Market fundamentals continue to favor buyers in several resin categories.

FORT WORTH, Texas, Aug. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Crude oil climbed nearly $7 last week, pushing West Texas Intermediate (WTI) close to $88 per barrel. Despite the sharp increase, ResinSmart says buyers should not assume higher crude prices will lead to higher resin prices across the board.

"Crude oil gets attention because it's an easy number to watch, but it doesn't tell you what you should be paying for resin," said Michael Workman, executive director of ResinSmart. "Buyers need to understand what is actually driving their specific market before accepting an increase."

ResinSmart's latest market analysis shows a split resin market, with supply, demand, inventory levels and feedstock costs creating different pricing conditions across major resin categories.

Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and PVC continue to show favorable conditions for buyers. PE inventories increased for the fourth consecutive month in July, while healthy material availability and additional Gulf Coast capacity continue to limit producer pricing power. Although PE producers are pushing for a 5-cent-per-pound August increase, ResinSmart's analysis shows buyers still have room to resist the initiative.

PP producers have announced no August price increase initiatives, with contract movement remaining largely tied to polymer-grade propylene costs. PVC also continues to favor buyers, with three consecutive monthly inventory builds and weak housing and construction demand limiting upward pricing pressure.

Other resin markets require a different approach. Higher benzene costs are creating legitimate cost pressure in polystyrene, while Nylon 6 producers have announced increases for August and September. At the same time, healthy supply and mixed demand continue to give buyers an opportunity to challenge full implementation.

ABS is moving in the opposite direction. Import competition has pushed domestic pricing lower over the past two months, with additional reductions possible heading into September.

The differences across these markets reinforce the importance of evaluating the fundamentals behind each resin rather than reacting to broader energy market headlines.

"Buyers still have leverage, but where and how they use it matters," Workman said. "The PE buyer should be having a different conversation than the Nylon 6 buyer. Knowing the difference is what helps procurement teams make smarter decisions before they get to the negotiating table."

As September approaches, ResinSmart is closely monitoring feedstock costs, inventory levels, producer initiatives, demand and Gulf Coast supply conditions to help buyers understand where pricing pressure is supported and where there may still be room to negotiate.

About ResinSmart

ResinSmart is a resin procurement intelligence and advisory platform powered by RTi Global, serving plastics processors and manufacturers since 1998. The RESIN8™ benchmarking engine is built on more than 3 billion pounds of real buyer-side transaction data, providing SKU-level price benchmarks, market intelligence and negotiation guidance independent of producer-side indexes.

For more information, visit resinsmart.ai.

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SOURCE ResinSmart