Global Polyurethane Trade Peaks at $7.8B, Rebounding from 2020’s Drop

IndexBox has just published a new report: 'World - Polyurethanes In Primary Forms - Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends And Insights'. Here is a summary of the report's key findings.

Global polyurethane trade returned to a pre-pandemic level, reaching $7.8B in 2021. China, Germany and Vietnam remain the leading polyurethane importers worldwide, accounting for 22% of total purchases. The average polyurethane import price soared by 9.2% to $3,864 per ton in 2021. 

Polyurethane Imports

In 2021, global imports of polyurethanes in primary forms expanded markedly to 2M tons, with an increase of 10% compared with 2020. In value terms, supplies skyrocketed from $6.5B to $7.8B. 

The purchases of the twelve major importers of polyurethanes, namely China, India, Vietnam, Germany, Italy, the U.S., Mexico, France, Russia, Spain, the Netherlands and Canada, represented more than half of total imports. Indonesia followed a long way behind the leaders.

In value terms, China ($702M), Germany ($540M) and Vietnam ($490M) were the countries with the highest levels of imports in 2021, with a combined 22% share of international purchases. The U.S., Italy, India, Mexico, France, Canada, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain and Indonesia lagged somewhat behind, together comprising a further 35%.

In 2021, India (+51.4% per year) saw the highest rates of growth with regard to the value of imports compared to other countries.

Polyurethane Import Prices 

The average polyurethane import price stood at $3,864 per ton in 2021, surging by 9.2% against the previous year. There were significant differences in the average prices amongst the major importing countries. In 2021, the country with the highest price was Canada ($4,845 per ton), while India ($2,447 per ton) was amongst the lowest. In 2021, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Mexico, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Leading Polyurethane Exporters

The shipments of the four major exporters of polyurethanes, namely Germany, China, Italy and the U.S., represented more than half of total exports. The Netherlands (114K tons) ranks next in terms of the total exports with a 5.6% share, followed by Taiwan (Chinese) (5.1%). The following exporters - Belgium (90K tons), South Korea (82K tons), Spain (78K tons), France (68K tons), Singapore (59K tons), Japan (39K tons) and the UK (36K tons) - together shaped 22% of total volume.

In value terms, Germany ($1.9B) remains the largest polyurethane supplier worldwide, comprising 24% of global exports. The second position in the ranking was occupied by the U.S. ($830M), with a 11% share of total supplies. It was followed by Italy, with an 8.9% share.

Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform