A strong demand, higher costs and tight availability are driving the current upside in prices in Europe.
INEOS Styrolution increased prices of ABS and PS in Europe in December.
The company said its acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) will increase €220/mt.
INEOS Styrolution increased prices also of its general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) by €160/mt.
And the usual surcharge of €100/mt will apply for high impact polystyrene (HIPS).
Other producers of styrenics in Europe have also announced prices increases in December, such as Trinseo.
And while the higher numbers are largely in line with the increases in the feedstock styrene, they are also a result of tight availability.
The tighter availability is seen in PS but is particularly visible in the ABS market.
The European ABS market relies more heavily on Asia imports which have disappeared due to a strong Chinese market and higher prices.
The gap in volumes has created significant shortages of ABS in Europe, which is allowing domestic producers to increase margins.