Keeping an eye on resin prices can help you determine if your supplier’s pricing is fair, or if it’s time to look for a new supplier.
As you research resin prices, be aware that there is no one definitive source for this information. Even Plastics News, which has been covering the global plastics industry since 1989, discourages the use of its index alone to structure contracts between suppliers and processors or between processors and end users. There are simply too many factors that go into determining resin pricing for a single index to contain.
With that disclaimer in mind, here are four resources you can use to find resin prices online.
Plastics News
This website has been a trusted source of plastics information since its launch in 1996. Its Plastic Resin Pricing resource is thorough and well organized, providing current prices as well as historical pricing data on commodity thermoplastics, high-temperature thermoplastics, thermosets, engineering thermoplastics, and recycled plastics.
Plastics News provides pricing across two volume categories. You can also see whether the price has gone up or down in the past week, as well as whether a price increase is pending. To gain full access to these resources, you need a paid subscription to Plastics News.
The Plastics Exchange
The Plastics Exchange is a “real-time marketplace for anonymously buying and selling domestic and international commodity grade resin.” They publish daily, weekly, and monthly pricing charts for 21 commodity resin grades. The Market Update page provides a summary of current prices along with historical data and some speculation as to future movement. You can also register for a free membership to gain access to custom offers and email updates.
A noteworthy caveat is that The Plastics Exchange is a clearinghouse for buying and selling resin. Their listed prices are highly competitive, but they may not reflect the actual pricing your supplier will be able to provide.
Plastics Today
Plastics Today is a “community for plastics professionals” that offers relevant news, forums, webinars, and more. Every week, they publish a weekly resin update based on data from The Plastics Exchange. If you’re looking for a quick overview of what’s happening in the resin market, this is the place to go. However, note the caveat above — the listed prices may not accurately reflect what your supplier can provide.
RecycleINMe
RecycleInMe is a decent resource for recycled resin pricing. This subscription site offers daily pricing information for free, but the catch is that the data is two months old. Current info, in-depth analysis, and price comparison tools are reserved for subscribers. In any case, this is a good free resource to confirm historical pricing data for recycled resin.
Suppliers
Suppliers usually have access to at least one insider trade publication like; Townsend’s Plastic Market Monthly or Chem Data that report price transactions between processors and molders.
Resin prices from the sources mentioned above can vary widely and it is not uncommon to see resin prices that are well below the actual current market rates. Custom-Pak prides itself on being a helpful, honest resource for companies interested in building blow molded products. Contact Custom-Pak for a customized quote based on your specific requirements.