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Home > News > [Propylene]: Weekly Market Outlook

[Propylene]: Weekly Market Outlook

Published on 2026-10-26

I. Key Focus Areas

  1. Rising International Crude Oil Prices: On Friday (October 23), NYMEX WTI crude oil futures for the December contract rose by USD 3.80/bbl to USD 103.27, a week-on-week increase of +3.82%. ICE Brent crude oil futures for the December contract rose by USD 3.55/bbl to USD 116.72, a week-on-week increase of +3.14%. China INE crude oil futures for the December 2026 contract rose by CNY 15 to CNY 717/bbl during the day session and increased by CNY 27.4 to CNY 744.4/bbl during the night session.
  2. Propylene Production Costs: As of October 22, the cost of propylene production via naphtha cracking was approximately CNY 9,707/ton; via PDH (Propane Dehydrogenation) it was approximately CNY 10,306/ton; and via external methanol sourcing, it was approximately CNY 11,844/ton.
  3. Market Price Spread: As of October 23, the Shandong propylene market price stood at CNY 10,760/ton, while Polypropylene (PP) powder (Linyi 045 grade) was priced at CNY 10,700/ton, resulting in a narrow price spread between the two.

Core Logic: Rising international crude oil prices, minor fluctuations in production costs, and a narrow price spread between PP and propylene.

II. Price Table

Product Region Oct 16 Oct 23 Change Rate
Propylene Shandong 10,650–10,700 10,700–10,820 +0.80%
Propylene East China 10,250–10,650 10,600–10,800 +2.39%
Propylene Northeast China 10,120–10,230 9,980–10,090 -1.97%
Propylene Northwest China 10,000–10,260 9,810–10,300 -0.74%

Notes:

  1. This table selects mainstream transaction prices from key propylene markets. All prices are VAT-inclusive, denominated in CNY/ton.
  2. The prices represent point-in-time data from the two preceding working weeks prior to this report, not weekly averages.
  3. The change rate reflects the week-on-week variation.

III. Data Table

Propylene Industry Supply & Demand Data
Data Type Oct 22 Oct 15 Change Rate Weekly Outlook
Weekly Output 1.1379 million tons 1.1354 million tons +0.22% ↗
Capacity Utilization (PDH) 72.95% 70.87% +2.93% ↗
Production Profit (PDH) 119 296 -59.80 ↗

Notes:

  1. Daily output data compares national sample enterprise daily production over the past two working weeks.
  2. Capacity utilization reflects the ratio of actual production volume to installed capacity, serving as an indicator of production activity.
  3. Production profit is industry-wide data reflecting the overall profitability in major regions, calculated as the ratio of industry profit to average price.

Comments

0
  • James Morrison 2026-10-26 10:01
    Crude oil's surge is squeezing PDH margins hard, with profits down nearly 60% due to high feedstock costs. The narrow propylene-PP spread limits price pass-through, risking further capacity cuts if downstream demand does..
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