Prices for U.S. Food and Drug Administration-sanctioned clear PET pellets moved up a penny last week to 58 to 59 cents per pound on the U.S. East Coast. That upward momentum corresponded with a strengthening in the prime PET market.
Bottle-grade domestic prime PET averaged 56.3 cents per pound in January, up 1.1 cents per pound from December. February bottle-grade prime PET was unchanged on Monday of this week at 58 to 59 cents per pound railcar delivered Chicago.
U.S. imports of packaging grade PET in 2016 totaled 683,876 metric tons, up 90,558 metric tons, or 15 percent, from 2015, the latest USA Trade Online data show. U.S. imported prime PET (packaging grade) averaged 52.45 cents per pound in January, up 1.95 cents per pound from December. This represents business for imported PET on a delivered duty-paid U.S. ports basis.
For a free trial to PCW’s Weekly Recycled Plastics Report, Weekly PVC & Pipe Report or Daily Report on prime resins, monomers and NGLs visit the PetroChem Wire website at petrochemwire.com. You can also contact Cindy Bryan at [email protected] or 713-385-1407.