# Polyethylene (LDPE, LLDPE): Feedstocks

Why US and Gulf ethane plants sit on top

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polyethylene/feedstocks/

What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.

LDPE and LLDPE are about 99% ethylene by mass, with 7-10% comonomer in LLDPE. Ethylene is 70-90% of cash cost, so PE competitiveness is ethylene competitiveness: US and Gulf ethane crackers win, Chinese coal and integrated refinery crackers sit mid-curve, and naphtha crackers in Europe, Japan and Korea are highest cost.

#### Inputs per tonne

| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Gas Natural gas](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/natural_gas/) | about 1.01-1.02 t ethylene per t PE; about 1.25 t ethane per t ethylene (ethylene tile) | monomer in US, Middle East and gas-based Indian crackers (GAIL Pata) | about 70-80% of cash cost (indicative) | ethylene tile; indicative |
| [Oil Crude oil](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/crude_oil/) | about 1.02 t ethylene per t PE; about 3.3 t naphtha per t ethylene with co-products (ethylene tile) | monomer in Europe, Japan, Korea, most of China and India | about 80-90% of cash cost (indicative) | ethylene tile; indicative |
| **Comonomers (butene-1, hexene-1, octene-1)** | about 0.07-0.10 t per t LLDPE (indicative) | short-chain branches for toughness; hexene and octene command premiums | about 8-12% for LLDPE (indicative) | indicative |
| **Electricity** | about 0.8-1.1 MWh per t LDPE; about 0.4-0.5 MWh per t gas-phase LLDPE (indicative) | compression and extrusion | about 5-10% (indicative) | indicative |
| [Ti Titanium](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/titanium/) | under 0.1 kg per t of polymer (indicative) | LLDPE polymerisation catalysts | about 1-3% (indicative) | indicative |

#### Who is low-cost, and why

US integrated ethane-to-PE margins averaged about $580/t in early 2026 against a historic $830/t (Argus via ethylene tile), so US and Gulf producers stay profitable through the trough. Asian naphtha-based producers lost money on ethylene in 2023-2025, and non-integrated PE makers that buy ethylene were squeezed hardest in the 2026 Hormuz spike, when CFR NE Asia ethylene ($1,445-1,455/t on 8 Apr 2026) was above Far East Asia LLDPE film ($1,150-1,200/t on 15 Apr 2026) (Polymerupdate).

#### Raw materials on the commodity table
[Gas Natural gas](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/natural_gas/)[Oil Crude oil](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/crude_oil/)

#### What it is made into

| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| [bPE Bio-based polyethylene and MEG](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/bio_pe/) | same polymer made from sugarcane ethanol |

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polyethylene/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polyethylene/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polyethylene/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polyethylene/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polyethylene/production/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polyethylene/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polyethylene/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polyethylene/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polyethylene/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polyethylene/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polyethylene/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polyethylene/links/index.md)