PIE Polymer Price Reports – August 2023

PIE Polymer Price Reports-August 2023

• Resin price decline may have bottomed out /
• No upswing in September expected despite firmer styrene
• Glass fibre unchangedyrene gain in August suggests end of resin declines

The summer holidays dampened demand in the European composites market as well, whereby the automotive sector didn’t see quite the downturn that the construction industry did.

Converters fought for every crumb of the cake, but on the whole few transactions were agreed upon; most covered small volumes.

A modest upswing may be on the way but not before mid-month. The signals are not yet clear, and it could just as well go the other way. For both sides, agreeing on a supply contract is requiring more effort than usual, and pricing is playing a more important role.

The price of styrene, the principal feedstock for ortho resins, surged upward by EUR 170/t in August. Despite this, the soft demand may hold any attempted price hikes at bay in the coming weeks. A weak rollover could be the most likely scenario for September.

Except for standard chopped strand mats, prices for the glass fibre products covered in this report remained unchanged. The low-end mats again saw significant downward momentum, due to the presence of cheap imports and the small number of transactions.

The overall picture should remain unchanged in September. If anything, the soft demand for short glass fibre as a reinforcement for engineering compounds could open new prospects for assembled roving here and there.

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