Polyethylene price per pound: what sets HDPE, LDPE and LLDPE prices
Why there is no single price for PE, what moves it each month, which types cost more and why, and how to line up two quotes so you compare the same thing.
Updated October 2026
Request a QuoteThe short answer
There is no single price per pound for polyethylene. Most North American PE sells on monthly contracts that move with ethylene costs, export demand, plant outages and producer increase letters, and the price you pay adds grade, packaging, freight and order size on top. Many “HDPE price per pound” numbers online are recycled bale prices, not pellets you can run. We do not post prices, so send your grade, quantity and ship-to city and we will quote it.
What moves polyethylene prices
Every PE grade starts as ethylene, so ethylene cost sets the floor. After that, supply and demand decide how far above the floor the market sits. These are the forces buyers see most often.
- Ethane and ethylene. In the U.S. most ethylene is cracked from ethane, a natural gas liquid. When ethane and ethylene get cheaper, PE producers have room to cut. When they rise, increase letters follow.
- Naphtha abroad. Europe and much of Asia crack naphtha, which is priced off crude oil. That gives ethane-based U.S. producers a cost edge when oil is high, and it shapes what U.S. resin can fetch overseas.
- Capacity. Several large PE plants have started up on the Gulf Coast in the last decade, most of them LLDPE and HDPE. New capacity tends to push prices down until demand catches up.
- Exports. A large share of U.S. PE is exported. When export demand is strong, less resin is left at home and domestic prices firm. When exports are weak, resin backs up and producers discount at home.
- Outages and turnarounds. A cracker or PE reactor going down, planned or not, takes a big block of supply out at once. A force majeure declaration can tighten one grade family within days.
- Hurricanes and freezes. Much of North American PE capacity sits on the Gulf Coast. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, and Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 shut many plants at once.
- Freight. Ocean freight changes what exporters net, and diesel, truck and rail rates change what you pay delivered. A soft resin market can still land at a higher price on your dock if freight jumps.
- Demand and season. Packaging, construction and auto demand set the pace. Buyers often trim inventory in December, which softens demand at year end.
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By signing up you agree to receive emails from ResinBridge. Unsubscribe anytime by replying or using the link in any email. PrivacyContract, spot and the monthly nomination cycle
Contract. Most North American PE moves on contract. A processor agrees on volume with a producer or distributor, and the price is reset each month. Many contracts are written as a published index plus or minus a negotiated differential.
Nominations. Producers send letters that nominate an increase (or, less often, a decrease) by a set amount per pound from a set date. A nomination is an opening position. Price services then survey buyers and sellers and report how much was implemented for the month: all of it, part of it or none. Several nominations in a row with only part of each sticking is common.
Spot. Spot material, often railcars of prime, generic prime or wide-spec, trades outside contracts. It moves faster in both directions, and it is where a loose or tight market shows first. Contract buyers watch spot to judge whether the next nomination will stick.
The index numbers themselves are sold by subscription. We do not reprint them. This is who publishes what.
| Source | What it is | What buyers use it for |
|---|---|---|
| S&P Global Energy (Platts) | Price reporting service. The division was called S&P Global Commodity Insights until it was renamed in November 2025. Platts is its benchmark brand. | Ethylene and PE contract and spot assessments, often used in contract formulas |
| ICIS, which owns Chemical Data (CDI) | Price reporting service, part of RELX. ICIS bought Houston-based CDI in 2020. CDI has reported U.S. petrochemical and plastics markets since 1979. | Monthly U.S. contract benchmarks by grade family, a common index for PE contracts |
| OPIS (PetroChem Wire) | Price reporting service, a Dow Jones company. PetroChem Wire reports daily spot deals. | Daily spot ethylene and PE prices. Some exchange-traded petrochemical futures, such as polymer-grade propylene, settle on its prices |
| The Plastics Exchange (Resintel) | A spot marketplace that buys and sells commodity resin by the railcar, bulk truck and truckload. Its market data service is Resintel. | Posted spot offers by grade, weekly market commentary, a read on spot direction |
| Resin Technology Inc. (RTi) | A resin purchasing consultancy that advises buyers, not a price reporting service. | Market outlooks and contract advice for buyers; its consultants are quoted in the monthly trade-press resin price reports |
| Argus Media | Price reporting service. Its weekly global PE report includes monthly U.S. contract assessments by grade. | U.S. contract moves for LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE injection, blow molding and HMW film, export spot prices, and its U.S. Polyethylene Transaction Index |
Each service defines its grades, timing and delivery basis its own way, so two indexes for the same grade can differ. If your contract cites an index, read which one and how the differential is applied.
