World Analysis – Polypropylene

Long-term outlook to 2060

Polypropylene (PP) is a lightweight, highly versatile polyolefin known for its excellent chemical resistance, relatively high rigidity, and higher melting point compared with polymers such as polyethylene (PE). Its superior heat resistance enables PP to be used in demanding applications—including under-the-hood automotive components, retortable food packaging, and hot-fill processing. In many compounded applications, PP can also compete with higher-cost engineering resins, offering a cost-effective alternative for automotive manufacturers because it can be easily reinforced with glass fibers and painted.

PP is widely used across numerous end-use markets, including disposable face masks, sanitary wipes, automotive parts, carpet backing and facing, household and food storage containers, furniture, toys, kennels, sports goods, diapers, pressure and non-pressure pipes, foam construction materials, flexible packaging films, and woven bags used for transporting agricultural products, cement, and fertilizers.

Propylene is the primary feedstock for polypropylene production, supported by catalysts and, in some cases, ethylene comonomer. PP homopolymer is characterized by high stiffness, good clarity, low density, strong chemical resistance, and relatively high heat resistance, but it exhibits poor impact performance, particularly at low temperatures. Random copolymers offer improved clarity, greater flexibility, and better impact resistance than homopolymers. Impact copolymers, produced using a second reactor, provide superior low-temperature impact strength and higher melting points than random copolymers.

Commercial polypropylene is produced primarily through gas-phase and bulk slurry (liquid propylene) processes, both of which enable the manufacture of tailored PP grades to meet the diverse requirements of global converters and end-use industries.

Long-term outlook to 2060

The World Analysis—Polypropylene provides an in-depth assessment of the global polypropylene market, offering comprehensive analysis and strategic insights into the key developments that will shape the long-term supply, demand, trade, and pricing outlooks. This service equips industry participants with the analytical foundation needed to navigate market volatility and anticipate structural shifts across the polypropylene value chain.

Subscribers gain access to a full suite of reports, data files, analytical tools, and visualization modules, available online and downloadable from our website, including:

• A strategic report outlining critical insights and the future trajectory of global and regional markets

• Online Data Browser access to supply, demand, and capacity databases

• Continuously updated company/shareholder capacity listings, capacity integration analysis, and rankings of top producers/consumers, including surplus/deficit capacity profiles

• A comprehensive Data Appendix (Excel) featuring supply/demand and capacity tables, plus a dashboard with standard visualizations for all countries and regions

• Excel data files with long-range supply/demand graphics and price forecasts through 2060, along with detailed trade grids showing country- and region-level trade flows with 5- and 10-year projections

• An interactive online dashboard visualizing capacity, integration, supply/demand balances, trade flows, and price, cost, and margin forecasts

• Explanatory Notes detailing data sources, methodology, assumptions, units, conversion factors, and full World Analysis deliverables

• Energy and macroeconomic assumptions used in the long-term outlook

• Price assessment methodology and forecasting framework

This World Analysis provides detailed intelligence on capacities, production, demand, and trade across all major producing and consuming countries, regions, and global hubs. While robust data collection underpins the historical and forward views, the true value of the service lies in the expert interpretation and market analysis applied by our global team.

Data verification is a central pillar of our approach. Direct engagement with key industry participants ensures that our conclusions reflect real-world market behavior and deliver the most accurate, realistic forward outlook for the global industry.

Long-term outlook to 2060