Polypropylene price per pound: how PP is priced, homopolymer to copolymer
Why PP follows propylene, how a contract price is built from PGP plus a margin, which types 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 polypropylene price per pound. Most North American PP sells on monthly contracts built on the polymer-grade propylene (PGP) price plus a producer margin, so PP follows propylene up and down. The type comes next: impact and random copolymer often cost a little more than homopolymer, and clarified, high-impact, glass-filled or custom-colored grades often more again. Many numbers online are recycled bale or craft-pellet prices, so send your grade, quantity and ship-to city for a real quote.
What moves polypropylene prices
PP is made almost entirely from propylene, so propylene sets the floor and most of the month-to-month movement. Supply and demand for PP itself decide the margin on top.
- Where propylene comes from. U.S. propylene comes from steam crackers, refineries and propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plants. As crackers moved to ethane, they make far less propylene, so refinery run rates and PDH plants matter more than they used to.
- Propane and crude. PDH plants run on propane, and refinery propylene follows refinery economics and crude. A move in either can show up in spot propylene within days.
- Outages. A PDH unit, a propylene splitter or a large PP plant going down can tighten supply within weeks. A force majeure on one PP line can move copolymer or specialty grades more than homopolymer.
- Hurricanes and freezes. Much of U.S. propylene and PP capacity is on the Gulf Coast. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, and Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 shut many plants at once.
- World events. Propylene trades globally. Conflicts, sanctions and shipping disruptions abroad can move spot propylene, and then the U.S. PGP contract and PP, within weeks.
- Capacity, imports and exports. New PP or PDH capacity, imports from Asia and the Middle East, and weak export demand push prices down. Duties and tariffs on imports change, and they change what imported PP costs here.
- Freight. Diesel, truck and rail rates move delivered cost even when the resin price is flat. Ocean freight changes what imports land at.
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The PGP contract. Each month, large propylene buyers and sellers settle a polymer-grade propylene (PGP) contract price for that month, and price services report it. Settlement talks take spot PGP moves during the month into account, so spot is the best early signal of where the contract will land. A separate chemical-grade propylene contract settles too, but PP runs on polymer grade.
Monomer pass-through. Most PP contracts move by about the same amount per pound as the PGP contract, up or down. Some contracts use a monthly average of spot PGP instead of the settled contract, which can give a different result in a month when spot swings.
Margin moves. On top of propylene, producers nominate margin increases (or, less often, decreases) by letter. These settle in full, in part or not at all, just like PE nominations. The trade press often calls them non-monomer increases, because they are not driven by propylene. In a month when PGP falls and a margin increase sticks, PP can fall by less than propylene did, or not at all.
Your differential. Many contracts are written as an index for a grade family, such as homopolymer injection, plus or minus a negotiated differential. Copolymer, additives, packaging and freight sit on top.
| Piece of the price | What sets it | How often it moves |
|---|---|---|
| Propylene (PGP) cost | The monthly PGP contract settlement, or a monthly spot PGP average in some contracts | Every month |
| Producer margin | Margin nominations that settle in full, in part or not at all | When producers nominate a change and the market accepts it |
| Contract differential | Negotiated between buyer and seller, by volume, terms and grade family | At contract signing or renewal |
| Type and additives | Copolymer content, clarifier, nucleator, antistat, UV, color, filler | When you change grades |
| Packaging, freight and handling | Railcar, bulk truck, 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 reports PP and propylene 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 |
|---|---|---|
| S&P Global Energy (Platts) | Price reporting service, called S&P Global Commodity Insights until November 2025. Platts is its benchmark brand. | The monthly PGP contract settlement, daily spot PGP, and PP contract and spot assessments |
| ICIS, which owns Chemical Data (CDI) | Price reporting service, part of RELX. ICIS bought Houston-based CDI in 2020. | Monthly U.S. PP contract assessments, such as homopolymer and copolymer injection, and PGP |
| OPIS (PetroChem Wire) | Price reporting service, a Dow Jones company. PetroChem Wire reports daily spot deals. | Daily spot PGP and PP. CME’s PGP swap settles on the monthly average of PetroChem Wire’s Mont Belvieu PGP price |
| Argus Media | Price reporting service. Its weekly global PP report includes monthly U.S. contract assessments. | U.S. PP contract moves for homopolymer and copolymer, export spot prices, and the Argus Propylene Contract Index, built from a 30-day average of spot PGP |
| The Plastics Exchange (Resintel) | A spot marketplace for commodity resin by the railcar, bulk truck and truckload. Its market data service is Resintel. | Posted spot offers for homopolymer and copolymer PP, and weekly market commentary |
| 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 |
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.
