# Polyethylene (LDPE, LLDPE): Trading

Gulf and US exporters, Chinese and Indian buyers

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

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

- Middle East (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar) for South Asia and Africa
- US Gulf for Latin America, Europe and Asia
- Singapore and Southeast Asia
- Korea and Japan (Japanese PE enters India duty-free, ChemOrbis 2024)

#### Who sells, and from where

- China (largest importer)
- India
- Turkey
- Vietnam and Southeast Asia
- Africa
- Europe (Italy, Belgium)

#### Price benchmarks

| Benchmark | Publisher | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| **LLDPE film CFR Far East Asia / CFR South Asia** | S&P Global Platts | spot, daily/weekly |
| **LDPE and LLDPE film CFR India** | Polymerupdate, ChemOrbis, ICIS | spot, weekly |
| **US PE contract (LLDPE butene, LDPE film)** | ICIS, CDI, IHS/S&P | monthly contract, c/lb |
| **NWE LDPE and LLDPE** | ICIS, Platts, ChemOrbis | monthly contract and spot, euro/t |

#### Exchanges

| Venue | Contract | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| **Dalian Commodity Exchange** | LLDPE futures and options (5 t) | most liquid polyolefin futures; used by Chinese traders and converters |

#### Contract types

- Monthly or weekly producer list prices
- Spot import deals CFR, letters of credit, 25 kg bags in containers
- Term contracts with formula links to monthly benchmarks
- Price protection and volume incentives from Indian producers

#### Traders and distributors

- Vinmar
- Mitsui
- Mitsubishi Corporation
- Marubeni
- Sumitomo Corporation
- Itochu
- Sinochem

#### How Indian buyers price it

- Reliance, IOCL, GAIL, HMEL and OPaL set ex-works list prices against CFR India import parity plus basic customs duty, revising every one to two weeks.
- Producers use price protection and incentives in volatile months: Reliance offered price protection on LLDPE and a Rs 2/kg incentive on all PE lifting up to 22 Apr 2026 (Polymerupdate).
- The BIS quality-control order on PE (Jan 2024) was rescinded in Nov 2025, reopening imports from non-certified suppliers (CareEdge 2025).

#### Recent price points

| Date | Price | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2024 | **LLDPE film $915-955/t; LDPE film $1,090-1,130/t** | CIF India, Middle East origin | ChemOrbis, 11 Dec 2024 |
| 6 Aug 2025 | **$935/t** | LLDPE film CFR South Asia | Platts via S&P Global, Jan 2026 |
| 3 Dec 2025 | **$830/t** | LLDPE film CFR South Asia | Platts via S&P Global, Jan 2026 |
| 30 Jan 2026 | **$1,050/t** | LDPE film CFR South Asia | Platts via S&P Global, Jan 2026 |
| 8 Apr 2026 | **$1,680-1,750/t** | LDPE film CFR India | Polymerupdate, Apr 2026 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | **$1,470-1,550/t** | LLDPE film CFR India | Polymerupdate, Apr 2026 |

#### Good sources to follow
[ChemOrbis plastics news](https://www.chemorbis.com/en/plastics-news)freemium research site · ChemOrbis

Weekly Asian, Indian and Turkish polymer prices and sentiment
[Polymerupdate](https://www.polymerupdate.com)freemium research site · Polymerupdate (Mumbai)

Daily CFR South Asia polymer assessments and Reliance/IOCL list price changes
[Argus market opinion and analysis blog](https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/market-opinion-and-analysis-blog/polyolefins-market-outlook-pe-pp-trends)free blog · Argus Media

Polyolefin capacity waves, operating rates and closures
[Polimerica](https://polymeric.polimerica.it)free newsletter · Polimerica (Italy)

European plastics industry, Plastics Europe data and recycling projects
[Packaging Insights](https://www.packaginginsights.com)free newsletter · CNS Media

Packaging regulation, EPR and recycled-content news including India

## 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)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polyethylene/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/polyethylene/cycles/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)