Resin Market Update: November 2026

November 2026 · Covers October trading and the outlook into December

The short version

Polyethylene is the one volume resin where producers are still pushing prices up. Dow says it got a 5¢/lb increase in September and has 7¢/lb on the table for October and 5¢/lb for November, while RTi, a buyer-side consultant, expects PE to stay largely flat in October and November. Polypropylene, PVC and PET are flat to slightly lower, and Plastics Technology's panel projects flat to down polystyrene pricing for October and November despite an October increase attempt. We found no new October price reports for engineering resins: nylon and polycarbonate are held up by costs, ABS is soft and PBT is quiet. The things that could change this quickly are crude oil near $100 a barrel, the U.S.-Iran conflict, tariffs with Canada and how hard the usual fourth-quarter slowdown hits.

Where each resin is heading

Resin	Direction	Why	What it means for your next order
Polyethylene (PE)	Pushing up, outcome unclear	Dow says it got 5¢/lb in September (Plastics Technology's panel had expected at least 3¢/lb). Dow has 7¢/lb on the table for October and 5¢/lb for November, citing higher feedstocks and an inventory draw. RTi expects PE to stay largely flat in October and November because domestic demand is flat. Dow Jones Energy notes export momentum had softened going into October.	As of Oct. 31 we had not seen a published October settlement. Buy to need, get the price and effective month in writing, and avoid buying far ahead of an increase that may only partly stick.
Polypropylene (PP)	Flat to slightly down	Down about another 2¢/lb in September with propylene (PGP) at 43¢/lb, per Plastics Technology's panel. Propylene did not follow crude higher. Spot was tight in October because several plants were down, per Matium.	Expect flat to a little lower. Matium expects year-end deals when those plants restart in November. A good month to ask for a fresh number.
Polystyrene (PS)	Increase sought, flat to down expected	Producers sought up to 9¢/lb more for October after benzene spiked in September. Demand is lackluster and inventory is plentiful even after two plant closures. Spot benzene has eased since early October, per OPIS.	The panel projects flat to down pricing for October and November, which suggests little of the October increase will stick.
PVC	Flat to down	Producers sought 2¢/lb for September, but plant rates are below 80%, inventories are healthy, construction is past peak and Chinese resin and finished goods compete, per RTi.	A buyer's market. Maybe 1¢/lb sticks; otherwise expect flat to lower through November.
PET	Contract flat to down; spot firm	Contract PET fell about 1¢/lb in September. Based on feedstock costs, RTi expects October flat and November roughly 1–2¢/lb lower, with soft demand through the fourth quarter. Matium reports spot PET near a 52-week high, citing high import costs and added import tariffs.	Contract buyers: expect flat or small cuts. Spot and import buyers: the import discount has narrowed, so compare landed cost, not list price.
ABS	Down, cuts may slow	In late September RTi said at least 15¢ of the 25¢/lb second-quarter increase was coming off, with imports about 10¢/lb under domestic and demand 3–5% below 2025 year to date through August. RTi said the rest of the year depends largely on benzene contract settlements, and the October benzene contract settled well above August's, per OPIS and Plastics Technology. No newer ABS report found.	Soft market. A good time to qualify a second source or an import alternative.
Polycarbonate (PC)	Flat	Flat after a 7¢/lb drop in July, as of RTi's late-September view, despite a 5¢/lb nomination. RTi expects 2026 to end about 8–10¢/lb above 2025. PC tracks benzene and is not under import pressure, per RTi. No newer PC report found.	No source we follow expects PC to get cheaper before year-end. If you have large needs coming, get them quoted early.
Nylon 6 and 66	Up, partly	BASF raised nylon 6 and 6/66 copolymer by 8¢/lb from Sept. 1, or as contracts allow, and said more adjustments may be needed. In late September RTi expected 8–12¢/lb nominations to end nearer 4¢/lb (nylon 6) and 4–6¢/lb (nylon 66), calling the nylon 66 market very well supplied. No new November announcements found.	Cost, not supply, is the pressure. Line up the next few months and know your backup grade.
PBT	No new data	We found no PBT price moves or announcements in the sources we follow.	Without fresh data, ask for a current quote rather than assuming last quarter's price. A second source or a surplus lot may be worth a look.

Direction is for North American contract and spot markets. We do not publish prices. Ask us for a quote on your grade.

