Global Polyurethane Exports Slump to $6.3B

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 exports of polyurethanes in primary forms dropped from $7B in 2019 to $6.3B in 2020. Germany, China, Italy and the U.S. constitute the largest polyurethane exporters worldwide, providing more than half of the total shipments. In 2020, all the key supplying countries experienced a reduction in polyurethane exports. The average polyurethane export price fell by -2.3% against the previous year. China, Viet Nam and Germany remain the leading importers of polyurethane in primary forms.

Global Polyurethane Exports

Global polyurethane exports contracted to 1.7M tonnes in 2020, dropping by -8.3% compared with 2019. In value terms, polyurethane exports declined to $6.3B (IndexBox estimates) in 2020. 

The biggest shipments were from Germany (351K tonnes), China (239K tonnes), Italy (178K tonnes) and the U.S. (168K tonnes), together accounting for 54% of total export. Taiwan (Chinese) (94K tonnes) ranks next in terms of the total exports with a 5.4% share, followed by the Netherlands (4.7%). South Korea (78K tonnes), Belgium (60K tonnes), Spain (58K tonnes), France (58K tonnes), Singapore (37K tonnes), the UK (32K tonnes) and Japan (32K tonnes) held a little share of total exports. Last year, all the key exporting countries experienced a reduction in polyurethane sales.

In value terms, the largest polyurethanes supplying countries worldwide were Germany ($1.4B), the U.S. ($725M) and Italy ($544M), with a combined 43% share of global exports. These countries were followed by China, Taiwan (Chinese), the Netherlands, South Korea, Belgium, Japan, Spain, France, Singapore and the UK, which together accounted for a further 42%.

In 2020, the average polyurethane export price amounted to $3,643 per tonne, reducing by -2.3% against the previous year. Prices varied noticeably by the country of origin; the country with the highest price was Japan ($7,245 per tonne), while China ($2,208 per tonne) was amongst the lowest. In 2020, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Singapore, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

World’s Leading Polyurethane Importers 

In value terms, the largest polyurethanes importing markets worldwide were China ($716M), Viet Nam ($489M) and Germany ($397M), together accounting for 28% of global imports.

China (162K tonnes), Viet Nam (128K tonnes), India (117K tonnes), Germany (106K tonnes), Italy (84K tonnes), the U.S. (63K tonnes), France (58K tonnes), Thailand (43K tonnes), Indonesia (43K tonnes), the UK (40K tonnes), Poland (40K tonnes) and Turkey (39K tonnes) represented roughly 60% of total imports of polyurethanes in primary forms in 2020. Canada (38K tonnes) followed a long way behind the leaders.

Source: IndexBox Platform