ABS price per pound: how ABS is priced, general purpose to PC/ABS
Why ABS follows three monomers, with styrene the largest, how imports and tariffs reach the U.S. price, which grade families cost more and why, and how to compare two quotes on the same basis.
Updated October 2026
Request a QuoteThe short answer
There is no single ABS price per pound. ABS is made from three monomers, styrene, acrylonitrile and butadiene, and each has its own market, so ABS moves with all three, with styrene usually the largest share. Much of it is imported, so Asian prices and tariffs matter too. Plating, high-heat and flame-retardant grades often cost more than general purpose, and PC/ABS usually more again. Many numbers online are filament, scrap or overseas per-ton prices, so send your grade, quantity and ship-to city for a real quote.
What moves ABS prices: three monomers
ABS is a terpolymer: styrene and acrylonitrile are polymerized in the presence of polybutadiene rubber. A typical recipe is roughly 40–60% styrene, 15–35% acrylonitrile and 5–30% butadiene, and the mix changes by grade. That gives ABS three cost chains instead of one.
- Styrene, from benzene and ethylene. Most styrene is made by reacting benzene with ethylene to make ethylbenzene, then dehydrogenating it; some is a co-product of propylene oxide. Benzene follows crude oil and gasoline, so it often sets most of the styrene move.
- Acrylonitrile, from propylene and ammonia. Acrylonitrile is made by ammoxidation of propylene with ammonia and air, known as the SOHIO process. Propylene supply and ammonia both feed into its cost.
- Butadiene, a cracker by-product. In the U.S. most butadiene comes out of steam crackers as a by-product of making ethylene. Ethane feed yields mostly ethylene and little butadiene, while heavier feeds such as naphtha yield more. As North American crackers moved to ethane, butadiene got tighter at home, and it can swing hard.
- Outages and storms. A monomer unit going down can move ABS costs within weeks. Much of that capacity is on the Gulf Coast, where hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30.
- World events. In spring 2026, the conflict involving Iran and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz pushed oil and feedstock costs up, and producers announced increases across most resin families, ABS included.
- Imports and demand. Much of the ABS used in North America comes from Asia and Mexico, so Asian prices, ocean freight and tariffs reach the U.S. price. Weak auto or appliance demand softens ABS even when monomers are firm.
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Styrene matters most, but not alone. Polystyrene is almost all styrene, so PS prices follow styrene closely. ABS has the same styrene exposure plus acrylonitrile and butadiene, so it can move when styrene is flat, or hold when styrene falls. HIPS sits in between: mostly styrene with some butadiene rubber.
Contract moves. Larger buyers mostly buy ABS on contract, with monthly or quarterly price moves that track the monomers plus any margin increases the producer nominates. Nominations settle in full, in part or not at all, and producers usually pass monomer moves through with a lag of a month or more. Spot lots and imports trade separately and often move first.
| Piece of the price | What sets it | How often it moves |
|---|---|---|
| Monomer cost | Styrene, acrylonitrile and butadiene prices, weighted by the grade’s recipe | Monthly, with a lag |
| Producer margin | Increase or decrease letters that settle in full, in part or not at all | When producers nominate a change and the market accepts it |
| Import parity | Asian and Mexican prices, ocean freight, exchange rate and tariffs | Weekly to monthly |
| Grade family and color | Rubber level, heat package, flame retardant, plating spec, precolor or custom match | When you change grades |
| Packaging, freight and handling | Bulk, gaylord or bag, and distance to your dock | Every order |
| Reseller margin | Credit, small lots, inventory and service from a distributor or broker | Every order |
A simplified picture. Contract formulas differ by producer and buyer, and the details are private.
Who makes ABS for North America, and what changed in 2024–2026
North American ABS comes from a few local plants plus a large flow of imports.
- INEOS Styrolution closed Addyston, Ohio. On October 30, 2024, INEOS announced it would permanently close its ABS and SAN site in Addyston, Ohio, with decommissioning starting in the second quarter of 2025. It cited competition from overseas imports and said it would serve customers from its other plants. INEOS Styrolution makes ABS and ASA in Altamira, Mexico.
- Trinseo restructured. Trinseo makes MAGNUM mass ABS in Midland, Michigan, as well as in the Netherlands and China. In May 2026 it began a prepackaged Chapter 11 restructuring to cut about $2 billion of debt, saying operations would continue without interruption. In August 2026 it said it expected to emerge before year end; in October the court sent the plan to mediation with objecting creditors, so its exit may take longer. It has also restarted the sale of its stake in Americas Styrenics (AmSty), its styrene and polystyrene venture, and reported lower second-quarter U.S. ABS volumes as customers destocked on high raw material costs.