Which polyethylene costs more: the typical pattern
Published North American contract reports show a loose pattern across PE types. The gaps are not fixed. They widen when one type is short and narrow when the market is long, and the lower-priced types trade places often. Read this as where each type tends to sit, not a strict ranking or a price list.
| PE type | Where it often sits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| HDPE injection, HDPE blow molding and LLDPE butene film | The lower-priced group of prime PE, often close to each other. Which one is lowest changes from month to month. | Made on many lines with no comonomer or the cheapest one, butene. LLDPE butene film is a common contract benchmark. HDPE grades with a stress-crack (ESCR) target, such as closure and detergent-bottle grades, often cost more. |
| HMW-HDPE film and bimodal HDPE | Often a step above general-purpose HDPE | Bimodal grades need linked reactors on fewer lines. Pipe compounds carry listings, and closure grades are often sold under contract. |
| LLDPE hexene | Often a step above butene | Hexene costs more than butene and fewer units make it. Enhanced or super-hexene grades sit higher. |
| LDPE film | Often above LLDPE butene. Against hexene, it varies. | LDPE is made in high-pressure reactors, and most new North American PE capacity in the last decade was LLDPE and HDPE, so there are fewer LDPE plants to fall back on. |
| LLDPE octene and metallocene | Toward the top of commodity film PE, often above hexene. It can sit above or below LDPE. | Octene grades come mostly from solution plants, and metallocene grades add catalyst cost and come from fewer lines. |
General patterns, not a rule. Plastomers, EVA, UHMW-PE and rotomolding powders are priced on their own. Additives, color, the process family and how short a grade is that month can move a specific grade out of this order.
- Judge the step up per part, not per pound. A hexene or metallocene grade that lets you cut film gauge and still pass dart and tear can cost less per bag. See LLDPE film by comonomer.
- Pay for ESCR only where the part needs it. A bimodal closure or detergent-bottle grade earns its premium. A pallet that never sees detergent does not. See HDPE injection grades and HMW-HDPE.
Why “HDPE price per pound” results show bale prices
Search for HDPE price per pound and the top results are often recycling news. Those reports quote the monthly Secondary Materials Pricing (SMP) index from RecyclingMarkets.net, which tracks baled post-consumer bottles and film. A bale is sorted but unwashed material with labels, caps and dirt. It is not resin you can feed to a press or extruder, and it moves on its own cycle. Natural HDPE bales often trade well above color HDPE bales, so even the bale numbers swing widely.
Between a bale and a pellet you can run sit washing, float-sink separation, drying, melt filtration and pelletizing, plus the weight lost to labels, caps, dirt and water. That is why each step costs more per pound.
| Form | What it is | Can you run it? | Where it often sits on price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bale | Sorted, unwashed bottles or film from a recycling facility | No, it needs a wash line and an extruder | Lowest per pound |
| Washed flake or regrind | Ground, washed and dried, not melt-filtered | Only on lines built for flake | Above bale, below pellets |
| Mixed-color PCR pellets | Washed, filtered and pelletized without color sorting | Yes, for dark parts and hidden layers | Often below prime |
| Natural or food-contact PCR pellets | Color-sorted, decontaminated, food use only under the recycler’s FDA no-objection letter | Yes | Often near or above prime |
| Wide-spec or off-grade virgin | Producer material outside the grade window | Yes, if your part tolerates the variation | Below prime |
| Prime virgin pellets | In-spec resin sold under the grade name with a lot COA | Yes | The baseline for a spec’d part |
Where each form often sits, not a fixed order. Recycled and virgin markets move on different cycles, so the gaps change.
- Other numbers you will find. Per metric ton prices from paid reports, Asian or Middle East spot offers on marketplaces, old news articles and AI-written cost guides. None of them is a delivered price for prime pellets on your dock. See how recycled resin is priced and prime vs. off-grade.
What changes the price you pay
The index tells you which way the market moved. Your invoice depends on how you buy. These lines can move a quote as much as a month of market movement.
- Order size. A railcar sits closest to contract and index pricing. A bulk truck, a boxed truckload, a few gaylords LTL and a single gaylord each cost more per pound, mostly from freight and handling. The full ladder is on the polyethylene page and in gaylord vs. LTL vs. truckload.
- Packaging. Bulk has no packaging cost. Gaylords add the box, liner and pallet. 55 lb (25 kg) bags cost the most per pound to pack and handle.
- Freight and distance. The same lot costs more delivered to a plant far from the shipping warehouse. Liftgate, appointment and fuel surcharges add to LTL.
- FOB or delivered. An FOB price stops at the named point and freight is extra. A delivered price includes it. Put both on a delivered basis before you compare.
- Imports. Imported PE can price differently from domestic, often arrives in 25 kg bags, has a longer lead time and may carry duties or tariffs, which change. Ask whether they are included.
- Prime, generic prime or wide-spec. Generic prime and wide-spec sell below prime, but the spec and source can change lot to lot. Get the tier in writing.
- Grade details. Comonomer, ESCR tier, unimodal or bimodal structure, slip and antiblock, processing aid, UV package and color all move the price of a specific grade.
