In Germany, the butyl acrylate market held steady, supported by the maintained balance between supply and demand. Upward pressure on labour costs continued in the eurozone, but did not have a substantive impact on the production costs of butyl acrylate. Demand slowly started to return post-summer holidays, with steady inquiries coming from producers in downstream sectors, like coatings and adhesives. The butyl acrylate market remained fragile, but participants noted a more optimistic attitude given that balanced supply and costs for all inputs remained manageable despite inflation.
In Germany, the butyl acrylate market remained steady during the week ending on September 19, revealing relatively stable pricing in butyl acrylate prices even when facing a surge in the cost pressures, albeit moderate, from upstream materials and other inputs necessary for butyl acrylate production. Participants reported they were not seeing upward price pressure at this time due to balanced supply, and input costs appeared to be restrained.
A primary force supporting price stability was the unchanging price of n-butanol, the primary feedstock for butyl acrylate. The stability in n-butanol price not only protected manufacturers from the price fluctuations from changes in n-butanol price, which could have resulted in increases or decreases in pricing. It provided a buffer against the modest 0.74% increase in the price of acrylic acid, which witnessed a price increase, but still did not create enough pricing pressure on the structure of pricing.
Eurostat reported that the labour costs for the Eurozone have continued to increase, with a 3.6% year-on-year increase in hourly labour costs during Q2 2025. Furthermore, the downstream construction sector experienced even greater increases at 4.7% driven by both inflation and labour wage adjustments. These increased costs will certainly be a factor in the current price of butyl acrylate and other related products. However, the results of such increases are still catching up in the operational costs related to the price of butyl acrylate and production of related goods, particularly due to the efficient manufacturing systems and stable sourcing supplies.
With the close of the summer break, purchasing activity returned in the main downstream markets, but replenishment levels, while persistent, were moderate, as buyers still entered cautiously. Distributors reported a steady stream of inquiries and orders, but these did not provide enough basis for supply chain stretching or substantial pricing increases.
Industry experts feel the butyl acrylate market can sustain its status quo in the immediate term with reasonable prices for raw materials and steady, gradual re-demand. Production cost structure for acrylic acid is under watch, attributed to a modest cost increase without a strong enough production cost impact to support pricing with immediacy.
