# Purified terephthalic acid: Trading

Zhengzhou futures and how polyester makers hedge

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pta/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

- India
- Turkey
- Vietnam
- Pakistan and Bangladesh
- Europe

#### Who sells, and from where

- China
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Indonesia
- South Korea

#### Price benchmarks

| Benchmark | Publisher | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| **Platts PTA FOB China and CFR India** | S&P Global Platts | spot, daily |
| **ICIS and CCF PTA East China** | ICIS, CCF | domestic spot |

#### Exchanges

| Venue | Contract | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| **Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange** | PTA futures, 5 t (indicative), physical delivery | Opened to overseas traders in 2018 (Textile Excellence, indicative); widely used by polyester makers to hedge. |

#### Contract types

- Monthly term contracts at PX formula plus processing fee
- Spot cargoes in containers or bulk bags
- Domestic list prices by Indian producers

#### Traders and distributors

- Chinese producer trading arms
- Mitsui
- Itochu
- Indian importers and yarn makers

#### How Indian buyers price it

- Indian PTA is priced at import parity to CFR India; Reliance and other producers set domestic prices against it (indicative).
- The BIS quality-control order on PTA stalled imports from China from mid-2023 and was revoked in late 2025 (S&P Global).

#### Recent price points

| Date | Price | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jan 2026 | **$649/t** | FOB China | Platts via S&P Global |
| 21 Jan 2026 | **$687/t** | CFR India | Platts via S&P Global |

#### Good sources to follow
[Fibre2Fashion textile news](https://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/)free research site · Fibre2Fashion

PX, PTA, MEG and polyester price trends
[S&P Global Commodity Insights chemicals news](https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/latest-news/chemicals)freemium research site · S&P Global

PTA trade flows to India
[Argus market opinion and analysis blog](https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/market-opinion-and-analysis-blog)free blog · Argus Media

PX-PTA chain
[Chemical Weekly](https://chemicalweekly.com)paid newsletter · Sevak Publications

Indian chemical prices and capacity

## Other sections

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