The weekly Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) price report is published in Asia, Middle East, Europe, CIS, the US and Latin America. The reports cover, if applicable to the region, different grades of PET such as bottle, film and fibre, domestic prices, spot prices, production news, feedstock quotes, exchange rates and price history.
The unbiased and informative reports are full of news and analysis, and are a vital tool for those involved in the industry to use to make better informed decisions.
Updated to Q4 2020
Asia
Supply decreased in Q4 as there were a number of planned maintenance turnarounds. Two South Korean producers had maintenance in October-November. Three plants in Taiwan underwent maintenance, one in each month in the quarter. By the end of December, two plants in China and a plant in India stayed shut for maintenance. Chinese inventories were at low levels on the back of active domestic offtake especially in late November to December when prices were on an uptrend.
Buying was taking place despite the seasonal lull. Tight vessel and container availability from many Asia PET exporting countries and steep increases in container ocean freight cost affected discussions due to availability and changes in landed cost competitiveness. Some underprepared buyers hastened their purchases and increased their purchase volume from nearby sources, others split up their purchases to several suppliers in order to secure cargo for stable near-term production.
Europe
Supply decreased due to a heavy maintenance schedule that went on longer than planned, as lockdown restrictions kicked in. Technical problems and feedstock restrictions also impacted output of a few plants. Material that was sent stateside owing to production problems there, was surplus to Europe. Alpek Polyester UK closed the 150,000 tonne/year M5 PET resin line at its Wilton site. The company will continue operating its newer 220,000 tonne/year melt-to-resin LC1 plant, also in Wilton.
Demand dropped off as expected, after a flurry in the summer months. Excess material was exported to fill the gap from hurricane-hit plants in the US early in Q4. Buyers dipped into the market for fear of supply being affected by this and shutdowns, then later because of a global shortage of containers, but overall, end-user consumption was negatively impacted by the pandemic and lockdowns.
Latin America
PET supply in Latin America during the fourth quarter of 2020 was tight from a combination of shortage of feedstock monoethylene glycol (MEG) from the US and rising Asia-to-America freight costs. All regional resin producers had to reduce operating rates and one Mexican producer declared force majeure.
PET demand in Latin America in the fourth quarter of 2020 was strong as PET played a vital role in preventing the spread of the coronavirus through the manufacturing of personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as drinks and food packaging. Additionally, demand showed improvement in anticipation of larger consumption volumes of beverages ahead of the year-end holiday.
US
US PET supply during the fourth quarter of 2020 was gauged as tight due to a producer’s force majeure on hurricane-related production disruptions. Shortage of feedstock monoethylene glycol (MEG) and reduced PET import volumes from Mexico – as one producer there declared force majeure due to lack of US MEG – made supply even tighter.
US PET demand in the fourth quarter of 2020 was strong supported by the vital role PET has played in preventing the spread of the coronavirus through screen dividers at work and public places, face shields and personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as drinks and food packaging.
We offer the following regional Polyethylene terephthalate analysis and news coverage to keep you informed of factors and developments affecting prices in the Polyethylene terephthalate marketplace.
More information about the price reports we publish on Polyethylene terephthalate
Independent price assessments and market coverage by region
You might also be interested in the information we publish on these related products
More information about the historical price data we publish on Polyethylene terephthalate
Track historical price data
Breaking news of latest developments affecting the markets.
Insight and analysis of factors driving prices.
Regional price assessments, published daily or weekly, enabling you to keep track of trading prices, understand price drivers/fluctuations and set a benchmark for contract price settl 
ements. ICIS offers reports on over 180 commodities across the global petrochemical, energy and fertilizer markets. Information covered in our price reports includes:
Information is accessed online, via the ICIS dashboard service and is configurable to suit your preferences.
Produced by the ICIS Consulting team, these reports give a robust rolling 12-month price forecast, trade balances and in-depth analysis into where markets are heading – providing a valuable tool to support your short- to medium-term plans.
