Overview
Polymer prices remain under pressure, either due to demand and/or feedstock price reductions.
In the case of polyolefins, the rollover in C2 (Ethylene) and C2 (Propylene) did little to halt the further slide in polyolefin prices, where demand for both PP and PE continues to be week and supply bountiful.
Lengthier supply chains are tending to bring greater stability and even a small uptick in crude oil and naphtha pricing has gone unnoticed.
Other feedstock contract pricing including SM (Styrene Monomer), Benzene and Butadiene fell, and this adds further pressure to derivative styrenic and engineering polymer prices where demand continues to be weak.
Monomer Price Movement
Feedstock
Price per Tonne
Change (contract)
C2 (Ethylene)
£982.49
£0.00
C3 (Propylene)
£878.62
£0.00
SM (Styrene Monomer)
£1,219.68
-£44.15
Benzene
£528.90
-£19.04
Butadiene
£796.38
-£30.30
Brent Crude (monthly average)
£359.83
£1.73
Exchange Rates
€
1.15
$
1.35
€/$
1.17
Mike Boswell
Executive Chairman – Plastribution Group
Oil Prices
No Data Found
Exchange Rates
No Data Found
UK Economic Data
Topic
Item
Date
Change
Trend
GDP
Real GDP (Q on Q)
Q2 2025
£705,403
PMI
UK Manufacturing PMI
September
46.2
UK Output
Manufacturing Index
Q2 2025
101.8%
Sales
New Car Registrations (Y on Y)
Sept 2025 YoY
13.7%
Sales
Retail Sales (Y on Y)
August 25
103.5%
Labour
Unemployment Rate
May 25 – Jul 25
4.7%
Prices
CPI (Y on Y)
August
3.8%
Prices
RPI (Y on Y)
August
4.6%
Interest Rates
Bank of England Base Rate
September
4%
Standard Polymers
Whilst we are in the midst of K and there are some signs of optimistic thinking for 2026, the short term is a little more subdued. October, much like September appears to be seeing slight reductions in both PE and PP even without any change in the monomer contracts. Supply and Demand balance continues to be the driver and with little appetite from buyers, a price reduction is the only lever that can be pulled to try and stimulate sales. There are some potential road bumps ahead with strikes at European ports potentially leading to some delays in arrivals though there is broad expectation that material already in warehouses is sufficient to avoid any short-term supply disruption.
Tariff position on US imports is still unclear though it is expected that before the end of 2025, the 6% tariff on a range of US imports (HDPE, LDPE and PP) will be removed. This will probably push down pricing further though US exporters could adjust their pricing accordingly to take advantage of this shift. Seems likely that rationalisation plans within Europe to further cut production will be accelerated.
Ian Chisnall
Product Manager – Polyolefins
Polyolefins Feedstocks
£/Metric Tonne by month
No Data Found
LDPE
Supply
Demand
LDPE pricing has slipped by around €20-30 / MT. Demand is weak and even with limits to production locally and a few reports of outages and maintenance, there is still an oversupply of material. Short term outlook is for flat pricing as many European producers will continue to limit and idle production to try and match sales.
LLDPE
Supply
Demand
LLDPE is falling and is under some pressure due to continued significant imports into the UK and Europe. Falls of €30-50 have been reported so far but there is no sign that this is stimulating and kind of uplift in purchasing. We may see a bump at the end of the year if some larger buyers decide to stock up before the New Year. But there remains a lot of uncertainty both in demand from end users and global trade.
HDPE
Supply
Demand
HDPE is a similar story to LLDPE with prices falling slightly in the face of plentiful imports and weak demand.
PP
Supply
Demand
PP pricing is dropping slightly in October, though the pace of reduction that has been strong since the summer appears to be slowing, lots of commentary that we “must” be at the bottom of the pricing as we are now at the levels we saw in the pandemic. However, this level of global oversupply is unprecedented so there is no reference for us to use when it comes to the current market situation. There is confident talk that the rationalisation in the industry will bring us to balance fairly soon but some suggest this may persist for 5+ years.
PS
Supply
Demand
PS pricing has fallen in line with the monomer reduction of €51 / MT. Market demand appears to be quite stable and supply is reasonably balanced towards this.
Other Polyolefins
EVA pricing has slipped a little, around €30 / MT in line with LDPE pricing. Polyolefin Elastomers are around rollover as they are typically more closely linked to monomer pricing than the more commoditised grades.
Performance Polymers
The UK market for performance polymers remains quiet, with low demand and excessive stock levels. Imports from Asia remain high. As a result of these factors, many European producers are struggling to balance supply/demand and are therefore cutting outputs yet again. With the ongoing weak demand and the global oversupply situation, most polymer costs actually softened further.
The October benzene contract settled at €556/t, a decrease of €22/t from September, the lowest level since January 2021. This was due to continued oversupply in the market.
Pete Tillin
Product Manager – Performance Polymers
Performance Polymer Feedstocks
£/Metric Tonne by month
No Data Found
ABS
Supply
Demand
Plentiful stocks & good availability, coupled with low demand mean that prices remain under downward pressure. The styrene monomer price has again declined by a further €51/t in October, along with sizeable reductions in both benzene and butadiene (-€35/mt) costs. This will almost inevitably be reflected in ABS prices.
PA6
Supply
Demand
The market remains particularly competitive due to weak demand and high inventories. As we enter the final quarter of the year, converters want to finally benefit from the falling prices of recent months. Since no sudden upturn in demand is expected, some discounts might be possible.
PA66
Supply
Demand
The situation for PA66 continues to follow the same trend as PA6 with weak demand, high stock levels and an incredibly competitive marketplace.
POM
Supply
Demand
A competitive market with plentiful supply and poor demand means prices continue to face downwards pressure. The possibility of Q4 providing some uplift in demand has yet to be realised.
PC
Supply
Demand
The surplus of stock and poor demand means that prices continue to slide, even as we move into a new quarter. The expected recovery in demand post-holiday period has yet to be seen.
PMMA
Supply
Demand
Weak demand, coupled with reduced production in Europe & high levels of imports means yet more downwards price pressure.
PBT
Supply
Demand
Weak demand and oversupply means prices remain under downward pressure.
Other Engineering Polymers
The current situation for most other engineering materials is similar, with weak demand, plentiful supply, and therefore downward price pressure.
Sustainable Polymers
Recycled Polyolefins have seen some price reductions in October, mostly driven by further drops in prime pricing. Recyclers face very difficult choices, selling at a loss and keeping the plant running or turning away the orders and paying for an idle plant. The recycling industry is facing incredibly challenging conditions and although supply has dropped recently due to closures and rationalisation, there is still an abundance of material and few customers willing to pay the premium over prime.
Ian Chisnall
Product Manager – Sustainability
Recycled LDPE / LLDPE
Supply
Demand
Recycled LDPE / LLDPE are dropping as buyers push for the reductions they are seeing on prime of around €20-40 / MT. Some suppliers are resisting but market conditions are very tough.
Recycled HDPE
Supply
Demand
Recycled HDPE has dropped a little in October as prices come under pressure from falls in prime pricing.
Recycled PP
Supply
Demand
Recycled PP is dropping a little in line with prime but some higher performance grades intended for more demanding applications are holding on to September levels.
