September increases face mixed market fundamentals.
FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Resin buyers returned from Labor Day weekend to new pricing pressure, including a nearly 10% increase in West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil over five trading days and September increase initiatives across several major resin categories.
"The number of increase letters may make it look like the entire market shifted over the weekend, but that's not what the fundamentals show," said Michael Workman, executive director of ResinSmart. "Buyers need to separate the markets where cost pressure is supported from the ones where producers are trying to improve margins."
ResinSmart says the market remains divided, with buyers maintaining leverage in several resin categories while others require closer attention to feedstock costs and producer initiatives.
Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and PET continue to offer some of the strongest positions for buyers. PE producers are pushing for a 7-cent-per-pound September increase, but healthy supply and new Gulf Coast capacity give buyers reason to challenge the full initiative.
PP remains one of the clearest buyer-favorable markets. No September increase initiatives have been announced, polymer-grade propylene spot pricing is below 40 cents per pound and August PGP contracts settled 1.5 cents lower. Ample material availability is also limiting producer leverage.
Conditions have changed more significantly in several other resin markets. Three Nylon 6 producers announced September increases ranging from 5 to 8 cents per pound, while BASF is seeking an 8-cent-per-pound increase on Nylon 66. At least one polycarbonate producer is also targeting a 10-cent-per-pound increase.
ResinSmart says buyers should evaluate those initiatives against underlying feedstock data. In Nylon 6, for example, caprolactam spot pricing moved materially lower during the same period producers were citing upstream cost pressure to support new increases.
"If the primary feedstock is moving lower while an increase letter is citing cost pressure, buyers need to ask what is really behind the increase," Workman said. "There's an important difference between recovering higher costs and recovering margin, and procurement teams should negotiate accordingly."
PVC buyers are also facing new pricing pressure, with two producers seeking 2-cent-per-pound September increases as the Formosa Point Comfort, Texas plant undergoes a turnaround. However, weaker construction activity and the end of the summer construction season continue to weigh on demand.
Polycarbonate buyers have room to challenge the 10-cent-per-pound initiative as well. Broad producer participation has not emerged, while sluggish demand and healthy material availability continue to limit upward pricing pressure.
The developments reinforce the importance of evaluating each resin independently. Higher crude oil and feedstock costs may support increases in some markets, but they do not override supply and demand fundamentals.
"The leverage hasn't disappeared. It has become more specific," Workman said. "The buyers in the strongest position this month will be the ones who know the feedstock settlements, supply data and demand fundamentals behind their resin before they sit down with a supplier."
ResinSmart will continue monitoring September contract settlements, feedstock movements, producer initiatives, Gulf Coast supply conditions and demand trends as buyers work through September pricing negotiations.
About ResinSmart
ResinSmart is a resin procurement intelligence and advisory platform powered by RTi Global, serving plastics processors and manufacturers since 1998. The RESIN8™ benchmarking engine is built on more than 3 billion pounds of real buyer-side transaction data, providing SKU-level price benchmarks, market intelligence and negotiation guidance independent of producer-side indexes.
For more information, visit resinsmart.ai.
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SOURCE ResinSmart
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