No end in sight to the price rally for resins / Favorable imports keep fiberglass prices partly unchanged / No impetus from the application markets
Despite the only slightly more expensive main precursor styrene, shortages of other precursors and intermediates once again drove prices for medium-reactive ortho resins up significantly. In some cases, mark-ups of up to EUR 250/t were implemented in May. Further producer demands of up to 400 EUR/t are already on the table here and there for June. As propylene glycol is also likely to become a scarce commodity due to competition from the cosmetics industry, there is no end in sight to the price rally. Overall, processors will be even more cautious and restrained than before. Impetus from the customer industries is no longer expected before the summer vacations. Glass fiber products were mixed. On average, fiber mats were in rollover, while rovings increased significantly. The situation is unlikely to change much in June – with a rollover for chopped strand mats and further price increases for rovings.
Composites/GRP May: No end to upward trend for resins in sight / Low-priced imports keep some glass fiber prices unchanged / No stimuli from application markets
Although the price of the main feedstock, styrene, rose only slightly, shortages of other precursors and intermediate products triggered significant price increases for medium-reactive ortho resins again. In May, hikes of up to EUR 250/t were implemented in some cases. For June, individual producers have already asked for further hikes of up to EUR 400/t. Since propylene glycol is also likely to be in short supply due to competition from the cosmetics industry, there is still no end to the upward price trend in sight.
Converters will probably be adopting an even more cautious and hesitant approach than they have so far. No momentum from customer industries is expected before the summer holidays now.
Glass fiber products presented a mixed picture. Prices for chopped strand mats remained unchanged on average, while those for roving rose significantly. The situation is unlikely to change much in June – with prices remaining stable for chopped strand mats and a renewed price increase for roving.
