike for May, while Formosa announced 1 cents each for April, May, and June. It seems clear that there will be an increase this month. Contributing factors: Oil prices are up again, but pipe demand in the first quarter was soft. Siding and window production appears flat or only slightly ahead of last year. PS is flat for big buyers Resin producers say medium and small buyers are paying an 8 cents/lb increase in March and screaming about it. Large buyers so far have avoided paying the hike by using a variety of protective measures--from linking prices to a published index to hedging 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. or natural gas futures. Spot PS resin prices are up the full 8 cents. Contributing factors: Packaging and sheet markets are flat, and overall PS use dropped 5% in January versus last year. Feedstock feed·stock n. Raw material required for an industrial process. Noun 1. feedstock - the raw material that is required for some industrial process raw material, staple - material suitable for manufacture or use or finishing costs, however, remain high, with spot benzene at nearly $4 in mid-March. Engineering resins rise On March 15, DuPont Engineering Polymers raised prices of PET, PBT PBT Provider Backbone Transport (networking technology adding determinism to ethernet) PBT Polybutylene Terephthalate PBT Profit Before Tax PBT Paper Based Test (education) , and Hytrel copolyester TPE TPE Thermoplastic Elastomer TPE Terminal de Paiement Electronique (French) TPE Total Power Exchange TPE Twisted Pair Ethernet TPE Tampines Expressway (Singapore) TPE Therapeutic Plasma Exchange , by 12 cents/lb. Thermx PCT (Private Communications Technology) A protocol from Microsoft that provides secure transactions over the Web. See security protocol. prices increased by 15 cents. In addition, specialty colors for all engineering resins went up 10%. BASF BASF Bar Association of San Francisco (since 1872; San Francisco, California) BASF Badische Anilin und Soda Fabrik (German chemical products company) BASF Builders Association of South Florida Corp. lifted tabs on PBT resins by 7 cents/lb and PET by 5 cents/lb on March 15. Flame-retardant grades went up 10 cents/lb. (Ticona had hiked PET and PBT on Feb. 14.) BASF also raised nylon nylon, synthetic thermoplastic material characterized by strength, elasticity, resistance to abrasion and chemicals, low moisture absorbency, and capacity to be permanently set by heat. After 10 years of research E. I. prices 7% on April 1. Noveon boosted all its TPUs by 18 cents/lb on April 1, following a move by Dow (Direct OverWrite) See magneto-optic disk. on March 1. Composites cost more Unsaturated unsaturated /un·sat·u·rat·ed/ (un-sach´ur-at?ed) 1. not holding all of a solute which can be held in solution by the solvent. 2. denoting compounds in which two or more atoms are united by double or triple bonds. polyester polyester, synthetic fiber, produced by the polymerization of the product formed when an alcohol and organic acid react. The outstanding characteristic of polyesters is their ability to resist wrinkling and to spring back into shape when creased. prices are on the rise again. In March, Reichhold, AOC AOC, n an acronym for the Aromatherapy Organizations Council. , Interplastics, CCP (Certified Computer Professional) The award for successful completion of a comprehensive examination on computers offered by the ICCP. See ICCP and certification. . 1. (language) CCP - Concurrent Constraint Programming. 2. , and Ashland raised polyester resin Polyester Resin - Unsaturated Polyester Resin. The term generally used for unsaturated (means containing chemical double bonds) resins formed by the reaction of dibasic organic acids and polyhydric alcohols, basic component of SMC/BMC. and gelcoat A gelcoat is a material used to provide a high quality finish on the visible surface of a fibre-reinforced composite material. The most common gelcoats are based on epoxy or unsaturated polyester resin chemistry. prices 4 cents/lb. Then, AOC, Ashland, and Reichhold announced 15 cents hikes for vinyl esters Vinyl Ester, or Vinylester, is a resin produced by the esterification of an epoxy resin with an unsaturated monocarboxylic acid. The reaction product is then dissolved in a reactive solvent, such as styrene, to a 35 - 45 percent content by weight. , effective from March 24 to April 6.
