Resin price increase tracker

This page explains the mechanics, not today's numbers. For what is moving this month, see the resin market notes.

Price increase announcements, May to November 2026

Newest first. “Amount” is the increase as announced or reported (c/lb = cents per pound). “What happened” is what a later report said about the outcome; contract outcomes vary by buyer. Rows marked “secondary source” rest on a distributor or market-data site rather than the producer or established trade press.

Show: All resins (78)Polyethylene (16)Polypropylene (9)PVC (7)PS, HIPS and ABS (9)PET and PBT (7)Nylon and PPA (20)Polycarbonate (6)Other (POM, EVA, TPE) (4)

What is driving resin prices now

• Polyethylene: PT's panel says higher PE export demand was the key factor behind the September increase. PE exports rose 3% in August, and higher oil prices from the Middle East conflict were the main driver of export demand, while domestic demand stayed flat. Export momentum had already softened going into October. November 2026: Flat-to-Down Price Trajectory for the Five Commodity Resins (Plastics Technology, Oct. 21, 2026)
• LyondellBasell said the October and November PE initiatives of 5 cents/lb each are supported by strong domestic and export order books and PE export prices up 10-12 cents/lb from July lows, but that rising feedstock costs may partly offset them. LyondellBasell (LYB) Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript (call held Oct. 30, 2026)
• Ethane: Dow said U.S. ethane has been rising and that roughly every 3 cents/gal of ethane takes about 1 cent/lb of PE price to cover. Dow Third Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call (transcript, Oct. 22, 2026)
• Propylene and PP: the September propylene (PGP) contract settled at 43 cents/lb and, unusually, did not follow crude oil up, because all on-purpose propylene (PDH) units were running well. PP has dropped steadily since May; an unexpected PDH outage or geopolitical volatility could reverse the trend. November 2026: Flat-to-Down Price Trajectory for the Five Commodity Resins (Plastics Technology, Oct. 21, 2026)
• PP outages: ResinSmart said an extended outage at LyondellBasell's Lake Charles facility, with more downtime expected in November, could affect PP supply later in the quarter. ResinSmart Says Buyers Must Look Beyond October Resin Price Increases (ResinSmart release, Oct. 21, 2026)
• Benzene and styrenics: spot benzene climbed to $5.60/gal from $4.40/gal in late August, on high oil prices plus scheduled and unscheduled shutdowns, which drove October PS increase attempts of up to 9 cents/lb. November 2026: Flat-to-Down Price Trajectory for the Five Commodity Resins (Plastics Technology, Oct. 21, 2026)
• Polystyrene capacity: INEOS Styrolution announced it will close its polystyrene site in Channahon, Illinois. PT's panel says that even with two PS plant closures there is plenty of PS inventory because demand is lackluster. INEOS Styrolution announces closure of polystyrene site in Channahon, Illinois (INEOS, June 18, 2026); inventory comment from Plastics Technology, Oct. 21, 2026
• PVC: plant operating rates are below 80%, supplier inventories are healthy, construction demand is past its peak (data centers are the main pull), and competitively priced Chinese PVC resin and finished goods compete in the U.S. market. November 2026: Flat-to-Down Price Trajectory for the Five Commodity Resins (Plastics Technology, Oct. 21, 2026)
• PET imports: imports remain a factor, but higher container freight has brought them closer to parity with domestic PET. November 2026: Flat-to-Down Price Trajectory for the Five Commodity Resins (Plastics Technology, Oct. 21, 2026)
• ABS: imports from Asia priced below domestic material and demand running 3-5% below 2025 through August pulled ABS down after the second-quarter increases. October 2026: A Mostly Flat-to-Down Price Trajectory for Volume Resins (Plastics Technology, Sept. 25, 2026)
• Nylon: increases are cost-driven. RTi called nylon 66 very well supplied despite production reductions by Ascend at Pensacola, and expected September nylon nominations of 8-12 cents/lb to settle lower. October 2026: A Mostly Flat-to-Down Price Trajectory for Volume Resins (Plastics Technology, Sept. 25, 2026)
• Tariffs: Canada's retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, including a range of plastic products and molds, took effect Sept. 8, 2026. Canada's Tariffs on US Plastics Take Effect (PlasticsToday, Sept. 8, 2026)

Got a price increase letter? How to read it

An increase letter is the producer's or distributor's opening position, not a settled price. Most letters name a resin family, an amount per pound and an effective date, and many add "or as contracts allow." Before you accept it, pin down exactly what changes for your grade and your open orders.

