The fluoropolymers group of the German Association for Semi-Finished Plastics and Consumer Products, pro-K (Frankfurt; www.pro-kunststoff.de), is expecting polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) processors to be faced with rising prices for this fluoropolymer in future. The hikes will be prompted by capacity closures in China. The association is reckoning with price adjustments in the first instance, before stabilisation sets in.

The assessment is based on news of plant closures in China, due to non-compliance with environmental protection requirements. The investments required will lead to very cheap supplies gradually disappearing, says pro-K. As a result, the specialist group predicts improved capacity utilisation for western producers, coupled with higher prices. Spot notations had recently been at a level that “no longer did justice” to the value of the material on account of powder, granule and semi-finished-product imports from the Far East.