After three consecutive months of increasing prices for several polymers hit the market during the first quarter of 2017, the tide has turned. Prices fell for polypropylene, polystyrene and polyethylene during the April and May, offering some much anticipated relief to buyers of resin and sheet.
To help give some context to the current market changes that many customers are seeing, and what may lie ahead, below is a recap of market pricing reported for the months of April and May:
Topics: polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, resin, pricing
Choosing the right plastic for your application can be confusing, particularly if you are new to the industry. In our recent blog post, “When it Comes to material selection, not all plastics are created equal,” we gave a quick overview of the polymers that Impact extrudes, touching on their general characteristics and typical uses.
In this next blog post, we narrow our focus to discuss one of the materials we extrude in greater detail – High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS). HIPS is a very versatile, economical and tough material that exhibits good impact strength, easy processing and works very well with thermoforming processes. Below are 7 important facts about HIPS plastic:
Topics: high impact polystyrene, polystyrene
The first quarter of 2017 wrapped up with three consecutive months of significant price increases for several polymers. Tight supply and increasing feedstock costs along with other factors resulted in a perfect storm that provided suppliers with the leverage to increase pricing. However, this month it seems that there may be a light at the end of the price increase tunnel for buyers of both resin and sheet.
To help give some context to the current pricing surge that many customers are seeing, and when you may expect some relief, below is a recap of market pricing reported for the month of March:
Topics: resin, pricing, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene