ABS: Trading
No ABS futures, so feed risk is hedged in Dalian
What this tab covers How it is bought and sold: buyers and sellers, price benchmarks and who publishes them, exchanges, contract types, traders, how Indian buyers price it, recent price points, and good sources to follow.Who buys, and where
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- China
- Thailand and Malaysia
- Saudi Arabia
Who sells, and from where
- China (appliance and electronics belts)
- Southeast Asia
- India
- Mexico
- Turkey and Eastern Europe
Price benchmarks
| Benchmark | Publisher | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| ABS injection grade CFR China | ICIS, Platts, Polymerupdate | spot, weekly |
| ABS injection grade CFR India (Nhava Sheva) | Polymerupdate | spot, weekly |
| ABS FD NWE | ICIS | monthly contract |
Exchanges
| Venue | Contract | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| None for ABS | no ABS futures | Feed risk can be hedged with Dalian styrene futures and SHFE butadiene rubber futures (indicative) |
Contract types
- monthly or quarterly contracts with appliance makers, often formula-linked to monomer prices
- spot cargo sales in 25 kg bags or bulk bags by container
- toll compounding for colour and flame-retardant grades
Traders and distributors
- producer sales offices (LG Chem, Chimei, INEOS Styrolution)
- regional distributors in India and Southeast Asia
How Indian buyers price it
- Indian buyers price imports at CFR India against Korean and Taiwanese offers; producers publish monthly list prices in Rs/kg (Polymerupdate lists an 'Indian producer' ABS series).
- The BIS quality-control order on ABS was withdrawn on 12 Nov 2025 with 13 other polymer and polyester QCOs, so uncertified Chinese and Korean grades can again be imported (BIS notification via ELP, Nov 2025).
- No current Indian anti-dumping duty on ABS was found in sources reached.
Recent price points
| Date | Price | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Nov 2008 | just below $1,500/t | CFR China main ports, Asian offers | Plastemart |
| 2 Mar 2026 | $1,030/t styrene (feed) | Asia | S&P Global Platts via styrene tile |
| Feb 2026 | ABS CFR India not published (paywalled) | CFR Nhava Sheva | Polymerupdate |
Good sources to follow
GlobalData oil and gas media releasesfreemium research site · GlobalDatacapacity additions for ABS, PC, SBR and other petrochemicals
Polymerupdate ABS pricespaid research site · Polymerupdateweekly CFR India and Asian ABS prices
Plastemart newsfree newsletter · PlastemartIndian and Asian polymer market news
Mysteel Globalfreemium research site · MysteelChinese petrochemical and polymer capacity and prices