Nylon (PA6, PA66): Trading
No nylon futures: chips priced off caprolactam
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
- China
- Taiwan
- US
- Western Europe
- Japan and Korea
Who sells, and from where
- China textile clusters
- Southeast Asia (Vietnam yarn and textiles)
- India
- Mexico and Europe auto compounders
Price benchmarks
| Benchmark | Publisher | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Nylon 6 chips FOB China (bright/semi-dull) | Chemical Week, ICIS, CCF | spot, weekly |
| Caprolactam East China domestic | CCF, Chemical Week | spot, daily |
| PA66 contract prices Europe and US | ICIS, Plastics Information Europe | monthly contract |
Exchanges
| Venue | Contract | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| None for nylon | no polyamide futures | Benzene and styrene futures in China are imperfect hedges (indicative) |
Contract types
- annual and quarterly contracts with auto and airbag suppliers, often with feedstock formulas
- spot chip sales to Chinese spinners
- toll compounding
Traders and distributors
- producer sales networks
- Chinese chip traders
- Indian polymer distributors
How Indian buyers price it
- Indian spinners price nylon 6 chips against FOB China and CFR India offers, plus GSFC list prices.
- DGTR opened an anti-dumping investigation on caprolactam from China, Russia, Thailand and the US in October 2026 (caprolactam tile); any duty would raise local PA6 costs.
- PA66 is imported at CFR India from China, Europe and the US (indicative).
Recent price points
| Date | Price | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Nov 2025 | $1,170/t | nylon 6 chips FOB China | Chemical Week via caprolactam tile |
| 20 Nov 2025 | CNY8,600-8,650/t | caprolactam molten, East China | Chemical Week via caprolactam tile |
| 2025 | PA66 levels not published in sources reached | n/a | ResourceWise reported falling HMDA and PA66 prices |
Good sources to follow
ResourceWise blogfree blog · ResourceWisePA66, caprolactam and chemical value chains
Mysteel Globalfreemium research site · MysteelChinese PA66 and caprolactam capacity and prices
Chemical Weekfreemium newsletter · S&P Globalglobal chemical markets including nylon intermediates
Indian Chemical Newsfree newsletter · Indian Chemical NewsIndian trade remedies and capacity news