Polycarbonate Business Shows an Unprecedented Price in the German Market

Trinseo's European subsidiary recently announced price increases for all Polycarbonate (PC) grades. This price adjustment was reported in the first week of July, depending on the current contract terms. The contract and spot prices of the following products were adjusted to reflect the current market conditions with a price increment for standard polystyrene (brand Styron) and HIPS (Styron) as per Plastic Information Europe.

As per Chem Analyst pricing team data, Polycarbonate prices were hovering around EUR 4556/ton-EUR 4869/ton Polycarbonate GP FD Hamburg with a week-to-week escalation of 4.7% as recorded on July 8. The net sales increase was from within the Engineered Materials segment.

Despite operating in a more challenging business environment, geopolitical factors in Europe, such as pressure supply chains, customer production, and energy costs, affected the prices; however, manufacturing costs in the region remained stable.

The companies remain focused on its transformation to a specialty material and sustainable solutions provider, including progress on the sale process of the carbonate's businesses. The engineering thermoplastics are intense, complicated, challenging, and transparent and are used to manufacture various products. Medical devices, car parts, and digital disks all use polycarbonates, which means they are constantly in demand. Escalating demand for plastic lenses in eyewear, medical devices, automotive components, protective gear, greenhouses, Digital Disks (CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray), and exterior lighting fixtures surged the prices of Polycarbonate within the German region and widened the hope for the market.

The prices of Polycarbonates vary due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, which caused fluctuations in the global petrochemicals market. This war also affected the freight charges putting cost pressure on the product's price. As well as being an essential component of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins for industrial applications, Bisphenol A is found in numerous downstream applications. Demand is driven by multiple sectors, including construction, automotive, and aerospace.