Nylon price per pound: what sets PA6 and PA66 resin prices

What moves nylon prices

“Nylon” on a quote is usually one of two resins with two different raw-material chains. Benzene sits under both, but each has its own pinch point, so PA6 and PA66 do not always move together.

• Benzene. Benzene is the starting point for caprolactam (PA6) and for adipic acid (PA66). The U.S. benzene contract settles monthly. AdvanSix, a U.S. caprolactam and PA6 producer, says in its annual report that nylon 6 prices track a spread over caprolactam, which in turn tracks a spread over benzene.
• Butadiene, acrylonitrile and natural gas. ADN, the raw material for HMD, is made from butadiene and hydrogen cyanide or from acrylonitrile. Natural gas supplies the ammonia and hydrogen that run through both chains.
• A short list of ADN plants. Only a few companies make ADN, so an outage at one plant can tighten PA66 across the whole market. That is the main reason PA66 has swung harder than PA6, as in 2018 and 2021. See PA66 shortage alternatives.
• Capacity and imports. PA6 capacity is large and mostly in Asia. AdvanSix put global PA6 utilization near 56% in 2025, with Asia holding nearly 80% of capacity. A long market limits how far PA6 can rise, and imports from Asia set a ceiling on domestic offers.
• Demand. Cars, electrical parts and carpet are the big users. Weak auto builds soften engineering grades, and AdvanSix names carpet as the largest end use for PA6 in North America.
• Outages, storms and freezes. Several U.S. nylon plants sit near the Gulf Coast. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, and during the February 2021 freeze BASF declared force majeure on polyamides and intermediates from its Freeport, Texas site.
• Freight and duties. Truck rates move delivered cost even when the resin price is flat, and duties on imported nylon change what imports land at.

How PA6 and PA66 prices are built

Each step in the chain below is a separate product with its own price. A move in benzene reaches PA6 and the adipic acid side of PA66 within weeks to months. A problem at an ADN plant reaches only PA66, and fast.

Simplified chains. Producers use different routes, and contract formulas differ by producer and buyer.

Compounds sit on top. A glass-filled, heat-stabilized, toughened or flame-retardant grade is base polymer plus glass, additives and the cost of compounding, plus the compounder’s margin. A GF30 grade is about 70% polymer, so it moves with nylon, but not one for one. See glass-filled nylon.

Who makes PA66 and caprolactam in North America, and what changed

In North America, ADN is made by INVISTA at Victoria, Texas, and by Ascend Performance Materials at Decatur, Alabama. Ascend also makes adipic acid at Pensacola, Florida, which it calls the largest adipic acid plant in the world, and HMD at Pensacola and Decatur. These are the recent changes a PA66 buyer should know about.

Company announcements and trade press as of October 2026. Plant status changes; ask your supplier what it sees now.

Caprolactam and PA6. AdvanSix’s Hopewell, Virginia plant is one of the world’s largest single-site caprolactam producers. In 2025 it sent about 53% of its caprolactam to its Chesterfield, Virginia plant to make Aegis PA6 and sold the rest. AdvanSix reported U.S. caprolactam utilization above 80% in 2025, against about 56% for PA6 worldwide. That gap is one reason PA6 has rarely been short at the same time as PA66.

How nylon is priced: contracts, letters and thin reporting

No monthly settlement. PE and PP have monthly contract moves that the whole market watches. Nylon does not. Large buyers usually buy on annual or quarterly contracts, often with a formula tied to benzene or other raw materials, so raw-material moves pass through up or down.

Increase letters. Producers nominate increases by letter, in cents per pound, and only part may stick. Plastics Technology reported on September 25, 2026 that nylon 6 rose 21¢/lb in the second quarter of 2026 and that suppliers sought 8–12¢/lb more for September, which RTi expected to land closer to 4¢/lb. Nylon 66 rose 24¢/lb in the second quarter, and RTi saw the same 8–12¢/lb September ask landing nearer 4–6¢/lb. (Plastics Technology, October 2026 report.)

Distributor prices. Smaller buyers pay distributor prices that follow producer moves with a lag. Compound prices move with the base polymer, but not one for one.

Why it is less transparent than PE and PP. Most engineering nylon is sold as a named producer grade with a specific additive package, and often an OEM, UL or FDA approval tied to it. Published assessments cover a handful of base grades, while the grade on your print may be one of hundreds. See how resin is priced for the general mechanics.

Who reports nylon prices

The numbers are sold by subscription and we do not reprint them. This is who publishes what, so you know what a contract or a supplier is quoting.

Assessments cover base polymer and a few specs. None of them prices your exact GF30, FR or heat-stabilized grade.

PA6, PA66, glass-filled, FR and toughened: the usual price order

Across published reports and the quotes we see, nylon types tend to sit relative to unfilled PA6 as shown below. The gaps move, and a short grade can jump ahead in any given month. Read it as where each type tends to sit, not a price list.

General patterns, not a rule. Custom colors, UV packages and food-contact documents add to any type. Glass raises density, so compare filled grades by cost per part: a GF30 at about 1.36 g/cm³ puts about 19% more pounds into the same part as unfilled nylon at about 1.14.