- SABIC sold Cycolac in the Americas and Europe. Mutares completed its purchase of SABIC’s engineering thermoplastics business in the Americas and Europe in August 2026, and it now operates as NexPoint Materials, with Cycolac ABS, Cycoloy PC/ABS, Lexan PC and Valox PBT. Paperwork may show either name for a while. See Cycolac MG47.
- Imports from Asia. South Korea, Taiwan and Mexico are among the main sources of imported ABS, from producers such as LG Chem and Chi Mei (POLYLAC). In August 2025, Plastics News reported that LG Chem raised ABS prices citing U.S. tariffs.
Producer names, plant footprints and brand owners change. Confirm the producer and plant on the data sheet and COA for the lot you buy.
Imports, duties and tariffs on ABS
Because so much ABS is imported, duties and tariffs can move a delivered price as much as a monomer swing. This is the general picture as of October 2026, not customs advice.
- The base duty. ABS copolymers in primary form enter the U.S. under HTS 3903.30.00, with a 6.5% general duty rate. Imports that qualify under trade programs, including KORUS for South Korea and USMCA for Mexico and Canada, can enter duty-free. Products of China carry an extra 25% Section 301 duty on this line.
- Tariffs since 2025. U.S. tariff rules on imports have changed several times since early 2025, with new measures, court rulings and exemptions, and some are still being challenged. Because the rules keep moving, ask each seller which country the resin comes from and whether duty is included in the price.
- What that means for you. Extra tariffs depend on the country of origin, exemptions and entry date. Ask every seller whether duties and tariffs are included, and get the country of origin in writing.
Who reports ABS and monomer prices
The numbers are sold by subscription and we do not reprint them. This is who publishes what, so you know which one your contract or your supplier is quoting.
| Source | What it is | What buyers use it for |
|---|---|---|
| ICIS | Price reporting service, part of RELX | Monthly U.S. ABS assessments for injection and extrusion grades, weekly ABS prices in Asia and Europe, and styrene |
| Plastics News | Trade publication. Its resin price chart is in cents per pound for prime, unfilled, natural resin, FOB supplier, built from interviews with buyers and suppliers. | Reported North American ABS price moves, such as tariff-driven increases in September 2025 and weak-demand decreases in November 2025 |
| S&P Global Energy (Platts) | Price reporting service, called S&P Global Commodity Insights until November 2025 | Daily U.S. Gulf Coast spot styrene, and other monomer and aromatics assessments |
| Argus Media | Price reporting service | Weekly butadiene contract and spot prices, including the U.S. Gulf Coast |
| ChemOrbis | Price and news service focused on import polymer markets | Weekly ABS import price moves in China and Southeast Asia, which feed into what Asian ABS lands at here |
Each service defines grades, timing and delivery basis its own way. If a contract cites an index, read which one and how the differential applies.
General purpose to PC/ABS: the usual price order
ABS grade families tend to sit relative to general purpose as shown below. The gaps are not fixed, and a short grade can jump ahead in any month. In its May 2026 update, for example, compounder Star Plastics reported April ABS increase announcements of 12–20 cents per pound, with flame-retardant grades up an additional 30 cents. Read it as where each family tends to sit, not a price list.
| Grade family | Where it often sits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| General purpose injection, natural | The base of the ABS ladder and the usual benchmark | The most plants, the most volume and the most import competition |
| High-flow general purpose | At or near general purpose | Same chemistry with a flow target; it often gives up some impact |
| Extrusion and sheet grades | Often near general purpose; specialty sheet grades, such as refrigerator liner, a step above | Large volumes for commodity sheet; tighter specs and fewer sources for specialty sheet |
| High-impact | Often a small step above general purpose | More rubber, and impact targets at cold temperatures |
| Plating grade | Often above general purpose | Tight rubber-particle control for even etching, smaller campaigns and plater approvals |
| High-heat (alpha-methylstyrene type) | Often above general purpose. Ultra-high-heat grades sit higher. | Heat-resistant comonomer, fewer producers and automotive approvals |
| Transparent ABS (MABS) | Often above general purpose | Methyl methacrylate in the recipe and few producers |
| Flame-retardant ABS | Often well above general purpose | Flame-retardant package, UL listings by color and thickness, and fewer runs |
| Glass-filled ABS | Above unfilled ABS | Glass, coupling agents and compounding |
| PC/ABS | Usually above ABS and below polycarbonate | Contains polycarbonate and is compounded. FR and OEM-approved PC/ABS often cost more again. |
General patterns, not a rule. Custom colors, UV packages and medical or food-contact documents add to any family.
