Prices for Bisphenol A (BPA) in the United States have stabilized towards the end of December 2025, following significant increases over the prior week. The stabilization of prices coincided with the supply and demand situation coming into a short-term state of balance as a result of strong procurement activities and a limited supply due to problems in some important Asian exporting areas.
The United States still relies heavily on imports of BPA from Asian suppliers, especially those located in South Korea and Taiwan, so any changes in either operation or policy within those areas have an immediate effect on U.S. market dynamics; therefore, U.S. domestic prices are very responsive to supply conditions in Asia.
The cost of freight also added to the downward pressure that was occurring at that time. Between December 15 and December 21, ocean freight rates between Asia and the U.S. West Coast increased approximately 15%, resulting in the increased cost of imported BPA.
During December, BPA supply tightness became further impacted due to several production shutdowns in Asia. BPA Production facilities owned by companies such as Nan Ya Plastics Corporation, Guangxi Huayi New Energy Chemical, and Zhejiang Petroleum and Chemical Limited were down for several days, thereby restricting manufacturing capacity within that region and creating upward pressure on Price Offers from manufacturers within that same region due to reduced inventories and availability of materials being offered.
U.S. importers made more purchases to secure their inventory in preparation for disruptions related to the Lunar New Year in Asia in February 2026. As a result, customers were eager to enter into contracts to obtain specific amounts of product, increasing competition for the limited supply of product.
Asian BPA prices have also been increasing due in part to low inventories in the region. Traders in the region are continuing to say that they are not willing to sell BPA products for lower prices and are raising their pricing because of the limited availability.
At the same time, many U.S. buyers experienced increases in their import costs from several Asian suppliers due to growing retaliation tariffs and new trade restrictions, further driving up the price of BPA products in the U.S. market.
However, BPA downstream demand in the U.S. remained low. Consumption from epoxy resin and polycarbonate producers stayed limited due to weak activity in construction and automotive end-use sectors.
Automotive demand offered limited support. U.S. vehicle sales in November declined year on year to around 1.27 million units, weighed down by fewer selling days, weaker electric vehicle demand, and elevated vehicle prices.
The U.S. construction sector remained under pressure. Commercial, industrial, and residential segments all experiencing sluggish project execution due tariff-driven cost pressures and policy uncertainty.
According to ChemAnalyst, BPA prices may increase in the coming weeks. Limited supply from Asia due to ongoing plant shutdowns, combined with low inventories in the U.S., is expected to keep the market tight and prices.
