BR (Butadiene Rubber) Price Trend and Forecast

Regional Market Overview

Get the latest insights on price movement and trend analysis of Naphtha in different regions across the world (Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa).

For the First Half of 2022

Asia

The price trends for Butadiene Rubber reached an all-time high during the said period due to the soaring crude oil and gas prices. The petrochemical industry suffered owing to inflated freight charges, low production levels, supply constraints, and depleting inventories, causing the manufacturers to raise their prices. The strong demand from the downstream automotive and polymer industry kept the prices afloat. The price of butadiene rubber averaged 2215 USD/MT during the said period.

Europe

Faced with the direct consequences of the continuing Russia-Ukraine conflict, a staggering energy crisis unfurled in the European markets. The surging power costs caused the industries to slow or halt production, thereby creating massive shortages in the market.

The supply-side constraints amid robust demand caused the manufacturers to raise their quotations to cushion their profit and pass the inflationary pricing to the customers. Hence, the price trends for butadiene rubber kept on the higher end of the scale during the said period.

North America

Butadiene Rubber prices averaged 2840 USD/MT in the US domestic market. These inflated prices were due to the surging crude oil and gas prices. The growing demand amid supply issues, reduced inventories, labour shortages, and poor logistics caused the prices to swell drastically. Even with the relaxing cost upstream cost pressure in Q2, the prices still inclined due to the heightened demand from the polymer and automotive sectors.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, butadiene rubber prices will remain anchored in the market with marginal fluctuations. The demand is likely to stay strong, furthering the raised market quotations. The market dynamics are expected to remain healthy in the coming months.

For the Year of 2022

After styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), butadiene rubber (BR) is the second most significant form of synthetic rubber. Butadiene is polymerized to produce BR. Products made of BR have excellent abrasion resistance, high resilience, outstanding insulating qualities, and stay flexible at low temperatures.

In Q4 of 2021, the average butadiene rubber price in China was recorded at 2350 USD/MT in October, 2480 USD/MT in November, and 2530 USD/MT in December. Several market participants in North America said that demand from the tyre and footwear industries remained strong during the fourth quarter, ending 2021 on a high note in terms of output and revenue.

Polybutadiene rubber (PBR) use had surged in Q4 of 2021. Meanwhile, supply fundamentals had improved following a difficult third quarter in which truck availability was described as severely limited throughout the North American region. After a tumultuous third quarter, feedstock butadiene prices eased in the fourth quarter. The above demand pattern had been vindicated by polybutadiene rubber prices, which had continued to rise throughout Q4.

The price of PBR was assessed at 2550 USD/MT in early October, and concluded the quarter at 2760 USD/MT in December. PBR prices in Asia dropped from 2326 USD/MT in October to 2210 USD/MT FOB in December. Increased consumption benefited the PBR market in Europe, and the Ex-work price jumped from 2630 USD/MT in October to 2890 USD/MT in December. The butadiene market continued to rise, putting pressure on manufacturers to keep PBR prices stable during Q4.

Procurement Resource provides latest prices of BR (Butadiene Rubber). Each price database is tied to a user-friendly graphing tool dating back to 2014, which provides a range of functionalities: configuration of price series over user defined time period; comparison of product movements across countries; customisation of price currencies and unit; extraction of price data as excel files to be used offline.