The price of plasticizer DOP fluctuated and fell in April

According to the Commodity Market Analysis System of Shengyi Society, as of April 28th, the DOP price was 8175 yuan/ton, a fluctuating decrease of 1.37% from the April 1st DOP price of 8288.75 yuan/ton. The operating rate of plasticizer DOP enterprises has dropped to about 50%, the production of plasticizer DOP has decreased, the price of phthalic anhydride has fluctuated and fallen, the price of isooctanol has fluctuated and fallen, the cost of plasticizer DOP has decreased, and the demand for cost reduction is weak. In April, the price of plasticizer fluctuated and fell.
The price of raw material isooctanol fluctuated and fell in April
According to the Commodity Market Analysis System of Shengyi Society, as of April 28th, the price of isooctanol was 7483.33 yuan/ton, a fluctuating decrease of 3.44% compared to the price of 7750 yuan/ton on April 1st. In April, the price of isooctanol fell to its lowest point in 21 years. Isooctanol enterprises added new production capacity, and the domestic self-sufficiency rate of isooctanol increased to over 95%. The import of isooctanol decreased significantly, and the overall market supply of isooctanol remained stable. The downward pressure on isooctanol prices weakened, and upward support still exists. The cost of plasticizers has stopped falling and stabilized.
The price of raw material phthalic anhydride fluctuated and fell in April
According to the Commodity Market Analysis System of Shengyi Society, as of April 28th, the price of phthalic anhydride in neighboring countries was 7166.67 yuan/ton, a fluctuating decrease of 3.59% compared to the price of 7433.33 yuan/ton on April 1st. At the end of March, multiple phthalic anhydride manufacturers stopped for maintenance, and the operating load of phthalic anhydride manufacturers decreased to about 50%. The supply of phthalic anhydride decreased, and the price of phthalic anhydride rose sharply. With the slow recovery of equipment operation in phthalic anhydride enterprises in April, the price of phthalic anhydride fluctuated and fell, and downstream centralized procurement supported the demand for phthalic anhydride, and the price of phthalic anhydride stopped falling and stabilized.
US tariff policy exacerbates weak downstream demand for plasticizers
Domestic end users have resumed production, but the increase in new orders is slow. Many end users have available raw material inventory, and the digestion speed of DOP market supply is slow. In March, the increase in export market eased domestic supply pressure. In April, the US increased tariffs on Chinese goods, causing market concerns. At the same time, the purchasing sentiment of foreign trade enterprises towards the DOP market sharply cooled down. Under the bearish sentiment in the market, domestic trade demand also weakened, and the market buying atmosphere plummeted. Market inventory increased, and downstream demand weakened.
Future expectations
According to the data analyst of Shengyi Society’s plasticizer products, in terms of cost, isooctanol prices will consolidate at a low level, phthalic anhydride prices will stop falling and consolidate, and the cost of plasticizer DOP will stabilize in the future; On the supply side, the operating load of plasticizer enterprises is stabilizing at a low level; In terms of demand, downstream production remains weak, and US tariffs affect the expected demand for plasticizers in the market, resulting in continued weak demand for plasticizers. Overall, with stable costs and weak supply and demand, it is expected that the price of plasticizer DOP will fluctuate and stabilize in the future.