For the week ending October 15, the operating rate of the domestic ABS sector stood at approximately 54.6%, down more than 1 percentage point week‑on‑week. Half of ABS producers have reduced their operating loads. Specifically, Yulong Petrochemical’s operating rate fell below 20%. Hengli Petrochemical has been under planned maintenance since April. Rongsheng Petrochemical cut its operating load to 35%. Many normally high‑capacity major producers are running at merely 40‑50% capacity. LG also reduced output at its two domestic plants in October. Only Liaoning Kingfa Technology maintained full‑capacity production.
For the week ending October 15, the operating rate of the PS industry was around 35.5%, dropping about 1.7 percentage points week‑on‑week. Widespread plant shutdowns have hit the PS market. Multiple producers including Xinpu Chemical and Anqing Xingda have completely shut down their facilities. Most remaining operating units are running at low loads, with barely any plants operating at full capacity. By early September, the PS operating rate had reached 48%, marking a sharp month‑on‑month decline.
For the week ending October 15, China’s styrene producers recorded a total output of 318,300 tonnes, a week‑on‑week decrease of 4,900 tonnes or 1.52%. As of October 12, 2026, sample port inventories of styrene in Jiangsu stood at 39,600 tonnes, down 7,700 tonnes from the previous period. As of October 14, the average profit of non‑integrated styrene plants came in at ‑431 RMB per tonne; weekly losses narrowed substantially by 813 RMB per tonne. Supported by relatively low port inventories and shrinking supply, styrene prices have demonstrated strong resilience.
In summary, low inventories and loss‑driven production cuts underpin the styrene market. Coupled with low operating rates across the ABS and PS sectors, price resilience at current high levels is likely to hold. Market performance hinges on two key factors: geopolitical developments in the Middle East, and restocking appetite from end‑user sectors such as home appliances and toys late in the traditional peak “Golden September & Silver October” demand season. Solid demand uptake could unlock positive market performance for the “Silver October” period.
Post time: Oct-20-2026