Homopolymer, copolymer, clarified and filled: the usual price order
Across published contract reports and spot offers, PP types tend to sit relative to homopolymer as shown below. The gaps are not fixed and can get very thin, and a short grade can jump ahead in any given month. Read it as where each type tends to sit, not a strict ranking or a price list.
| PP type | Where it often sits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Homopolymer, general injection, raffia and fiber | The base of the PP ladder and the most common contract benchmark | Single reactor, no comonomer, the most plants and the most volume |
| Nucleated homopolymer | At or a small step above plain homopolymer | The nucleating additive costs money, and it is often a specific grade from fewer lines |
| Impact copolymer, medium impact | Often a small premium over homopolymer. The gap can shrink to almost nothing. | Needs a second reactor stage to build the rubber phase, which adds ethylene and cost |
| High-impact copolymer and TPO | Above medium-impact copolymer | More rubber, and some are compounded rather than reactor grades |
| Random copolymer | Often above homopolymer | Ethylene in the chain, and fewer grades and lines |
| Clarified random copolymer | Above plain random copolymer | Clarifier additives are costly, and clear grades often carry tighter odor and taste limits |
| Metallocene PP | Often a premium over conventional grades | Catalyst cost and few producers |
| Talc- or calcium carbonate-filled PP | Can be above or below the base resin per pound | Compounding, coupling agents and the compounder’s margin often offset the cheaper filler. When base resin is expensive, heavily filled grades can cost less per pound. |
| Glass-filled and flame-retardant PP | Well above unfilled PP | Glass, coupling agents or flame-retardant packages, compounding, and UL listings |
General patterns, not a rule. Black and custom colors, UV packages, antistats and food or medical documentation add to any type. Fillers raise density, so compare filled grades by cost per part, not per pound.
- Do not overbuy impact. An impact copolymer in a part that never sees a drop or cold pays for rubber it does not use. A homopolymer in a part dropped in winter costs far more in returns. See PP homopolymer vs. impact copolymer.
- Clarified only where you need to see through it. If the part is pigmented or opaque, a clarifier adds cost and nothing else. See clear PP random copolymer.
Why “PP price per pound” results show bale and craft prices
Many PP price numbers online are not prime resin. Recycling news quotes the monthly Secondary Materials Pricing (SMP) index from RecyclingMarkets.net, which includes baled post-consumer PP: sorted tubs, caps and containers, unwashed, with labels and dirt. Retail sites sell small bags of craft or weighting pellets. Marketplaces show per metric ton offers at Asian ports. None of these is a delivered price for prime pellets on your line.
| Form | What it is | Can you run it? | Where it often sits on price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bale | Sorted, unwashed post-consumer PP 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 rPP pellets | Washed, filtered and pelletized, gray to black, often a homo and copolymer mix with some PE | Yes, for dark parts that tolerate wider MFR | Often below prime |
| Color-sorted or food-contact rPP | Sorted or purified; food use only under the recycler’s FDA letter | Yes | Often near or above prime; supply is limited |
| Wide-spec or off-grade virgin | Producer material outside the grade window, often MFR or color | 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 |
See how recycled resin is priced and the quality tiers in prime vs. off-grade.
- 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 railcar sits closest to contract pricing. Bulk truck, boxed truckload, LTL gaylords and a single gaylord each cost more per pound, mostly from freight and handling. The full ladder is on the polypropylene page and in gaylord vs. LTL vs. truckload.
- Packaging. PP pellets run about 30–36 lb/ft³, so a PP gaylord often nets in the lower to middle part of the 1,000–1,600 lb range. Fewer pounds per box means more freight per pound. 55 lb (25 kg) bags cost the most to pack and handle.
- Freight, FOB and delivered. An FOB price stops at the named point and freight is extra. Put every quote on a delivered basis at your dock.
