Synthetic Rubber Price Trend and Forecast

Synthetic Rubber Regional Price Overview

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

Synthetic Rubber Price Trend for the First Half of 2024

Asia

In Asia, synthetic rubber prices treaded upwards due to heightened demand from key sectors like automotive and tires. This unexpected surge in demand led to inventory shortages, prompting intensified trading activities and increased production to balance supply and demand. Despite efforts to stabilize the market, elevated crude oil prices pushed up production costs towards the end of the quarter, further impacting synthetic rubber prices.
 

Synthetic Rubber Price Chart

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In China, the market experienced slight fluctuations, influenced by domestic factors such as the Chinese New Year holiday and a rebound in downstream industry prices. The overseas tire market saw a post-holiday boost, which supported the industry's momentum, although overall market enthusiasm remained tempered by oscillating dynamics.

Europe

In Europe, particularly in Germany, the synthetic rubber market displayed resilience despite fluctuating market dynamics and rising production costs. The tire industry played a key role in maintaining sales figures, which helped manufacturers manage inventory levels and sustain production rates. Traders in the region adjusted their strategies to navigate these challenges, keeping prices stable amidst market uncertainties.

The aerospace sector also contributed to neoprene rubber consumption, balancing out the effects of a decline in passenger car registrations. However, the construction sector faced difficulties, with lower demand for materials affecting purchasing costs. Additionally, geopolitical tensions, such as attacks on overseas shipments, dampened market confidence, limiting growth potential in the second quarter.

North America

In North America, synthetic rubber prices followed global trends with some fluctuations early in the year. Later, prices surged due to increased purchasing activities from downstream sectors, despite a slight decline in vehicle sales. Rising crude oil prices contributed to higher energy costs, further influencing the market. The region's improving consumer confidence and reduced inflationary pressures also supported the upward price trend. However, challenges such as the closure of Baltimore port and increased freight charges impacted export volumes. Despite these issues, the market maintained stable price quotations, with support from feedstock industries that raised production costs, sustaining the positive momentum throughout the second quarter.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the price of Synthetic Rubber is expected to be driven by a combination of rising demand, fluctuating feedstock prices, and varying regional dynamics, which, in accordance with the current dynamics, are estimated to contribute to the upward trend.
 

Synthetic Rubber Price Trend for the Second Half of 2023

Asia

The Asian countries during the third quarter of 2023 showcased a surge in the market momentum as the downstream industries slowly and steadily improved their procurement rates. The improvement in the sales figures of the automotive industries was the major driver of the synthetic rubber market. In the latter half of 2023, the pricing trend of synthetic rubber in Asia was primarily driven by increased import activities and a projected decrease in demand.

This stood in contrast to the global market, which notably underperformed compared to the Asian market, especially in China. While there were signs of recovery in Japan and Indonesia, India's synthetic rubber market remained stagnant. India experienced a significant decline, reaching a new low in the latest quarter, prompting dealers to reduce their synthetic rubber prices. The pricing trajectory was volatile, exacerbated by a downturn in the tire industry.

Europe

In the third and fourth quarters of 2023, Germany saw a substantial drop in synthetic rubber prices, largely due to unfavorable natural gas costs. The automotive industry faced a significant decline in new car registrations, adding to the challenges. The final quarter of 2023 saw a 0.3% economic contraction in Germany, driven by rising inflation across Europe. Additionally, the construction sector in Germany continued to decline throughout 2023 due to market unpredictability, high lending rates, and decreasing demand, all contributing to the overall downward trend in synthetic rubber pricing.

North America

In the second half of 2023, synthetic rubber prices in the U.S. market declined following challenges in the global markets during the third and fourth quarters of the year. This decline was primarily due to reduced prices set by major exporting nations in Asia and Europe. Despite a strong trend in U.S. auto sales, economic concerns arose from a sharp decrease in new orders from various downstream sectors, signaling issues with demand both domestically and internationally. Consequently, the continuous pace of automotive sales failed to support the price of synthetic rubber.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the price of Synthetic Rubber is estimated to trail an oscillating trajectory due to the excessive influence of changing automotive landscape and surging cost of feedstock prices.
 

