SunSirs: Plastics and Rubber Industries Bulk Commodity Intelligence (April 21, 2026)

Macroeconomics

1. [Electricity Consumption] National Energy Administration: In March, total electricity consumption across society reached 859.5 billion kWh, a year-on-year increase of 3.5%. Electricity consumption in the primary industry stood at 11.3 billion kWh, up 6.7% year-on-year. Consumption in the secondary industry reached 570.8 billion kWh, up 2.0% year-on-year. Consumption in the tertiary industry reached 160.1 billion kWh, up 7.7% year-on-year.

2. [Excavators] According to the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics, my country's excavator production in March totaled 48,427 units, a year-on-year increase of 26.5%. For the first quarter, my country's cumulative excavator production reached 112,107 units, up 22.8% year-on-year.

Plastics and Rubber

1. [PP] Zhenhai Refining & Chemical operates four PP production lines with a combined annual capacity of 1.3 million tons. Currently, lines 1 and 4 are running at normal operating rates, while lines 2 and 3 are shut down for maintenance. The restart of line 2 has been postponed to April 22, and line 4 is scheduled for a shutdown on April 23. On April 20, the ex-factory reference price for T30S wire-drawing grade PP was lowered by 100 RMB to 10,100 RMB/ton.

2. [PP] Fushun Petrochemical operates two PP production lines with a combined annual capacity of 390,000 tons; currently, both lines are running at normal operating rates. On April 20, the ex-factory price for Z30S fiber-grade PP was lowered by 100 RMB to 9,600 RMB/ton. Spot market prices offered by traders are tracking market trends, and trading activity remains fair.

3. [HDPE] During the current cycle (April 10–16), polyethylene production totaled 584,300 tons, a decrease of 2.88% compared to the previous week.

4. [SBR] On April 20, the Northeast Sales Company of CNPC lowered its prices for emulsion-polymerized Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR) by 500 RMB/ton. Currently, the quoted price for Jihua 1502 is 17,200 RMB/ton (ex-warehouse Northeast China), and the quoted price for Fushun 1502 is also 17,200 RMB/ton (ex-warehouse Northeast China).

5. [BR] On April 20, the Butadiene Rubber (BR) market in East China underwent a slight consolidation, with some enterprises lowering their supply prices by 800 RMB/ton to 17,200 RMB/ton. Currently, quotes for BR from Daqing, Yangzi, and Qilu range from 16,700 to 17,000 RMB/ton, while quotes for certain private-label brands hover around 16,500 to 16,700 RMB/ton. 6. [Natural Rubber] On April 20, the natural rubber market in the Shanghai region trended upward. Traders raised their offers by 150–250 RMB/ton. Mainstream quotes for 2024-vintage "Yunbao" and "Guangkeng" grades were reported at 16,850–17,000 RMB/ton; mainstream quotes for 2024-vintage "Haibao" were at 16,900–17,050 RMB/ton; and mainstream quotes for Vietnam 3L grade were at 16,950–17,150 RMB/ton.

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