- Imports. Imported PP can price below domestic, but it often comes in 25 kg bags, has a longer lead time and may carry duties or tariffs that change. Ask whether they are included.
- Type and additives. Homopolymer, impact or random copolymer, nucleated or clarified, and the filler and color all move the price of a specific grade.
- 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 recycled grades if your customer allows. Each of these 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 PP 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 type | Producer grade name, and homopolymer, random or impact copolymer in words | A homopolymer price next to a copolymer price is not a like-for-like saving |
| Quality tier | Prime, generic prime, wide-spec or off-grade, in writing | Wide-spec MFR can flash or short your mold |
| MFR | Melt flow rate at 230°C / 446°F, 2.16 kg, with the producer’s spec range | A PE melt index at 190°C / 374°F is not comparable, and a nominal value hides a wide range |
| Impact and stiffness | Notched Izod at a stated temperature and method, and flexural modulus | ASTM D256 in J/m and ISO 180 in kJ/m² do not convert into each other |
| Additives | Nucleated, clarified, antistatic, UV-stabilized | A plain random copolymer quoted against a clarified one |
| Filler and color | Filler type and percentage, with ash on the COA; natural, black or color match | Low ash means less filler than you paid for |
| 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 |
| Quantity and net weight | Total pounds and net weight per gaylord or bag | A lighter box means more boxes and more freight |
| Shipping terms and freight | FOB point or delivered, and liftgate, appointment and fuel surcharges | An FOB price looks lower until freight is added |
| 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, validity and ship date | Prepay or Net 30, how long the price holds, 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 a PP buy
- Watch spot PGP during the month. Contract talks take spot moves into account, so a falling spot market often means a lower PGP settlement and a lower PP contract the same month.
- Separate the two moves. Ask how much of a PP change is propylene and how much is margin. A propylene decrease can be offset by a margin increase that sticks.
- Watch propylene supply. PDH and refinery outages, splitter problems and Gulf Coast storms tighten propylene first, then PP. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30.
- Buy ahead only with a reason. In a soft market, buy as needed. Build inventory ahead of a credible outage, not on rumor, and count the cash and floor space it ties up.
- Keep a second source qualified. Under allocation, contract customers are served first and spot dries up. See how to qualify a second source.
- Get the monthly note. Our resin market notes say which way PP is moving and why, without prices. Sign up below for an email when PP prices move.
How we quote polypropylene
We do not post prices, because a PP price only means something for a specific grade, quantity, package and ship-to city. Send the grade you run, or its type, MFR (230°C / 446°F, 2.16 kg), impact, additives and filler, 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.
Need a few pounds for crafts or weighting? 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 polypropylene per pound?
There is no single number. PP contract prices follow the monthly polymer-grade propylene (PGP) settlement plus any margin changes, and your price also depends on the type, additives, filler, quantity, packaging and freight to your dock. Many PP price per pound search results are recycled bale or craft-pellet prices. Send your grade, quantity and ship-to city for a quote.
Is PP copolymer more expensive than homopolymer?
Often a little. Impact copolymer needs a second reactor stage to build its rubber phase, and random copolymer adds ethylene to the chain, so both often carry a small premium over homopolymer. The gap changes month to month and can get very thin. Clarified, high-impact and glass-filled grades often cost more again.
Where can I buy cheap PP resin?
Lower prices come from buying a truckload instead of gaylords, accepting imported resin, or buying generic prime, wide-spec, surplus or recycled PP for parts that tolerate variation. Each trades some certainty for price. Get the quality tier and a lot COA in writing, and be wary of any price far below the rest.
What is PGP and why does it matter for PP prices?
PGP is polymer-grade propylene, the high-purity propylene that PP is made from. Large buyers and sellers settle a PGP contract price each month, and most PP contracts move by about the same amount per pound. Some contracts use a monthly spot PGP average instead.
Why did PP prices fall when PE prices did not?
They come from different feedstocks. PP follows propylene from refineries, PDH plants and crackers, while PE follows ethylene, mostly from ethane. The two can move in opposite directions in the same month. See PP vs. HDPE.
How do I convert a per metric ton PP 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 overseas ports.
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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
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