PetroChem Wire: PET bale prices and exports rise

Prices for curbside PET bottle bales with a PET ratio of 73 percent to 93 percent rose last week by 1.5 cents per pound to 15 to 17 cents per pound picked up in locations in Michigan, Ohio, Texas and the U.S. East Coast and Southeast.

Those prices have increased steadily since early January, when they were 9.5 cents per pound. Grade A PET bales – those with a PET ratio of 94 percent or higher – were sold in a bid offering on June 6 at 18.99 cents per pound FOB Long Beach, Calif., up 0.18 cents per pound from the previous sale on May 23.

Meanwhile, U.S. PET scrap exports for January through April rose 59 percent from the same period in 2016, totaling 103,475 metric tons, according to the most recent data from USA Trade Online. The gain in exports reflected higher shipments to China, Hong Kong and Vietnam.

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 cindy@petrochemwire.com or 713-385-1407.