Market Prices Effective Mid-March (a)
RESIN GRADE (b) cents/LB cents/CU IN (c)
ABS
MED IMPACT 80-90 3.0-3.4
HI IMPACT 85-95 3.2-3.6
X-HI IMPACT 95-105 3.6-4.0
HI HEAT 85-95 3.2-3.6
PIPE 80-110 3.0-4.2
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 133-137 6.8-7.0
25% GLASS 180-240 9.2-12.2
ACRYLIC
G-P 117-152 5.0-6.5
IMPACT 162-222 6.9-9.5
ACRYLONI-
TRILE 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
FLUORO-
POLYMER
CTFE 4725 364
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
POLYAMIDE-
IMIDE (g)
UNFILLED 2310-3045 117.8-155.3
30% GLASS 2250-2985 130.4-173.0
30% CARBON FIB. 3260-3950 173.6-210.5
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
POLYCAR-
BONATE
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 165-187 10.0
STRUCT FOAM 159-165 NA (d)
PET
BOTTLE (RAILCAR) 89-91 4.5-4.6
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 95-105 NA (d)
ISOPHTHALIC 120-130 NA (d)
BIS-A 160-195 NA (d)
PEEK 4400 231
30% GLASS 3300 173
POLYETHER-
IMIDE 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 94-96 3.1-3.2
INJECTION 93-95 3.1
LID RESIN 95-97 3.1-3.2
LINER 93-95 3.1
CLARITY 92-94 3.1
EXTRU COATG 94-96 3.1-3.2
BLOW MOLD 95-97 3.1-3.2
LLDPE,
BUTENE-
BASED
G-P MOLDING 80-82 2.6-2.7
FILM 82-84 2.7-2.8
ROTOMOLD 84-86 2.7-2.8
LLDPE,
HAO-BASED
G-P MOLDING 86-88 2.8-2.9
LID RESIN 92-94 3.0-3.1
LINER FILM 88-90 2.9-3.0
HDPE
G-P INJ MOLD 82-84 2.8-2.9
FILM 90-92 3.1
BLOW MOLD 84-86 2.9
HMW-HDPE
BLOW MOLDING 92-94 3.1-3.2
FILM 94-96 3.2-3.3
PIPE 99-102 3.4-3.5
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 340-385 20-23
55% GLASS/
MINERAL 275-295 16.2-17.4
65% GLASS/
MINERAL 215-260 11-14
POLY-
PROPYLENE
(RAILCAR)
G-P HOMOPOL
INJECTION 82-84 [up arrow] 2.7 [up arrow]
EXTRUSION
FIBER 78-80 [up arrow] 2.5-2.6 [up arrow]
PROFILES 82-84 [up arrow] 2.7 [up arrow]
RANDOM COPOL
BLOW MOLDING 86-88 [up arrow] 2.8 [up arrow]
FILM 84-86 [up arrow] 2.7-2.8 [up arrow]
INJECTION 83-85 [up arrow] 2.7 [up arrow]
IMPACT COPOL
MED IMP 96-98 [up arrow] 31 [up arrow]
HI IMP 99-102 [up arrow] 3.2 [up arrow]
POLYSTYRENE
(RAILCAR)
G-P CRYSTAL 68-76 2.5-2.8
HI HEAT 71-79 2.7-3.0
HIPS 69-77 2.6-2.9
SUPER HI IMP 79-85 3.0-3.2
FR 87-96 3.3-3.6
STRUCT FM (FR) 95-98 NA
EPS
UNMODIFIED 80-83 NA (d)
MODIFIED 81-85 NA (d)
POLYSULFONE 432-512 19.3-22.9
10% GLASS 607-612 27-27.3
30% GLASS 557-562 24.9-25
POLYURE-
THANE (TP)
ESTER TYPE 185-255 8-11
ETHER TYPE 245-295 10.6-13
PU
ISOCYANATES
POLYMERIC MDI 105-115 NA (d)
80/20 TDI 110-120 NA (d)
PVC RESIN
(RAILCAR)
G-P HOMOPOL 50-53 [up arrow] NA (d)
PIPE 48-51 [up arrow] NA (d)
FILM 60-62 [up arrow] NA (d)
COPOLYMER
FLOORING 63-65 NA (d)
DISPERSION
HOMOPOLY 62-78 NA (d)
COPOLYMER 77-81 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 147 NA (d)
HEAT & COR RES 161 NA (d)
KEY: Colored areas indicate pricing activity. An arrow
(') indicates direction of price change. (a) Truckload,
unless otherwise specified. (b) Unfilled, natural color,
unless otherwise specified. (c) Based on typical or
average density. (d) Not applicable. (e) Novolac and
anhydride grades for coils, bushings, transformers.
(f) Novolac and anhydride grades for resistors,
capacitors, diodes. (g) In quantities of 20,000 lb.
(h) 19,800-lb load.
|
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion