HDPE Price | Current and Forecast
Monitor HDPE Prices Worldwide
Plans Starting at $299 USD /year
See monthly HDPE prices in 5 locations: United States, South America, Europe, South Asia & Oceania, China, Middle East, Africa. Also check HDPE price history since 2007 and forecasts. The chart below is a sample of Intratec Primary Commodity Prices - subscribe now and gain access to current prices of 237 commodities, including HDPE.
Data Legend. The HDPE price chart shows the prices in USA Dollar per metric ton (USD/mt) in 7 locations, as follows:
- US: HDPE, United States, spot, fob, US Gulf
- SAM: HDPE, South America, transaction, cif, Brazil
- EUR: HDPE, Europe, transaction, fob, Belgium
- SEA: HDPE, South Asia & Oceania, transaction, cif, India
- CN: HDPE, yarn, China, spot, exw
- MDE: HDPE, Middle East, transaction, fob, Saudi Arabia
- AFR: HDPE, Africa, transaction, cif, South Africa
Data Use. HDPE prices are provided as an annual subscription where subscribers have access to reliable pricing data of 237 commodities worldwide. To better understand data provided by Intratec Primary Commodity Prices, check the following documents: Price Assessment Basis , Commodities Specifications , Methodology , User Guide , and Glossary .
Intratec Primary Commodity Prices
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Price Dynamics. The HDPE price in United States decreased during November 2018 to 1,290 USD per metric ton, which represents a slight decline of 3% compared to the previous month’s value. On a year-over-year basis, HDPE prices in United States decreased significantly by 9%. Meanwhile, in Belgium, the average price of HDPE amounted to 1,420 USD per metric ton, from 1,370 USD per metric ton one year earlier. On a month-over-month basis, the HDPE price in Belgium is 0.7% lower than the price one month before.
The price of HDPE in China declined considerably throughout November 2018, reaching 1,410 USD per metric ton. The price in China is 12% lower than the average price in the previous month and 10% lower than the average price one year before. In contrast, HDPE prices in India increased modestly during November 2018, reaching 1,380 USD per metric ton, which means a rise of 2% from the previous month’s price and a rise of 11% from the previous year’s price.
The HDPE prices in Saudi Arabia experienced a modest decline of 30 USD per metric ton from the prior month's price, to 1,250 USD per metric ton. Such price movement in Saudi Arabia meant a decrease of 2% on a monthly basis and a rise of 2% on a yearly basis. On the other hand, in November 2018, the HDPE price in Brazil witnessed a decline of 20 USD per metric ton when compared against the previous month's price, to 1,250 USD per metric ton. The November 2018 price in Brazil is 0.8% lower than the price one year before.
In South Africa, the average price of HDPE was 1,360 USD per metric ton on November 2018 – a little decrease of 30 USD per metric ton, or 2%, compared with the previous month. On a year-over-year basis, the HDPE price in South Africa is 3% higher than the price one year before.
About HDPE. HDPE (a.k.a. High Density Polyethylene) is one of the three main types of polyethylene, figuring among the most used polymers worldwide. It is the most widely used polyethylene resin. HDPE may be either ethylene homopolymer or a copolymer of ethylene and alpha-olefins (1-hexene, 1-butene). Polyethylene is considered to be high density when having density greater than 0.94 g/cm³. Despite having density only marginally higher than that of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), HDPE presents larger strength-to-density ratio, due to its little branching and consequent stronger intermolecular forces. The high demand for polyethylene is in large part due to a combination of the availability of ethylene raw material, its relatively low cost and a wide variety of applications.
HDPE may be either ethylene homopolymer or a copolymer of ethylene and alpha-olefins, and is manufactured on commercial scale via low-pressure polymerization processes using mainly Ziegler-Natta or chromium-based catalysts. The main technologies suitable for its production include slurry, solution, and gas phase processes. The most common comonomers used commercially are 1-hexene and 1-butene. The physical and mechanical properties of final HDPE depend on its density, type, molecular weight (MW), and molecular weight distribution (MWD), characteristics controlled by the catalyst employed and reaction conditions.
HDPE may react with strong oxidising agents and should not be stored near such materials. The bags must be stored at room temperature (preferably below 50 ºC), in a well ventilated position and under dry conditions. HDPE can also be stored and/or transported in car silos, containers, or large cartons to avoid contamination, heat and direct sunlight.
HDPE Homopolymer production consists in the polymerization of ethylene without any other alpha-olefins, in such a way that different HDPE manufacturing routes are related to different sources of ethylene. In this context, typical HDPE production routes are based on ethylene manufacturing (via steam cracking of paraffinic hydrocarbons). Raw materials and the respective production processes employed in the manufacturing of HDPE are listed below.
- Ethylene + alpha-olefins (solution polymerization process),
- Ethylene (Ziegler slurry process),
- Ethylene (gas-phase polymerization)
The uses and applications of HDPE may vary according to its specification. The main forms of HDPE are industrial grade; FDA grade; and medical grade.
