Polypropylene: Production
How China added 17 Mt in five years
What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| World capacity | about 120-125 Mt/yr (2025, indicative: 96 Mt demand at operating rates below 80%); 10.5 Mt/yr of overbuild in 2022-2025, mostly China | indicative (basis: S&P Global via Chemical Week, Sep 2025; Argus, Feb 2026) | |
| World output | about 96 Mt (2024, demand basis) | S&P Global via Chemical Week, Sep 2025 | |
| Capacity utilisation | global PP operating rate 75% in 2025, down from the mid-80s in 2021; forecast to bottom near 74% in 2027-28 | Southeast Asian PP plants ran at about 64% and are expected to stay below 70% through 2028. China's PP exports reached record volumes (Argus). | Argus, Feb 2026 |
| Concentration | top country (China) about 40%; top 3 about 55% (indicative) | Chinese capacity is split between Sinopec, PetroChina, coal-to-olefin producers and many private PDH-PP firms, so company concentration is low; the largest producers each hold a few per cent (indicative). | indicative |
| New capacity | about 15 Mt of new PP in a 2027-28 wave, after 24 Mt in the past five years (Argus, Feb 2026) | China expects about 10 Mt of PE and PP in 2027-28; Lotte Chemical Titan added a 250 kt PP plant in Indonesia in 2025; Europe rationalised about 600 kt of PP (Argus). In India, new PP comes with refinery-petrochemical projects and the planned GAIL Usar PDH-PP unit of about 500 kt/yr (propylene tile, status not confirmed). | Argus, Feb 2026; propylene tile; CareEdge 2025 |
Top producing countries
China 40% · added about 17 Mt of PP capacity in five years (Argus) United States 8% · indicative South Korea 5% · indicative Saudi Arabia 5% · SABIC and affiliates (indicative) India 5% · PP capacity set to rise 1.7-1.8x over FY25-FY30 (CareEdge) Japan 2% · indicative indicative share (basis: propylene tile); Argus Feb 2026; indicative; indicative share; CareEdge via Indian Chemical News, Dec 2025Largest producers: global
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sinopec largest PP producer (indicative) | China | not published | 2025 | Sinopec annual report |
| LyondellBasell largest PP licensor (Spheripol, Spherizone) and a top producer (indicative) | Netherlands/US | not published | 2025 | company disclosures |
| Borealis / Borouge Borstar PP; Borouge exports to India (indicative) | Austria/UAE | not published | 2025 | company disclosures |
| SABIC Saudi producers offered PP CFR India at $1,280/t in Sep 2026 (Polymerupdate) | Saudi Arabia | not published | 2025 | SABIC annual report |
| ExxonMobil not published here | US | not published | 2025 | company disclosures |
| PetroChina not published here | China | not published | 2025 | PetroChina annual report |
| Braskem largest PP producer in the Americas (indicative) | Brazil | not published | 2025 | Braskem disclosures |
Largest producers: India
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliance Industries largest; raised PP list prices by Rs 4/kg from 5 Sep 2026 (Polymerupdate) | India | not published | 2025 | Reliance annual report |
| Indian Oil Corporation Panipat and Paradip PP (indicative) | India | not published | 2025 | IOCL |
| HPCL-Mittal Energy (HMEL) Bathinda (indicative) | India | not published | 2025 | HMEL |
| Nayara Energy Vadinar refinery-based PP (indicative) | India | not published | 2025 | Nayara Energy |
| ONGC Petro additions (OPaL) Dahej (indicative) | India | not published | 2025 | OPaL |
India's PP demand is about 6.5-7 Mt a year (indicative) and imports cover roughly one-fifth of PE and PP consumption (CareEdge 2025). More than half of PP imports come from the Middle East (S&P Global, Mar 2026). CareEdge expects PP capacity to rise 1.7-1.8x and demand 1.4x between FY25 and FY30, which could end import dependence.
Position by region
| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| US | Mid-sized producer; propylene from PDH and refineries; exports less PP than PE. |
| EU | Naphtha-based, high cost; about 600 kt of PP rationalised (Argus 2026). FD NWE homopolymer injection rose to €1,200/t in March 2026 (Platts). |
| India | Short of PP and dependent on Gulf imports; most exposed to Hormuz. Raffia sacks and BOPP film are large uses. |
| China | Overbuilt PDH-PP and coal-to-olefins PP; exporting record volumes, which pressures Southeast Asian and Indian prices in normal times. |
| Japan | Small; closures planned with crackers in 2027-30. |
| Middle East | Low-cost exporter; with PE, close to 25% of world PP and PE exports (S&P Global 2026). |