- 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 PE quotes, line by line
Put both quotes side by side and walk down this list. Convert everything to delivered cost per pound at your dock before you decide.
| Line on the quote | What to confirm | How it can mislead |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | Producer grade name, or the generic description if none | “LLDPE film” can mean butene, hexene or metallocene |
| Quality tier | Prime, generic prime, wide-spec or off-grade, in writing | A wide-spec price next to a prime price is not a saving on a spec’d part |
| MI and density | Melt index at 190°C / 374°F, 2.16 kg (or HLMI at 21.6 kg) and density with the method | A 21.6 kg value cannot be compared with a 2.16 kg spec |
| Comonomer and structure | Butene, hexene, octene or metallocene; unimodal or bimodal | Same MI and density can run and test differently |
| Additives | Slip, antiblock, processing aid, UV, antioxidant | A no-slip grade quoted against a slip grade, or the reverse |
| Price unit | Per pound, per kg or per metric ton | 1 metric ton is about 2,204.6 lb and 1 kg is about 2.2046 lb, so a per-ton or per-kg number looks very different |
| Currency | U.S. or Canadian dollars, and the exchange-rate date if a quote was converted | A Canadian-dollar quote next to a U.S.-dollar quote looks cheaper or dearer than it is |
| Quantity and net weight | Total pounds and net weight per gaylord or bag | A lighter box means more boxes and more freight for the same pounds |
| Shipping terms | FOB point or delivered, and who carries risk in transit | An FOB price looks lower until freight is added |
| Freight and accessorials | Liftgate, appointment, fuel surcharge, residential, pallet charges | Small charges on one gaylord add up per pound |
| Origin, duties and tariffs | Domestic or imported, and whether duties are included | Duties added at the border, or a long ocean lead time |
| Payment terms | Prepay, Net 30 or other | A lower price on prepay can cost more in cash |
| 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, and the producer’s FDA letter if food is involved | No lot COA, or a data sheet sent in place of a 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 a PE buy
- Watch nominations, then settlements. A letter is not a price. Wait to see what the price services report as implemented before you assume the increase is real.
- Watch spot. When spot offers fall while a contract increase is pending, the increase often does not stick in full. When spot firms, it often does.
- Know the calendar. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30. Year-end inventory cuts often soften December. Producers and price services report planned turnarounds ahead of time, so ask your supplier which ones are coming.
- Buy ahead only with a reason. In a long market, buy as needed. Build inventory ahead of a credible outage or storm, not on rumor, and count the cash and floor space it ties up.
- Keep a second source qualified. When a grade goes on allocation, contract customers are served first and spot dries up. A qualified second grade is your best price protection. See how to qualify a second source.
- Get the monthly note. Our resin market notes say which way PE is moving and why, without prices. Sign up below for an email when PE prices move.
How we quote polyethylene
We do not post prices, because a PE price only means something for a specific grade, quantity, package and ship-to city. Send the grade you run, or its melt index (190°C / 374°F, 2.16 kg), density, comonomer and process, 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 and railcars. 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. We will tell you what it covers and price the same thing so you can compare on the same basis.
Common questions
What is the price of HDPE per pound?
There is no single number. HDPE contract prices move monthly with ethylene costs, exports and producer increases, and injection, blow molding, film and pipe grades are priced as separate families. Your price also depends on the grade, quantity, packaging and freight to your dock. Many HDPE price per pound search results are recycled bale prices, which are not pellets you can run. Send your grade, quantity and ship-to city for a quote.
Why is LDPE often priced above LLDPE?
LDPE is made in high-pressure reactors, and most new North American PE capacity in the last decade was LLDPE and HDPE, so there are fewer LDPE plants. An outage at one of them tightens supply quickly. Butene LLDPE comes from many plants with the cheapest comonomer. The gap changes month to month, and hexene, octene or metallocene LLDPE can sit at or above LDPE.
Is wholesale LDPE resin cheaper from overseas?
Sometimes the resin price is lower, but compare delivered cost. Imported LDPE often arrives in 25 kg bags, adds ocean freight and a longer lead time, and may carry duties or tariffs that change. Ask for the producer, a lot COA and whether duties are included before you compare.
What does a price increase nomination mean?
It is a letter from a producer announcing an increase by a set amount per pound from a set date. It is an opening position. Price services later report how much of it was implemented, and often only part of it sticks.
How do I convert a per metric ton price to per pound?
Divide the per-ton price by about 2,204.6, since one metric ton is about 2,204.6 lb. For a per-kg price, divide by about 2.2046. Check the currency and delivery basis too, since many per-ton prices online are for Asian or Middle East ports, not a U.S. dock.
Why are recycled HDPE prices so different from prime?
The recycled numbers in the news are mostly bale prices for unwashed bottles. Washing, filtering and pelletizing add cost and lose weight, so pellets cost much more than bales. Natural and food-contact PCR pellets can cost about the same as prime or more, while mixed-color PCR pellets are often below prime.
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