Material Insights · Understanding the Material World

PVC: Relationships

Every element and industry that PVC is linked to, and how. Each pair has its own card explaining the relationships between the two.

  • Thermal coal: Most Chinese PVC is made from coal through calcium carbide and acetylene, an electricity-hungry, mercury-dependent route, so Chinese coal and power costs shape the price of much of the PVC that India imports. (researched)
  • Ethylene: Outside China, PVC is built on ethylene: ethylene and chlorine make ethylene dichloride, which is cracked to vinyl chloride and polymerised, a chain that takes about 15% of world ethylene. China makes most of its PVC from coal via calcium carbide instead, and in January to October 2025 it sent 42% of its PVC exports to India, the largest buyer on the world market. (researched)
  • Plasticisers: Plasticisers exist mainly to make PVC flexible: over 90% of those used in Europe go into flexible PVC for cables, flooring and film, so health rules on phthalates and PVC demand set the plasticiser market. (researched)
  • Electrical equipment: PVC is the standard insulation and sheath for low-voltage wire and cable because it is cheap, tough and flame-retardant, so cable makers are a steady PVC buyer; at higher temperatures and voltages and in low-smoke uses, polyethylene and XLPE take over, and in India cable makers buy into a resin market historically up to half supplied by imports. (researched)
  • Caustic soda: Their prices have moved together.
  • Chlorine: Their prices have moved together.
  • Construction and infrastructure: Construction and infrastructure depends on PVC.
  • Energy-intensive industry: Their prices have moved together.
  • Finance: banking, insurance, markets: Finance: banking, insurance, markets depends on PVC.
  • Furniture: Furniture depends on PVC.
  • Healthcare services: Healthcare services depends on PVC.
  • Media and entertainment: Media and entertainment depends on PVC.
  • Medical devices: Medical devices depends on PVC.
  • Natural gas: Natural gas is a raw material for PVC.
  • Pharmaceuticals: Pharmaceuticals depends on PVC.
  • Plastic and rubber products: Plastic and rubber products depends on PVC.
  • Real estate: Real estate depends on PVC.
  • Salt: Salt is a raw material for PVC.
  • Tin: Their prices have moved together.
  • Vinyl chloride monomer: Their prices have moved together.
  • Water and sanitation: Water and sanitation depends on PVC.
  • Wholesale and retail trade: Wholesale and retail trade depends on PVC.