BASF to raise prices for its styrene plastic Luran

As of June 15 of this year, BASF is raising its prices for the styrene plastic Luran® (SAN) in Europe by €100 per metric ton. In recent months, the costs for feedstock have risen by considerably more than €100 per metric ton of the plastic manufactured, but it has not been possible to increase the polymer prices to the same extent. This price adjustment has become necessary owing to the significant rise in costs, especially for the main raw materials styrene and acrylonitrile, which have now reached historical highs.

“Due to the pronounced volatility of the raw material prices, we are also switching over to price adjustments on short notice, that is to say, to monthly prices, effectively immediately for standard SAN products”, explains Dr. Clemens Willée, who heads the business unit for Styrenic Polymers Europe. “We are convinced that adjusting the polymer prices to the way in which the raw material costs are actually evolving will translate into greater transparency on the market and thus help our customers over the long haul as well. In the case of the specialties in the Luran product line, where our better-balanced margin situation puts us in a position to absorb some of the raw material cost fluctuations, we will continue to be able to offer prices that are valid for a longer period of time.”