HDPE Trade Analysis 2015-2024 (Full Report)
This report offers clients a comprehensive analysis of the global and regional trade of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). HDPE is a versatile thermoplastic polymer widely used in various industries. It is produced through the polymerization of ethylene. HDPE’s primary applications span a diverse range of sectors, including packaging (such as bottles and containers), piping systems, geomembranes, and plastic lumber. It is also extensively used in the manufacturing of household goods, automotive components, and agricultural products. The analysis in this report is based exclusively on statistical data and covers the period from 2015 to 2024.
The raw statistical data has been systematically transformed into clear and reliable insights, encompassing the net trade balance, trade flows, transaction prices, means of transportation, and transportation cost analyses. Furthermore, key transit hubs have been identified and highlighted under the trade flow analysis section. Given the consistency of data across years, trade flow and transportation analyses are limited to 2024 to best represent current conditions and reduce analytical complexity. However, the transportation cost analysis may incorporate up to five years of data if a single year does not provide adequate information.
The transformed trade data is provided separately in accompanying MS Excel file.
SUMMARY
DELIVERABLES
DATA IN EXCEL FILE
METHODOLOGY
From 2015 to 2024 saw the Middle East and North America reinforce their positions as major net exporters of HDPE, while Northeast Asia, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and Western Europe continued to be the leading net importers. Key shifts included the surge in North American net exports and the fluctuating but significant import demand from Northeast Asia and Africa.
Inter-regional flows remained concentrated among a few major corridors, with the largest flows from the Middle East and North America to Northeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and Africa. Intra-regional trade was significant in Western Europe, Central & Eastern Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, South America, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and Oceania, highlighting the importance of regional integration in the global HDPE market.
In 2024, the HDPE trade network demonstrated that the United States and Saudi Arabia acted as primary origins, with their exports reaching several key transit hubs and onward destinations. Belgium emerged as a European transit hub, facilitating the movement of HDPE from the United States and Saudi Arabia to Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.
Global HDPE price demonstrated considerable fluctuation from 2015 to 2024, moving within a range from eight hundred fifty-five USD per metric ton to one thousand six hundred eleven USD per metric ton. The overall price trajectory showed an initial downward movement until 2020, followed by a sharp rebound during 2021 and 2022, before easing again in the subsequent years.
Sea transport was the overwhelmingly dominant means of HDPE transportation across all major trading regions in 2024, with other modes such as railway, road, and air contributing to varying, but much smaller, extents depending on regional infrastructure and connectivity.
The global transportation cost analysis for HDPE over the period 2020-2024 revealed significant variation in freight expenses between different regions, as well as within regions themselves. The overall global weighted average transportation cost stood at sixty-nine USD per metric ton.