AJC Weekly Brief

Prices as of 28 October 2026 | AJC China Desk.

China PVC prices moved higher in October. High carbide and coal costs, loss-making producers cutting runs, and falling stocks all pushed the price centre up. But the peak construction season did not deliver. Downstream orders stayed weak, so the upside is limited. The market is expected to stay in a high, range-bound band of RMB 4,900–5,100/t (USD 690–718/t). The three things to watch: raw material prices, producer operating rates, and end-user orders.

Methanol drops 12% as China port stocks build and aromatics give back recent gains, while PP firms on freight. Five EU states ask for PET import quotas, INEOS launches a low-carbon polymer range ahead

of Project ONE, and Hanwha Total seals its 32-year-old Daesan LLDPE line

Week ending 23 October 2026 | China Chemicals Price Board| Reference FX: RMB 6.72/USD

This brief tracks the latest market prices of 96 polymer grades in China. It compares 22 October with 21

October. Prices are for material sold in China, including tax, picked up at the warehouse

Refrigerants hold at highs; upstream fluorspar and HF stay soft; lithium chain slips again

*China's PVC market is tightening a little, but prices are not responding. Producers cut output by 6.4% this

week. Factory stocks fell 11.3% and total stocks fell 12.8%. At the same time, the spot price dropped 2.1% to

RMB 4,760/t and the main futures contract closed 1.8% lower at RMB 4,858/t. The basis (spot minus futures)

weakened to RMB -98/t. This tells us that demand is still not strong enough to absorb supply, even with

lower output*

A quick read on 249 chemical prices in China this week: who is up, who is down, and why.

China polymer prices moved up again on 15 October. The rise was led by styrenics (ABS, PS, EPS), PP, LDPE, PVC and PC.