Synthetic Rubber Price Trend for the First Half of 2023

Asia

Synthetic rubbers like neoprene, styrene butadiene rubber, etc., experienced a wavering price pattern in the first half of the year 2023. Even though the reviving consumption sectors supported market growth, the demands were moderate; hence, synthetic rubber prices fluctuated within a narrow range in the highly competitive market.

Though marginally, the overall market outlook was positive. Some occasional dips were attributed to oversupply and demand cuts, but the construction, automotive, manufacturing, systems engineering, and other sectors contributed to the fair market performance of synthetic rubber.

Europe

Following in the Asian footsteps, the European Synthetic Rubber market also witnessed periodic fluctuations in price trend. The consumption sectors here were still struggling because of the inflationary pressure, but the high feedstock prices provided some positive cost support to the price trend. But the harrowing downstream demands continued to be a matter of concern. The first quarter was still better compared to the second. More downward tilts were seen in the second quarter. Overall, mixed market sentiments were observed.

North America

The North American Synthetic Rubber market behaved no differently than the global Synthetic Rubber market. The price trend struggled to remain firm. The biggest setback was because of depreciated demands from downstream sectors.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the price trend for Synthetic Rubber are likely to remain oscillating in the coming months, given the current uncertainties in the market.
 

Synthetic Rubber Price Trend for the Second Half of 2022

Asia

The market dynamics for synthetic rubber products like styrene-butadiene rubber, neoprene, etc., fluctuated throughout the third and fourth quarters of 2022. The prices in the Asian region were affected majorly due to the sluggish demand from the tire industry, and logistical conflicts between South Asian regions. The fourth quarter was majorly affected by the imposition of covid restrictions, oversupply, and low production costs of the products, which led to the downward trajectory of the prices of synthetic rubber products.

Europe

The declining price trend for synthetic rubber in the European region were primarily due to the dwindling demand from the shoe, automotive, carpet, and construction industries. The region also witnessed oversupply issues due to which major production plants were forced to shut their production completely. The rise in diesel and overall energy production costs, declining demand from both domestic and international markets, and the rise in inventories adversely affected the prices of synthetic rubber in this region.

North America

In the North American region, the prices fell in the fourth quarter after being stagnant in the third quarter. The price trend was significantly affected by sufficient feedstock availability and the sluggish demand from the end-user industries. The shortage of labour and rising inflation along with slowed production due to festival season kept the prices of synthetic rubber in the negative zone. The price trend, thus, in the North American region followed a downward trajectory.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the price trend for Synthetic Rubber are expected to gain some momentum and showcase a mixed trend in the upcoming quarter. The demand from the end-sector industries such as automotive and the ripple effects of the Russia-Ukraine war will be the major players in determining the price of synthetic rubber products in the market.
 

Synthetic Rubber Price Trend For the First Half of 2022

Asia

The synthetic rubber prices surged throughout the Asian market as the prices of crude oil reached a new maximum. The petrochemical industry was deeply impacted by the trade restrictions, lack of raw materials and port congestions. The resurgence of covid-19 in powerhouse China led to a series of lockdowns causing the factories to halt production. The strong market sentiments provided the needed demand side support hence, the prices of synthetic rubber soared throughout Asia.

However, with the high-cost inflation and cautious buying activity of traders, the synthetic prices started to stabilize. The rubber prices started to decline due to demand destruction owing to contractionary monetary policies by banks the world over and the looming threat of a global recession. The price of Styrene Butadiene Rubber averaged 172410 INR/MT in the Indian market while that of neoprene-Guangdong CR121 averaged 43250 RMB/MT.

Europe

The synthetic rubber pricing patterns held steady during the time period mentioned. The manufacturers increased their prices to protect their profitability as a result of the elevated costs of raw materials, power, and crude oil. The strong demand from the packaging, automotive, and pharmaceutical industries further supported these increased quotes. During the specified period, the price of Styrene Butadiene Rubber averaged 3420 USD/MT chloroprene rubber prices increased by 7.3%.

North America

The higher prices of synthetic rubber throughout the US domestic market were supported by trade restrictions along with labour shortages, commodity inflation, and surging market attitudes. While the price of SBR ranged between 3750 and 3940 USD/MT while that of chloroprene rubber recorded a hike of 4.5% ( approx.).

Procurement Resource provides latest prices of Synthetic 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.