The Plastic Resin Buyer Brief

Graduating Into a Harder Market — May 2026 Resin Update

My son graduated from 5th grade yesterday. Watching him walk through that arch of balloons, one thought kept in my head, that what got him here isn't going to be enough for what's next. The same is true for resin buyers right now. April was the inflection month. The $0.30/lb PE increase that landed. The PP run-up. The benzene spikes that pushed nylon 6, polystyrene, and the rest of the aromatics higher. The cycle shifted, and the procurement strategies most teams built — they were built for a different market. In this episode, I run through the four major resins: PE holding flat but not safe, PP pushing June increases before May even settles, PA66 facing a structural capacity story that starts in July, and PVC — the first major resin to peak and turn, taken down by Chinese carbide-based export competition that overwhelmed domestic producer discipline before the increase could gain traction. The through-line: the teams navigating this well know their benchmark before the nomination arrives. Not after. The nomination letter is a claim. The benchmark is the answer. If you don't have the answer ready, you're reacting — and reacting is always more expensive. Subscribe for weekly market updates. If you're heading into a contract conversation and want a second set of eyes, reach out directly. No pitch. Just the conversation. What's covered this week: * Why May "flat" in PE isn't the same as a soft market. * PP: June increases already announced, TotalEnergies force majeure still active, Phillips 66 turnaround ahead. * PA66: BASF's $0.16/lb May increase and why the Celanese Singapore closure changes the structural conversation now. * PVC: the first major resin to peak and turn — what Chinese carbide-based exports did to domestic producer discipline. * PS: benzene-driven cost push overriding soft fundamentals — and why you should still push back on polystyrene nominations pointing to demand. Contact Michael: mworkman@resinsmart.ai | 214-984-2977 ResinSmart | Powered by RTi Global | Since 1998

The Resin Market Just Split in Two — May 15, 2026 | Resin Market Moves

The resin market divided itself in May — and the right move in one half is the wrong move in the other.  In this week's episode, Michael Workman breaks down what's actually happening across all nine major resin markets and why buyers who treat them the same right now are leaving money in one category while overpaying in another.  PE is going flat despite a $0.20/lb nomination — buyer resistance is working, and the ACC data supports holding the line. PET is getting genuine feedstock relief as PX expectations reversed from a 4¢/lb increase to a slight decline.  But benzene is approaching $5.00/gal, INEOS has reportedly refused new ABS business until August, and PA66 is facing a structural supply reduction before July that most buyers haven't priced into their H2 plans.  Michael also shares what Bill Bowie — 30+ years in the industry — said about the mistake buyers make when markets split, and why the PA66 story this week is more about M&A and plant closures than feedstocks. TOPICS COVERED * Why May is a completely different market than April * The benzene-chain resins: ABS, PS, PC, PA6, PA66 — cost support is real, here's what to do * PE going flat: what the ACC data shows and why buyer resistance is winning * PET relief window: how long it lasts and how to use it * PA66 structural story: Celanese Singapore closure, Lone Star / DOMO / RadiciGroup — what it means for H2 contracts * Nine-resin recap: specific action for each market  KEY DATA POINTS * PE inventory draw: 23.3M lbs (more moderate than expected) * PE days of supply: 35 — demand rates -2%, operating rates -2% * Benzene: $4.95/gal — up $0.30 on the week * Caprolactam: $1,857/mt and still climbing * PA66 Celanese Singapore: 55,000 tpa closing after July 2026 * Lone Star acquisitions: DOMO (May 12) + RadiciGroup HPP (Apr 30) * PX: reversed from +4¢/lb expectation to a slight decline * WTI: $101.02 · Brent: $105.63  Subscribe to the Resin Market Moves newsletter at resinsmart.ai. [https://resinsmart.ai/subscribe] Request your free RESIN8 Benchmark Assessment at resinsmart.ai. Connect with Michael Workman on LinkedIn. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-workman-04085923/]

