U.S. polypropylene (PP) export prices slipped again this week, underscoring a market that continues to wrestle with slack demand and stubbornly high buyer inventories. Despite some of the most competitive offers seen this year, overseas customers remain largely indifferent, leaving producers and traders to contend with a persistent glut and mounting pressure from low-cost Asian cargoes.
A market participant, speaking to a correspondent on condition of anonymity, described the mood as decidedly downbeat. “U.S. polypropylene export markets remain sluggish,” the source said. “Even at aggressive price levels, buyers aren’t stepping up. Global supply is abundant and Asian PP, offered at bargain prices, keeps drawing interest away from U.S. material. Most buyers are sticking to only what they absolutely need while waiting for a clearer sign that demand will rebound.”
The price sheets confirm the narrative. Free-Alongside-Ship (FAS) Houston assessments showed PP copolymer slipping to USD 960–980 per metric ton and PP homopolymer falling to USD 915–935 per metric ton. Both grades shed roughly USD 25 from last week’s marks. Traders report that the lower numbers have done little to loosen the purse strings of wary importers, many of whom are still working through elevated stockpiles accumulated earlier in the year.
Upstream dynamics offered no relief. Spot polymer-grade propylene along the U.S. Gulf coast eased to 32.50–33.00 cents per pound, down half a cent from the prior week. Contract markets moved in the same direction: August 2025 propylene contracts settled at 35.50 cents per pound for polymer-grade and 34.00 cents per pound for chemical-grade material, each two cents lower than their July settlements.
Industry analysts note that this combination of soft feedstock costs and ample global PP supply may keep U.S. export prices under pressure through the near term. Without a meaningful pickup in downstream demand or a supply-side adjustment, sellers could find themselves trimming offers further to maintain market share against Asian competitors. For now, the market remains in a holding pattern, with buyers content to wait and watch.
