High-density polyethylene: Trading
Why traders use LLDPE futures as a stand-in
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
- Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar
- US Gulf
- Singapore and Korea
Who sells, and from where
- China
- India
- Southeast Asia
- Africa
- Turkey
- Latin America
Price benchmarks
| Benchmark | Publisher | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| HDPE film, blow moulding, injection CFR Far East Asia / South Asia | S&P Global Platts, Polymerupdate | spot, weekly |
| HDPE CIF India (Middle East origin) | ChemOrbis | spot, weekly |
| US HDPE contract (blow moulding, injection) | ICIS, CDI | monthly contract, c/lb |
| NWE HDPE | ICIS, Platts | monthly contract and spot |
Exchanges
| Venue | Contract | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dalian Commodity Exchange | LLDPE futures (5 t) | no liquid HDPE futures; LLDPE futures used as a PE proxy |
Contract types
- Producer list prices with fortnightly revisions
- Spot import cargoes in containers
- Term supply to pipe and bottle makers with monthly formula pricing
Traders and distributors
- Vinmar
- Mitsui
- Mitsubishi Corporation
- Marubeni
- Itochu
- Sinochem
How Indian buyers price it
- Domestic producers (Reliance, GAIL, IOCL, HMEL, OPaL) set ex-works list prices against CFR India import parity plus duty.
- Grade spreads matter: pipe (PE100) and blow-moulding grades price separately from film and raffia.
- The BIS quality-control order on PE (Jan 2024) was rescinded in Nov 2025 (CareEdge 2025).
Recent price points
| Date | Price | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2024 | $920-960/t | HDPE film CIF India, Middle East origin | ChemOrbis, 11 Dec 2024 |
| 6 Aug 2025 | $945/t | HDPE film CFR South Asia | Platts via S&P Global, Jan 2026 |
| 3 Dec 2025 | $830/t | HDPE film CFR South Asia | Platts via S&P Global, Jan 2026 |
| 28 Jan 2026 | $865/t | HDPE film CFR South Asia | Platts via S&P Global, Jan 2026 |
| 19 Aug 2026 | $1,220-1,260/t (film); $1,210-1,250/t (blow moulding) | CFR India | Polymerupdate, 19 Aug 2026 |
| 19 Aug 2026 | $1,070-1,100/t | HDPE film CFR Far East Asia | Polymerupdate, 19 Aug 2026 |
Good sources to follow
ChemOrbis plastics newsfreemium research site · ChemOrbisWeekly Asian, Indian and Turkish polymer prices and sentiment
Polymerupdatefreemium research site · Polymerupdate (Mumbai)Daily CFR South Asia polymer assessments and Reliance/IOCL list price changes
Argus market opinion and analysis blogfree blog · Argus MediaPolyolefin capacity waves, operating rates and closures
Polimericafree newsletter · Polimerica (Italy)European plastics industry, Plastics Europe data and recycling projects
Recycling Todayfree research site · GIE MediaMechanical and chemical recycling projects and capacity