August 2026 - Plastic Resin Market Overview: Weekly Price Fluctuations

August 2026 was a month of rapid and noticeable fluctuations in the polymer resin market. This article provides an overview of the market, helping non-specialist readers understand what was happening in Vietnam’s domestic and regional plastics industry.

1. Three Stages of Market Fluctuations in August

Stage 1 (Early August, August 3–10):
The market remained volatile, while domestic PP and PE prices showed a slight downward trend.

Stage 2 (Mid-August, August 11–21):
This was the period when prices recorded the clearest upward movement. Feedstock costs across Asia continued to rise, while supply tightened due to transportation disruptions and scheduled plant maintenance. As a result, weekly offers for PE, PVC, PS and ABS from suppliers in the Middle East, China, South Korea, Malaysia and other markets also moved higher.

Stage 3 (Late August, August 24–27):
Global oil prices declined, while domestic buyers showed limited acceptance of higher prices. These factors slowed the upward momentum, although some grades, particularly LLDPE and HDPE, remained locally tight.

2. Price Movements by Resin Type

PP (Polypropylene)

• PP prices edged down by around VND 200–500/kg at the beginning of the month, before recovering mid-month in line with rising prices in Europe and the US, as well as higher propylene prices. NSRP remained a notable source of domestic supply, offering 4,000 tonnes for spot sales and subsequently launching a tender for 8,000 tonnes.
• Another development worth noting was Indonesia’s withdrawal of its proposed anti-dumping duties on PP Homo imports from eight countries, including Vietnam. The proposed rates had ranged from 0.82% to 36.62%. This was positive news for exporters, as it could help reduce cost pressure when supplying PP to Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

PE (Polyethylene)

• PE recorded a clear upward trend, particularly LLDPE and HDPE.
• Major Middle Eastern suppliers continued to adjust their offers. Qamar (Saudi Arabia) and Lotte Titan (Malaysia) both increased their offer and concluded prices for September 2026 shipments.
• SABIC (Saudi Arabia) announced its September PE settlement prices, while Equate (Kuwait) returned to the market with new offers after a relatively long period of disruption.
• In Vietnam, PE prices were generally stable to slightly higher for most of the month. Spot LLDPE Film, particularly material of Middle Eastern origin, became locally tight in northern Vietnam toward the end of August.

PVC

• The Asian PVC market generally moved higher during August, supported by higher offers from major Taiwanese producer Formosa and rising feedstock costs.
• Suppliers including SCG (Thailand), Shintech (US), AGC Group, Taiyo (Japan), and Asahimas Chemical (Indonesia) implemented price increases at various points during the month.
• India launched two investigations related to PVC: one concerning minimum import price protection and another anti-subsidy investigation into suspension PVC originating from China.
• In Vietnam, domestic PVC prices remained generally stable to slightly lower. Despite higher import prices, domestic prices remained reluctant to follow the upward trend.

PS and ABS

• The market was relatively quiet at the beginning of August before prices increased significantly from mid- to late month. ABS prices rose by as much as USD 70/tonne at certain points, supported by a recovery in styrene prices.
• However, domestic trading activity remained subdued. Toward the end of the month, the rapid recovery of PS supply from China, as plants accelerated their restarts, put renewed downward pressure on the market.

PET

• PET experienced some of the strongest price movements during the month, with Yisheng increasing prices by USD 65/tonne and Asian prices reversing higher toward the end of August.
• The UK also launched investigations into imports of PET and S-PVC from China, Mexico and South Korea.
• Domestic PET prices in Vietnam remained relatively stable.

3. Key International Developments in August

Geopolitics and Transportation

The US–Iran ceasefire agreement expired on August 17, resulting in continued disruption to transportation through the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier in the month, SABIC had already proactively redirected polymer exports to mitigate transportation risks in the Middle East.

Competition and Trade Protection

In addition to Indonesia withdrawing its proposed PP Homo duties and the investigations launched by India and the UK involving PVC and PET/S-PVC, Dow continued to pursue its ethylene cartel case in Europe.

Long-Term Supply and Demand

The global ethylene market is entering a period of restructuring as Europe, South Korea and Japan accelerate plans to close less efficient refineries and chemical plants. This trend could have implications for the availability of plastics feedstocks over the medium term.

Major Industry Players

Saudi Arabia’s petrochemical sector recorded a significant improvement in business performance during the first half of 2026. In contrast, Lotte Chemical continued to accelerate the divestment of overseas petrochemical assets, while ENEOS was expected to acquire TPC Group, a major US butadiene producer.

4. Vietnam Domestic Market: Supply Remained Available, but Demand Was the Key Factor

Overall, domestic producers continued operating and offering material regularly throughout August. Several developments stood out:

• NSRP remained particularly active, offering spot volumes, launching large-volume tenders, and adjusting prices upward at certain points during the middle and latter part of the month.
• Some producers, such as Hyosung Vina, appeared to prioritize exports while limiting domestic sales, potentially reflecting price differences between the two sales channels.
• The overall domestic market continued to respond more slowly and cautiously than imported offers. Even when import prices increased, domestic prices for several grades particularly PVC, PS and ABS - remained difficult to raise because of weak demand and continued price pressure from buyers.
• BSR experienced a minor issue on its bagging line, resulting in a slight reduction in PP output toward the end of the month. This was a technical factor worth monitoring for short-term domestic supply.

5. Overall Market Outlook

August 2026 highlighted the two opposing forces shaping the polymer resin market.

On one side, higher feedstock costs and tighter regional supply-affected by geopolitical developments, plant maintenance and trade policies-continued to create upward pressure on prices.

On the other side, weak domestic demand in Vietnam repeatedly limited price increases once material reached end buyers.

Among the major resin categories, PE-particularly LLDPE and HDPE-and PET recorded the clearest and strongest price movements during the month. Meanwhile, domestic trading activity for PVC, PS and ABS remained relatively subdued, despite higher international offers.

For resin importers and distributors, it is important to closely monitor monthly price announcements, particularly for September shipments from SABIC, Lotte Titan, SCG and Qamar, as well as developments in trade policies, including anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations. These factors will be important for making more proactive purchasing and inventory decisions.

This article was compiled based on daily polymer resin market updates collected throughout August 2026 from multiple sources.