SBR Imports Dropped for the First Time After 14-Year’s Increases

SBR Import Volume Dropped for the First Time After 14-Year’s Increases

The import volume of SBR was 345kt from January to November 2018, down 7% Y-O-Y. It is estimated that the total import volume in 2018 will trend down. The import volume kept climbing from 2005, and this will be the first time for the decrease. Some players believed that the decreased import volume indicated the changes in the rubber industry indexes.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s export volume of SR was 1,856kt in 2018, up 2.9% Y-O-Y. Hereinto, 318kt were exported to China, down 0.2%. It is estimated that the export volume of polybutadiene and SBR will drop by 5%-7% Y-O-Y. South Korea’s SR contains SBR, polybutadiene, NBR, SBS and EPDM. From January to November, the export volume of NBR, EPDM and SBS to China was down 19%, up 22% and up 17% respectively.

Major origins were South Korea, Singapore, Poland, Russia, Germany and Japan in the first 11 months. Russia went backward by 2 places. The SBR import volume from Russia declined by 18%. That from Germany, Japan, the U.S. and Taiwan Province shrank by 10%-25%.

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