- Do not overbuy the grade. An FR or high-heat grade in a part that does not need it pays for additives it does not use. See which ABS grade to ask for and ABS properties.
- Check the step up per part. PC/ABS costs more per pound, but it can let you thin a wall, pass a cold drop test or reach V-0 without halogens. See PC vs. PC/ABS, ABS vs. polycarbonate and PC/ABS.
- Check the step down too. HIPS usually costs less and works in some low-stress indoor parts. See ABS vs. HIPS.
Why “ABS price per pound” results show filament, scrap and per-ton prices
Many ABS price numbers online are not prime pellets for a production line. Retail sites sell filament by the 1 kg spool, scrap buyers post regrind prices, and marketplaces show per metric ton offers for ports in China or Southeast Asia. None of these is a delivered price for prime pellets on your dock.
| Form | What it is | Can you run it? | Where it often sits on price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mixed scrap or regrind | Ground parts or purgings of unknown grade, often mixed colors, sometimes from electronics | Rarely, without sorting, testing and pelletizing | Lowest per pound |
| Reprocessed (repro) pellets | Industrial ABS scrap ground, melted, filtered and pelletized again, usually black or gray | Yes, for dark parts that tolerate a wider MFR | Often well below prime |
| PCR or PIR ABS compounds | Post-consumer or post-industrial ABS, sorted, cleaned and compounded, with recycled-content documents | Yes, after a trial | Often below prime; documented, color-controlled grades can be near or above prime |
| Wide-spec or off-grade virgin | Producer material outside the grade window, often MFR, color or impact | Yes, if your part tolerates the variation | Below prime |
| Prime virgin pellets | In-spec resin under the grade name with a lot COA | Yes | The baseline for a spec’d part |
Recycled ABS from electronics can carry brominated flame retardants and antimony trioxide. An EU research project found e-waste ABS and HIPS with up to 20% brominated flame retardants and 5% antimony trioxide. Ask what the source stream is and what restricted-substance testing has been done.
- Related reading. How recycled resin is priced and prime vs. off-grade.
What changes the price you pay, and how to pay less
- Order size. A bulk truck or truckload sits closest to contract pricing. LTL gaylords and a single gaylord cost more per pound, mostly from freight and handling. The full ladder is on the ABS page and in gaylord vs. LTL vs. truckload.
- Packaging. ABS pellets run about 37–42 lb/ft³, so a gaylord often nets in the middle to upper part of the 1,000–1,600 lb range. 55 lb (25 kg) bags cost the most to pack and handle.
- Freight and imports. An FOB price stops at the named point, so put every quote on a delivered basis. Imported ABS can price below domestic but often comes in 25 kg bags, with a longer lead time and possible duties or tariffs.
- Grade family and color. High-impact, plating, high-heat, FR and transparent grades, and custom colors, all move the price. A custom color usually has a minimum run, so quote it at your yearly volume.
- Ways to pay less. Buy a truckload instead of gaylords if you have the room. Accept imported resin. Ask about generic prime, wide-spec or surplus lots for parts that tolerate variation, and about repro or recycled grades if your customer allows. Each trades some certainty for price, so get the tier and the lot COA in writing. See surplus resin.
How to compare two ABS quotes, line by line
Lay both quotes side by side and check each line. Then convert both to delivered cost per pound at your dock.
| Line on the quote | What to confirm | How it can mislead |
|---|---|---|
| Grade and family | Producer grade name, and general purpose, high-impact, plating, high-heat or FR in words | A general-purpose price next to a plating or FR price is not a like-for-like saving |
| Producer and plant | Producer name and country of origin | A brand sold by a new owner, or the same grade name made in another region with different data |
| Quality tier | Prime, generic prime, wide-spec, repro or recycled, in writing | Wide-spec MFR can flash or short your mold |
| MFR | Melt flow with the test condition, such as 220°C / 428°F, 10 kg or 230°C / 446°F, 3.8 kg | The two conditions give different numbers and do not convert |
| Impact and heat | Notched Izod with method and temperature, and HDT with load and whether bars were annealed | ASTM D256 in J/m and ISO 180 in kJ/m² do not convert into each other |
| Flame rating | UL 94 rating, thickness and color on UL Product iQ | A V-0 rating at 3 mm does not cover your 1.5 mm wall |
| Color and price unit | Natural, black or custom match; per pound, per kg or per metric ton | A natural price next to a custom color, or a per-kg price read as per pound |
| Shipping terms and freight | FOB point or delivered, and accessorial charges | An FOB price looks lower until freight is added |
| Duties and tariffs | Whether duties and tariffs are included, and the country of origin | Tariffs added at the border, or a long ocean lead time |
| Validity and ship date | How long the price holds and the confirmed ship date | A price you cannot get on time is not a price |
| Documents | Lot COA, the producer’s FDA letter for food use, UL listing for FR grades | A data sheet sent in place of a lot COA |
A price far below every other quote is a warning sign. See how to vet a resin supplier.
