The U.S. Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT) market saw no volatility in pricing for the week ending 2 January 2026, production, feedstock prices, and downstream demand remained stable. Caution surrounding the end of the year resulted in buyers focusing only on procurement of required volumes, thereby maintaining a range-bound market.
The supply conditions in the U. S. Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT) market were in balance during the first week of January, with the producers' operating rates remaining constant after the year-end holidays. The supply of feedstock butanediol (BDO) and purified terephthalic acid (PTA) remained unchanged, and this was a stabilizing factor for the market.
Most of the PBT production companies were prudent in their production policies and did not opt for a robust production rate to allow inventories to build during the seasonal downturn. Also, the logistics chains were back to normal after a slight slowness during the holiday season to ensure the uninterrupted reception of feedstock as well as the shipment of PBT. Inventory positions of the production companies as well as the distribution companies were stable due to earlier procurements of stocks.
Demand for PBT in the US remained stable and somewhat conservative, driven by selective buying in the downstream segments. Automotive—a major downstream user for PBT in terms of connectors, casings, and components in the under-hood category—reported modest activity with OEMs taking small steps in restarting their operations post-holiday production shutdown. Electronic and electrical component producers continued with hand-to-mouth buying—meeting routine demands rather than forward buying due to a lack of sufficient order forecasts for Q1.
Demand in the consumer appliances category was similarly conservative with converters engaged in reducing their current inventory levels before embarking on fresh procurement cycles. Export business continued to remain dull with downstream customer producers resorting to prudent procurement approaches in the wake of uncertain macroeconomic fundamentals.
Looking forward, PBT prices in the U.S. is expected to be range-bound in the short term, unless drastic movements occur in feedstock prices or a dramatic uptick in downstream demand. Projections from early 2026 by industry analysts forecast flat or slightly lower PBT prices in the first quarter of the year, based on prudent macroeconomic trends and regular cyclic patterns of engineered plastic markets.
Until a dramatic change in key raw material price trends or supply-driven bottlenecks becomes overt, indications point to a continued balance between supply and demand. Market players will be keenly observing early Q1 trends in demand and feedstock price trends to inform on future PBT price trends.