ICIS pricing intelligence is delivered to you online via the ICIS dashboard. Here you can view your reports and also access other useful services including related news, analysis, historical data and market alerts.
ICIS dashboard also makes it easy for you to create pricing charts, download price history and export data to create tailored analytical models.
ICIS weekly margin reports deliver the detail you need to understand how production costs and prices are affecting margins, enabling you to judge the likely impact on your business and optimise your upstream and downstream business decisions.
Find out more about ICIS margin reports
The Supply and Demand Window on the ICIS Dashboard provides a snapshot view of historical and forecast information for supply and demand, production capacity and trade flows – a key tool to help safeguard future investments within the chemicals market.
24-hour global coverage of breaking news in the petrochemical industry,
including updates on production, shutdowns and key transacted deals, keeping you informed of market developments as they happen. The ICIS news service allows you to customise the market alerts delivered to your email inbox, providing the business-critical information you need straightaway.
An expert view of supply and demand comprising four fully-reconciled databases, giving you access to extensive data for more than 100 markets. Information is included on global and regional trade flows, production, capacity and sources of demand in the short-, medium- and long-term. Data can be downloaded, customised and queried to support your planning requirements and your strategic decisions.
ICIS provides specialist training courses across the global petrochemicals, base oils and fertilizers industries. Our training team of industry experts can help you increase your knowledge of the industry and gain the insight and know-how needed to operate and trade effectively.
Find out more about ICIS training courses
ICIS produces a series of highly informative and timely conferences. Extensive research is carried out to ensure that each programme delivers the information you need and addresses current industry issues. We source speakers who have the appropriate expertise and experience to deliver excellent quality papers.
Find out more about ICIS conferences
Working closely with you to understand your strategies, challenges and ambitions, the ICIS consulting team deliver tailored advice and solutions to suit your unique requirements. With many years’ experience of guiding business leadership teams, we show you how market conditions can make a positive or negative impact on your long-term plans.
ICIS expert consultants can provide your organisation with the insight, intelligence and data needed to build and grow your business in China. We can help you to gain a clear view on the short and long-term supply and demand picture in the chemicals, energy, iron and steel, non-ferrous metals and paper and pulp markets in China.
ICIS price assessments are based on information gathered from a wide cross-section of the market, comprising consumers, producers, traders and distributors from more than 250 reporters world-wide. Confirmed deals, verified by both buyer and seller, provide the foundation of our price assessments.
Our in-depth market knowledge drives our specialist focus, as we recognise the importance of individual market dynamics and not a one-size-fits-all approach.
Over 25 years of reporting on key chemicals markets, including Polyethylene terephthalate, has brought global recognition of our methodology as being unbiased, authoritative and rigorous in preserving our editorial integrity. Our global network of reporters in Houston, London, Singapore, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Mumbai, Perth and Moscow ensures unrivalled coverage of established and emerging markets.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) exists both as an amorphous (transparent) and a semi-crystalline (opaque and white) thermoplastic, and can be made into either a resin or a film.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has a crystalline structure and good chemical resistance to mineral oils, acids and solvents but not to bases. It has good electrical resistance, low moisture absorption; it resists combustion and is self-extinguishing.
PET exists both as an amorphous (transparent) and a semi-crystalline (opaque and white) thermoplastic, and can be made into either a resin or a film. The semi-crystalline PET has good strength, stiffness and hardness while the amorphous PET has better ductility.
PET can be made into a resin, fibre or film. The largest outlet is synthetic fibres, followed by bottle resin. PET film is used in electrical applications and packaging.
In the manufacture of PET resins, purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and monoethylene glycol (MEG) are reacted to make a basic ester which is polymerised in a melt phase, polycondensation finishing reactor.
Dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) is an alternative feedstock to PTA but the PTA route is preferred. The molten polymer is extruded, cut into chips and cooled. The chips pass to a solid state polycondensation unit to form the PET resin.