What's driving prices

Crude and benzene. WTI crude averaged about $100.70 a barrel in the week ending Oct. 23, per OPIS. The U.S. Gulf Coast October benzene contract settled at 527–544 cents a gallon after a September spike driven by gasoline blending demand, not a benzene shortage. Spot benzene has eased since early October, per OPIS.
Ethane and propylene. Dow says U.S. ethane has moved higher, though it is roughly in line with five-year averages. Propylene did not follow crude up because supply is healthy, with on-purpose propylene (PDH) units running well, per Plastics Technology's panel. That is why PP keeps drifting lower.
Exports. PE exports rose 3% in August, per RTi, and Dow, citing American Chemistry Council data, says PE inventories fell by over 400 million pounds in September. But Dow Jones Energy says export momentum had softened going into October.
Demand. Domestic demand is flat to soft for most resins, and RTi called third-quarter demand a mixed bag across end markets. Packaging is the bright spot: Matium says packaging customers reported record months.
Freight. The national average for diesel was $6.27 a gallon on Oct. 9, per AAA as reported by NPR. Matium says trucking is up 16% on the year.
Tariffs. Canada's retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, including a range of plastic products and molds, took effect Sept. 8, per PlasticsToday. Molders shipping parts or molds to Canada may be affected.
Weather. Hurricane Isaias was forecast to come ashore near the Alabama coast and Florida Panhandle on the evening of Oct. 9, east of where most Gulf Coast oil infrastructure and refining sits, per NPR. We found no reports of resin plant outages from it.

Things to watch in December

Polyethylene settlements. Whether the October and November increases settle, and by how much. Dow has 12¢/lb (7¢ plus 5¢) on the table; RTi sees PE largely flat. Mike Burns of Plastic Resin Market Advisors says PE is not likely to adjust lower until November at the earliest.
2027 contract talks. Dow Jones Energy sees a buyer's market going into 2027 negotiations. Burns says lower oil, record production, below-average exports and good weather would strengthen the processor's position.
PP plant restarts. Matium expects idled PP plants to return in November. Geopolitical volatility or an unexpected outage at an on-purpose propylene (PDH) unit could reverse the PP trend, per Plastics Technology's panel.
Benzene. The November and December benzene contracts will set the tone for PS, ABS, PC and nylon 6. November spot benzene traded at 515 cents a gallon on Oct. 8, below the October contract, per OPIS.
Crude and the Middle East. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted, per OPIS coverage of the Dow Jones Energy Forum. Higher oil from the Middle East situation has been the main driver of PE export demand, per Dow Jones Energy in Plastics Technology, and benzene has tracked gasoline and octane demand, per OPIS.
Canada and autos. PlasticsToday reports that in August the U.S. announced 50% tariffs on all Canadian automotive and steel imports starting in January.
Year-end inventory. Matium expects year-end deals as producers and end users clear inventory. Hurricane season ends Nov. 30.

How to use this

PP, PVC, PET and PS: buy on need. Supply is ample and the forecasts point flat to lower. Ask for a fresh quote instead of rolling last month's number.
Polyethylene: buy on need, and get the price and effective month in writing. If you must cover December or January, consider splitting the volume rather than buying it all ahead of an increase that may only partly stick.
Nylon and polycarbonate: line up your next few months of supply and know your backup grade. See why set up a second supplier.
ABS and PBT: a good time to qualify a second source or look at surplus resin.
Shipping parts to Canada: check whether the new Canadian tariffs apply to your finished parts or molds.

We do not publish prices. Send your grade, quantity and ship-to through the quote form and we aim to quote within one to three business days. Every prime lot comes with the supplier COA. Call (678) 310-6899 or email quotes@resinbridge.com, Mon–Fri, 8am–5pm ET.

This note is general market information compiled from published reports. It is not a forecast, a price offer or purchasing advice.

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Common questions

Will resin prices go down in December?

None of the sources we follow gives a December forecast, so that is unknown. For October and November, they expect most volume resins to be flat to slightly lower, helped by the usual fourth-quarter slowdown. Polyethylene is the exception: producers are still pushing increases. No one can promise where prices go, and crude oil or the U.S.-Iran conflict can change the picture quickly.

Did the October polyethylene increase go through?

As of Oct. 31, 2026, we had not seen a published October settlement. On Oct. 22 Dow said it had 7¢/lb on the table for October and 5¢/lb for November, while RTi expected PE to stay largely flat. We will update this in the December note.

Why doesn't ResinBridge publish resin prices?

Your price depends on grade, volume, packaging, ship-to and timing, and published indexes lag the market. Send us your grade and quantity and we aim to quote within one to three business days. For background, see how resin is priced.

Sources

This note is general market information, not a forecast or a price offer.

Previous note: October 2026.

Related pages (6)

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Resin market update: November 2026