AKRON, OHIO (Aug. 18, 4:15 p.m. ET) — Plastics News is correcting prices for nylon 6 and 6/66, thermoplastic polyurethane and styrene acrylonitrile resins on this week's resin pricing chart.
Prices for nylon 6 have climbed almost 20 percent since mid-2010 because of tightness for the material, caused in part by a rebound in the North American automotive market. Higher prices for benzene feedstock also have increased prices for caprolactum feedstock used to make nylon 6 resin.
In nylon 6/6, prices have been pushed up about 12 percent since mid-2010 largely because of tight supplies of butadiene feedstock. Butadiene has been in short supply worldwide, also putting pressure on ABS and related resins.
TPU prices have climbed around 10 percent since mid-2010 because of higher feedstock prices and from producers' desires to improve margin. The North American TPU field is led by Lubrizol Corp., with a market share estimated at 50 percent. Industry sources said that BASF and Bayer MaterialScience are generally considered to be roughly equal in second place, with Huntsman Corp. holding down the No. 3 spot. Those four firms account for roughly 90 percent of the regional TPU market.
For SAN, benzene prices also have played a role by affecting prices for styrene monomer feedstock. As a result, prices for SAN are up an average of 10 percent since mid-2010, according to market watchers contacted by Plastics News.