Polyethylene resin manufacturers in North America: HDPE, LDPE and LLDPE

North American polyethylene producers (HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE)

These are the companies that make virgin polyethylene resin in the U.S., Canada and Mexico as of November 2026. Plant types are shown where the company states them. Where a company does not say which type a plant makes, we leave it out rather than guess. We do not list capacities or prices.

Plants change. Units start up, go down for repairs and come back. Before you build a part around one plant, ask the supplier where your lot was made and get the COA for that lot. For owner changes by brand, see the resin brand ownership tracker.

Which producers make which type

Most large producers make more than one type. This is the short version, based on the table above.

• HDPE resin suppliers (producers): Dow, ExxonMobil, Chevron Phillips Chemical, LyondellBasell, INEOS, Formosa Plastics USA, NOVA Chemicals, Shell Polymers, Bayport Polymers and Braskem Idesa. INEOS makes only HDPE in the U.S. Westlake's 10-K says its PE sites can also make HDPE, but it sells mainly LDPE and LLDPE. See HDPE for injection molding and HMW-HDPE.
• LDPE resin manufacturers: Dow, ExxonMobil, Chevron Phillips Chemical, LyondellBasell, the LyondellBasell and Sasol joint venture at Lake Charles, Westlake, Formosa Plastics USA, NOVA Chemicals, Braskem Idesa and, in small volumes, Pemex. See LDPE film resin.
• LLDPE resin manufacturers: Dow, ExxonMobil, Chevron Phillips Chemical, LyondellBasell, the Lake Charles joint venture, Westlake, Formosa Plastics USA, NOVA Chemicals and Shell Polymers. See LLDPE.
• Metallocene PE: ExxonMobil Exceed, NOVA SURPASS, Chevron Phillips Marlex metallocene LLDPE and Baystar Lumicene grades are common examples. See metallocene polyethylene.

Not sure which type you need? Compare HDPE vs LDPE and LDPE vs LLDPE, or start with the polyethylene overview.

Brand names to grade names: what you see on the bag

Buyers often see only a brand and a code on a bag, a print or an old data sheet. This table shows which producer is behind the name and what type of PE it is.

Melt index (MI) and density on the data sheet matter more than the brand. Two producers can make grades with almost the same MI and density for the same use, but additives and molecular weight spread differ, so run a trial before you switch.

How to buy PE if you need less than a railcar

Producers sell polyethylene mainly by hopper railcar and bulk truck, usually on contract. INEOS, for example, says its PE ships "via railroad hopper cars and bulk trucks" and is sold both direct and through authorized distributors. ExxonMobil says its Mont Belvieu output ships by rail hopper car or is packaged for export. If you buy a few gaylords a month, a producer will usually send you to a distributor.

• Authorized distributors buy railcars from producers, package them into gaylords and bags, and sell from warehouses. They can sell the exact grade with the producer COA. Many producers list their distributors on their websites.
• Traders and resellers buy and sell lots, including prime, wide-spec and off-grade. Ask what you are getting in writing.
• Compounders sell PE with color, UV or other additives already in it, often in smaller lots.
• Recyclers sell recycled PE. See recycled HDPE pellets.

A gaylord is about 1,000 to 1,600 lb (about 450 to 725 kg). A railcar holds many truckloads. Small lots cost more per pound than railcars because of packaging, handling and freight. See how resin is priced, polyethylene price per pound and buying resin in small quantities.

ResinBridge quotes polyethylene from one gaylord to a railcar. A polymer chemist reviews every request, you get the supplier COA on every prime lot, and we aim to quote within one to three business days. For the full process, read how to buy plastic resin, or check whether a grade is easy to find with the resin supply check.

What to send for a quote

Send these and you will get a faster, more useful quote.

• Grade, or MI and density: the exact grade if you have one (for example a Marlex or DOWLEX code), or the melt index (g/10 min) and density (g/cm3) you need. Say if you can accept an equal grade from another producer.
• Process and part: blown film, cast film, injection molding, blow molding, rotomolding, pipe or sheet, and what the part does.
• Requirements: food contact, NSF or pipe listings, UV, color, or a customer approval that locks the grade.
• Volume: pounds per order and per year, and whether this is a one-time buy or a repeat.
• Ship-to: city and state or province, and whether you have a dock.
• Packaging: bags, gaylords, bulk truck or railcar.

Ready to ask? Request a quote.

Recent ownership and plant changes buyers should know

• NOVA Chemicals is now part of Borouge International. OMV and ADNOC's XRG completed the deal on March 31, 2026. The SCLAIR, NOVAPOL and SURPASS names are still used on NOVA's website.
• Bayport Polymers: the Baystar joint venture is 50/50 TotalEnergies and Borealis, and Borealis is now part of Borouge International too.
• ExxonMobil renamed many PE grades. ExxonMobil launched Signature Polymers in October 2024 and said it would move brands and grade names over the following year. Paxon, Exceed XP, Exceed S, Enable, Escorene Ultra and Nexxstar names were retired. If a print calls out an old name, ask for the new grade that matches it.
• Shell may sell its U.S. chemicals assets, including the Monaca, PA polyethylene plant. Trade press (citing the Financial Times) reported in August 2026 that Shell is looking to sell and named several interested buyers. Shell declined to comment. We found no signed deal as of early November 2026.
• Braskem Idesa filed a prepackaged Chapter 11 case on August 18, 2026. Braskem said operations would continue normally and it would keep a majority stake once the process is complete. We had not confirmed that the restructuring was complete as of early November 2026.
• Chevron Phillips Chemical is still owned 50/50 by Chevron and Phillips 66 as of Phillips 66's Q3 2026 filing. Its Golden Triangle Polymers HDPE joint venture with QatarEnergy in Orange, TX was reported in 2026 to be in commissioning and startup, with full operation expected in 2027.
• Dow completed a new PE unit on the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2025, and its Q1 2026 results credit higher PE volumes to the new unit in Freeport, TX. Trade press reported an October 2025 fire that took three Freeport PE lines down for a time. Dow expects the first and second phases of its Path2Zero project at Fort Saskatchewan, AB to start up by the end of 2029 and 2030.
• LyondellBasell completed the sale of several European olefins and polyolefins sites on May 1, 2026. Its U.S. PE plants were not part of that sale.

Common questions