Resin Market Moves - Week 15: You Can't Control the Turbulence (But You Can Know Your Instruments)

This week delivered five market-moving events in seven days: crude oil swung 12% in 48 hours, TotalEnergies declared Force Majeure at LaPorte, Braskem challenged Brazilian antidumping duties on US PE, Celanese announced PA66 capacity closures, and Lone Star Funds moved to consolidate two major PA66 producers. Michael Workman breaks down what's signal vs. noise — and introduces the framework he shared at FlexForum this week: the instrument panel model for procurement. You can't predict market turbulence. But buyers who know their benchmark, their leverage map, and their cost model don't need to. This episode covers:  * Why PE nominations up 20¢/lb are margin expansion, not cost recovery  * What the PA66 capacity closures mean structurally  * How to read a Force Majeure letter before accepting a price increase  * And the Half-Penny Principle every convertor should understand. #resin prices #polyethylene market 2026 #polypropylene Force Majeure #PA66 capacity closures #Celanese #resin procurement strategy #plastic raw material costs #resin market update May 2026 #PET pricing forecast #polymer cost intelligence

Don't Drop the Stick: Playing Defense in a Four-Month Rising Resin Market | May 2, 2026

Four consecutive months of PP contracts finishing higher. Benzene up 62 cents in a month. PVC at 16 days of supply. It feels like you're killing a penalty that never ends. But disciplined buyers don't drop the stick. This week, Michael Workman breaks down the market across PP, PS, ABS, PC, and PVC — and more importantly, where buyers still have leverage right now before May nominations fully land. Key topics: * The 6¢ margin enhancement buried inside PP's April increase — and what your contract language says about it * Why PC and ABS are cost stories, not scarcity stories — and why that matters for how hard you push back * The ABS window: at least one major producer not taking new orders through year-end * Four specific actions for this week * Why protecting the crease is the right procurement posture right now Also: the kids show up exactly when they were told to. Penalty killing at home is a different sport. If you're at Flex Forum next week — come find us. Powered by ResinSmart and the RESIN8 engine — real transaction data, trusted cost models, no more guesswork. resinsmart.ai [https://resinsmart.ai/]

Increase Fatigue Is Changing Buyer Outcomes — April 2026 Resin Market Moves

This week’s Resin Market Moves focuses on a dynamic that doesn’t show up in market reports, but is actively shaping outcomes in April: increase fatigue. With polyethylene, polypropylene, ABS, PVC, nylons, and PET all moving higher at the same time, buyers are being hit with a volume of increase letters that’s difficult to process — and in many cases, they’re disengaging at exactly the wrong moment. Michael Workman, CMO of ResinSmart, breaks down the current market setup across the major resin categories, explains why the cost floor is being reset upstream by crude and feedstocks, and outlines why the gap between nominated and realized price is still very much in play. He also shares a practical negotiation approach that top buyers use in cycles like this — and why the most important lever right now isn’t process or contract language, but the direct conversation with your supplier rep. If your current response to increase letters is to file them and move on, this episode is for you. Topics covered: * Broad-based resin increases across PE, PP, ABS, PVC, PET, and nylons * Crude oil above $100 and the geopolitical premium in the market * PE nominations stacking into May and cumulative Q2 exposure * PP PGP feedstock strength and tightening supply dynamics * ABS spread signaling uncertainty in producer expectations * PVC turnarounds driving inventory drawdowns * Nylon feedstock spikes and downstream cost implications * The concept of “increase fatigue” and how it impacts buyer behavior * Why nominations are not the final number — and where leverage still exists * The role of supplier relationships in determining realized price outcomes * A simple call framework to improve negotiation results in real time ResinSmart is the buyer-side resin market intelligence platform built on 25+ years of real transaction data. Learn more at resinsmart.ai [https://resinsmart.ai/]. Connect with Michael on LinkedIn. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-workman-04085923/] Subscribe to the Resin Market Moves newsletter [https://resinsmart.ai/subscribe].