Read the letter line by line

• Scope. Which families and grades? A family-wide letter (all PE, all PA6) may not hit your grade in full, and compounds, specialty and flame-retardant grades are sometimes priced separately and higher.
• Amount. Is it a fixed amount or "up to"? Cents per pound, dollars per metric ton or a percentage? Convert everything to cents per pound so you can compare (1 metric ton is about 2,204.6 lb).
• Effective date and basis. Does it apply to orders placed, orders shipped or orders invoiced on or after that date? Orders already confirmed may ship at the old price.
• "Or as contracts allow." This means your contract terms win. If your price is tied to an index, the letter may change nothing until the index moves.
• Stated reason. Feedstock, outage, freight or demand. Check it against the tracker below and the monthly market note. If feedstock has fallen while the letter cites feedstock, ask about it.
• Stacking. Is this in addition to an earlier increase that has not settled yet? Several letters in a row with only part of each sticking is common.

Questions to ask your supplier

• Exactly which of my grades does this cover, and by how much each?
• Does it apply to my open purchase orders and releases already scheduled?
• Is this the producer's increase passed through, or the distributor's own?
• How long will the new price hold, and can I lock volume at the current price before the effective date?
• If the increase does not stick in the market, will my price come back down, and when?
• What can ship from stock now, and has the lead time changed?

What usually gets implemented vs. proposed

Trade press reports often show only part of an announced increase settling, and sometimes none of it. In 2026, for example, polyethylene producers sought increases for May, June and August; May and August rolled over, June settled 15 cents/lb lower, and September then settled up 5 cents/lb. An increase is more likely to stick when feedstock costs are rising, a plant is down, inventories are drawing or export demand is pulling resin out of the market. It is less likely when demand is soft, inventories are high, imports are cheaper, or it is late in the year when buyers trim inventory. Watch spot prices: if spot is falling while a contract increase is pending, the increase often does not go through in full.

Document your contract price clauses

• Write down the price basis for each grade: fixed, index-linked (which index, which grade line, which month) or "market."
• Record the differential to the index and how and when it resets.
• Note the notice period your contract requires before an increase takes effect, and whether increases apply to orders or shipments.
• Keep every increase letter with its date received, effective date, amount and grades, and log what you actually paid each month.
• Note any caps, collars, meet-or-release or most-favored-customer terms, and when the contract can be reopened.
• Get price changes confirmed in writing on the purchase order or an amended quote, not only by phone.

Then get a second number

The simplest check on any letter is a second quote on the same grade, at the same volume, compared on delivered cost. Send us the grade, quantity and ship-to city, or the letter itself. A polymer chemist reviews every request, and we aim to quote within one to three business days. We supply from one gaylord to a railcar, and every prime lot ships with the supplier COA.

See also how resin is priced, what to do when your supplier raises the price, allocation and force majeure and the November 2026 market note.

Related guides

• How plastic resin is priced: feedstocks, contract vs spot, freight and packaging.
• Price increase or long lead time? What to do next
• Monthly resin market note
• Polyethylene price per pound · Polypropylene price per pound · Nylon price per pound · Polycarbonate price per pound
• Set up a backup source before the next allocation

How we build this tracker

We list an announcement only when a producer release or a trade report states it. Each row was checked twice against its source. Where a report does not name the producer, the row says so. Outcomes come from later reports, mainly monthly resin pricing columns; when no report says what happened, the row says “Not reported yet.” Spot a missing or wrong row? Send it with the price check form above.

Common questions