- Related reading. How resin is priced, how to vet a resin supplier and what to do when your price goes up.
How to time an ABS buy
- Watch all three monomers, and separate the moves. A drop in styrene can be offset by a rise in butadiene. Ask how much of an ABS change is monomer cost, margin or tariffs.
- Watch Asia. Falling import offers in China and Southeast Asia often show up in U.S. ABS within weeks. Rising freight or new tariffs work the other way.
- Buy ahead only with a reason. In a soft market, buy as needed. Build inventory ahead of a credible outage or tariff change, not on rumor, and count the cash and floor space it ties up.
- Keep a second source qualified. FR, plating and high-heat grades are made in fewer runs and tighten first. See how to qualify a second source and allocation and force majeure.
- Get the monthly note. Our resin market notes say which way ABS is moving and why, without prices. The October 2026 note has ABS soft, on lower benzene, imports and demand a few percent below 2025.
How we quote ABS
We do not post prices, because an ABS price only means something for a specific grade, color, quantity, package and ship-to city. Send the grade you run, or its family, melt flow with the test condition, impact, heat, flame rating and color, with your quantity and ship-to city. A polymer chemist reviews every request and quotes that grade or a qualified equivalent. Orders start at one gaylord (about 1,000 to 1,600 lb) and run to truckloads. Material ships from 22+ partner warehouse locations run by our supply partners, and every prime lot from our suppliers ships with a COA. Our standard terms are FOB the shipping warehouse, so send your ship-to city and compare on delivered cost.
Need a spool or two of filament? A retail seller is a better fit. Have a quote from another supplier? Send it, and we will price the same thing so you can compare.
Common questions
What is the price of ABS per pound?
There is no single number. ABS prices follow styrene, acrylonitrile and butadiene costs, import prices and producer increases, and your price also depends on the grade family, color, quantity, packaging and freight. Many search results are filament, scrap or overseas per-ton prices. Send your grade, quantity and ship-to city for a quote.
Why does ABS follow styrene prices?
Styrene is usually the largest part of ABS, often about 40 to 60 percent by weight, so a move in styrene, and in benzene behind it, shows up in ABS costs. Acrylonitrile and butadiene make up the rest, and each has its own market, so ABS does not track styrene as closely as polystyrene does.
Is flame-retardant or plating ABS more expensive than general purpose?
Usually, yes. Flame-retardant grades carry the flame-retardant package, UL listings and fewer production runs, and they often sit well above general purpose. Plating and high-heat grades are made in smaller campaigns for narrower markets and often carry a premium too. The gap changes with the market and the grade.
Is PC/ABS more expensive than ABS?
Usually. Cost tends to run ABS, then PC/ABS, then polycarbonate, because PC/ABS contains polycarbonate and is compounded. Flame-retardant PC/ABS often costs more again. Compare on cost per part, since the blend can let you thin a wall.
Are there tariffs on imported ABS?
ABS copolymers enter the U.S. under HTS 3903.30.00, with a 6.5 percent general duty rate unless a trade program applies, such as KORUS for Korea or USMCA. Extra tariffs on top of that have changed several times since 2025 and are still shifting. Ask every seller whether duties and tariffs are included in the price.
Is recycled ABS cheaper than virgin?
Often, for black reprocessed or mixed-color recycled ABS in parts that tolerate variation. Documented, color-controlled recycled ABS can cost about the same as prime or more. ABS recycled from electronics can contain brominated flame retardants, so ask about the source and testing.
If your grade is not listed, tell us what you run. We source commodity, engineering and specialty resins.
Get a price on your ABS grade
A polymer chemist reviews every request, then matches your grade or finds a qualified equivalent and prices it.
What to send for an accurate quote
- The grade name, from any supplier, or a data sheet
- Color (natural, black or a custom match)
- Fill type and percentage, if any
- Melt flow, if you know it
- Quantity for this order and what you use in a year
- Ship-to city and state or province
Want a second price on the ABS you buy?
Send the grade, quantity and ship-to city, or a quote you want to check. A polymer chemist reviews it and we quote the same grade or a qualified equivalent. We aim to send your quote within one to three business days.
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Send the grade you run now, or describe the part. A polymer chemist reviews every request.