Between November and December of 2025, US isophthalic acid prices rose slightly due to some tightening of inventories because of year-end inventory depletion. For the majority of 2025, there was downward pressure on prices from sufficient domestic production and large volumes of imports that assured the continued availability of product and alleviation of supply issues in the marketplace. Imports continued to play an important part in the US marketplace as India, South Korea, Canada, and Spain were major sources of competitive products, although due to the continuing volatility of freight rates, these countries have provided both some of the lowest priced as well as the highest priced material. Since the automotive and construction industries are the primary downstream markets for isophthalic acid, their mixed trends reflected fluctuations in demand for isophthalic acid. Additionally, economic headwinds, declines in plastic consumption, and significant destocking activity at the end of the year were all factors restraining the amount of buying activity in a relatively subdued, balanced marketplace.