• Do not buy PA66 for heat a part never sees. PA6 GF30 is close in strength to PA66 GF30 but has about 40–50°C (72–90°F) lower heat deflection. For parts that stay near room temperature, PA6 is often the cheaper and more available choice. A switch usually needs requalification. See nylon 6 vs. nylon 66.
• Buy FR and toughening only where the part needs them. Both carry real adders, and an FR grade with no UL requirement on the part pays for a listing you do not use.

Moisture and drying: the cost that is not on the quote

Nylon takes up water from the air, about 2.5–3.5% at 50% relative humidity. Producers ship it dry in sealed moisture-barrier bags or lined gaylords, and the moisture on the COA is commonly 0.2% or lower. What happens after that shows up in your cost per good part, not on the resin invoice.

• Drying time and energy. Plan on a dehumidifying dryer at about 80°C / 176°F: 2–6 hours for PA6 and 2–4 hours for PA66 from a fresh bag, longer for resin that sat open.
• Scrap from wet resin. Wet nylon breaks down in the barrel. The worst case is parts that look fine but are brittle, found by your customer. Over-drying costs too: it can yellow the resin.
• Packaging is part of the price. Barrier liners cost more than plain bags. A cheaper lot with torn liners, resealed boxes or no moisture value on the COA can end up costing more.
• Parts grow as they condition. Dimensions and stiffness change as parts take up water, so a grade that saves a few cents but changes shrink can cost a tool tweak. See nylon swelling and moisture.

Why “nylon price per pound” results look wrong

Most nylon numbers online are not a delivered price for prime pellets on your line.

• Report-seller snapshots. Price-report sites post one sample number per region, and different sites can show very different figures for the same month because one uses export prices, another ex-works, another contract.
• Overseas offers. Marketplace listings are often per kilogram or per metric ton at an Asian port, before freight, duties and customs.
• Recycled and reprocessed nylon. Carpet fiber, post-industrial flake and repro pellets trade well below prime and are not interchangeable with an approved grade. See prime vs. off-grade.
• Finished forms. Rod, sheet and 3D-printing filament sell per pound at several times the pellet price, and cast nylon shapes are made from monomer, not pellets.

What changes the price you pay, and how to pay less

• Order size. Most nylon ships boxed or bagged, and bulk is rare. A truckload of gaylords, about 40,000–45,000 lb, sits closest to the best boxed price. LTL gaylords and a single gaylord cost more per pound, and 55 lb (25 kg) bags cost the most. The full ladder is on the nylon page and in gaylord vs. LTL vs. truckload.
• Packaging. Unfilled nylon runs about 38–45 lb/ft³, so a gaylord often nets in the upper half of the 1,000–1,600 lb range. Check net weight on the quote.
• Freight, FOB and delivered. An FOB price stops at the named point. Put every quote on a delivered basis at your dock.
• Imports. Imported nylon can price below domestic, but it often comes in octabins or 25 kg bags, has a longer lead time and may carry duties or tariffs that change. Ask whether they are included.
• Grade name and approvals. A named grade on an OEM or UL approval usually costs more than a generic equivalent, but switching can cost a requalification.
• Ways to pay less. Use PA6 where heat allows. Buy a truckload instead of gaylords if you have the room. Accept imported resin. Ask about wide-spec, surplus, reprocessed or post-industrial nylon for parts that tolerate variation. Each trades some certainty for price, so get the tier and the lot COA in writing.
• Payment terms and validity. Prepay and Net 30 carry different cash costs, and a price held for a day is worth less than one held for a month.

How to compare two nylon 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.

A price far below every other quote is a warning sign. With PA66 tight in past years, mixed, repro or PA6 material has been sold as prime PA66.

• Related reading. How to vet a resin supplier and what to do when your price goes up.

How to time a nylon buy

• Watch benzene. The monthly benzene contract feeds caprolactam and adipic acid, so a run of higher settlements usually comes before PA6 and PA66 increase letters.
• Watch the ADN plants. A force majeure at an ADN or HMD plant is the clearest early signal for PA66. PA6 rarely tightens at the same time.
• Negotiate letters. Nominations often settle for part of the ask, as in September 2026. Ask how much of an increase is raw material and how much is margin.
• Mind the seasons. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, freezes can shut Gulf Coast plants, and fourth-quarter demand often softens.
• Keep a second source qualified. Under allocation, contract customers are served first. See how to qualify a second source and allocation and force majeure.
• Get the monthly note. Our resin market notes say which way nylon is moving and why, without prices.

How we quote nylon

We do not post prices, because a nylon price only means something for a specific grade, quantity, package and ship-to city. Send the grade you run, or its base polymer, viscosity, glass level, additive package and flame rating, with your quantity and ship-to city. A polymer chemist reviews every request and quotes that grade or a qualified equivalent, and can tell you whether PA6 is a realistic option for a PA66 part. 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.

Have a quote from another supplier? Send it, and we will price the same thing so you can compare.

Common questions

If your grade is not listed, tell us what you run. We source commodity, engineering and specialty resins.