Unsaturated Polyester Resin Price Trend and Forecast 2026-2027

Market Overview

Unsaturated polyester resin prices in Northeast Asia, the world's largest production and consumption hub, declined 9.8% across 2025, falling from USD 1.215/KG in Q1 to USD 1.095/KG by Q4 as softening styrene and propylene glycol feedstock costs compressed the production floor. A modest recovery began in Q1 2026, with the market averaging USD 1.113/KG and a more pronounced 11.4% jump now evident in the in-progress Q2 2026 period, reaching USD 1.240/KG as construction sector activity and downstream composite demand accelerated. For the remainder of 2026, a Northeast Asian average of USD 1.20 to USD 1.38/KG is expected, contingent on the sustainability of the construction and marine sector recovery.

Unsaturated polyester resin is a thermosetting polymer produced through the condensation of dicarboxylic acids and diols, with styrene typically added as a reactive diluent and cross-linking agent. The construction and building materials sector, including glass fibre reinforced plastic panels, roofing, and piping, accounts for approximately 40% of global demand. Marine and transportation composites absorb 20%, with wind turbine blade manufacturing at 15%, automotive components at 15%, and sanitary ware and other applications at 10%.

Styrene monomer prices are the most significant cost variable for UPR, given that styrene constitutes approximately 30 to 40% of the finished resin composition. Purified terephthalic acid and propylene glycol feedstock costs, along with natural gas and electricity tariff levels at Chinese production sites, downstream construction activity levels, and the pace of wind energy installation, are the additional key pricing drivers.

Unsaturated Polyester Resin Price Forecast for 2026

The supply-demand balance for UPR in Northeast Asia through the remainder of 2026 is expected to improve materially from the 2025 trough. Styrene monomer costs are firming as the benzene market tightens and downstream demand recovers. The construction composite sector is showing signs of renewed activity in China, and the wind energy installation pipeline for 2026 represents a significant demand increase for blade core and surface resin materials. The primary upside risk is a sharp styrene monomer price increase driven by benzene supply disruption amplifying the margin recovery. The primary downside risk is a renewed slowdown in the Chinese real estate and construction sector limiting the seasonal demand uplift.

For the Quarter Ending March 2026

UPR Prices Q1 2026:

• Northeast Asia: USD 1.113/KG

Unsaturated Polyester Resin Prices in Northeast Asia

Northeast Asian UPR averaged USD 1.113/KG in Q1 2026, a modest recovery of 1.6% from USD 1.095/KG in Q4 2025. The Q1 recovery was supported by the initial firming of styrene monomer costs as crude oil prices edged higher through the quarter and benzene spot values responded. Post-Lunar New Year restocking by composite fabricators and GRP producers provided a seasonal demand pulse in late Q1.

The recovery was measured in Q1 as the construction sector was not yet in the peak season and wind turbine blade procurement had not fully activated for the year. The Q2 2026 trajectory of USD 1.240/KG indicates a much stronger recovery as construction activity accelerates, wind energy installations pick up, and the styrene cost base firms from Q1 levels. The Q2 move represents the most significant quarterly swing in the dataset, driven by the confluence of seasonal demand and recovering feedstock costs.

Why did the price of UPR change in Q1 2026 in Northeast Asia?

A modest styrene monomer cost recovery from the Q4 2025 trough provided the primary upward driver. Post-Lunar New Year restocking demand from composite fabricators supported the initial recovery. The 1.6% Q1 gain established the base for the more substantial Q2 2026 rebound.

For the Quarter Ending December 2025

UPR Prices Q4 2025:

• Northeast Asia: USD 1.095/KG

Unsaturated Polyester Resin Prices in Northeast Asia

In Q4 2025, Northeast Asian UPR averaged USD 1.095/KG, declining 2.6% from USD 1.125/KG in Q3. Styrene monomer spot prices remained at depressed levels through Q4 as benzene feedstock costs were contained and cracker operating rates in the region were adequate. Propylene glycol costs also moderated as propylene derivative markets softened through the quarter.

End-of-year inventory management by the key buyers, including composite panel fabricators and GRP pipe producers, contributed to subdued procurement. Buyers in the construction segment deferred restocking as project completion timelines extended and new project starts remained below the prior year's pace. The Q4 decline was the most contained of the year at 2.6%, indicating that the market was approaching a cost floor anchored by the underlying feedstock price level.

Why did the price of UPR change in Q4 2025 in Northeast Asia?

Depressed styrene monomer and propylene glycol feedstock costs maintained the production floor at subdued levels. Year-end inventory management by construction composite buyers reduced spot procurement. The limited 2.6% Q4 decline suggested the market was approaching the underlying feedstock cost floor as the year closed.

Quarterly Unsaturated Polyester Resin Price Trends

UPR prices in Northeast Asia declined through all four quarters of 2025 before finding a floor in Q1 2026 and staging a recovery entering Q2. The benchmark moved from USD 1.215/KG in Q1 2025 to USD 1.095/KG in Q4 2025 before rebounding to USD 1.240/KG in the in-progress Q2 2026 period, a 13.2% recovery from the Q4 trough. Styrene feedstock cost deflation defined the downtrend; a recovery in construction composite demand and firming styrene costs are now driving the rebound.

What was Unsaturated Polyester Resin Price in 2025?

UPR prices in Northeast Asia declined steadily through all four quarters of 2025, falling a total of 9.8% from the Q1 opening of USD 1.215/KG to USD 1.095/KG by Q4. The decline was consistent in pace across each quarter, with the 3.4% Q2 fall followed by a 4.2% Q3 decline and a further 2.6% Q4 easing. Three forces drove the annual direction:

• Styrene monomer costs softened significantly through 2025 as global ethylene supply expanded and benzene feedstock costs moderated
• Chinese UPR production capacity additions provided incremental supply, limiting the ability of producers to maintain margin at elevated prices
• The construction sector across Northeast Asia showed measured rather than strong activity, constraining the pace of demand growth and limiting price recovery attempts

Unsaturated Polyester Resin Prices in Northeast Asia in 2025

Northeast Asian UPR prices moved from USD 1.215/KG in Q1 2025 to USD 1.095/KG in Q4 2025, a full-year decline of 9.8%. The market opened Q1 at a relatively firm level supported by carry-over pricing from the preceding year before styrene cost deflation began taking hold. The Q2 decline of 3.4% reflected the first material impact of lower styrene spot values. Q3 saw the sharpest quarterly drop at 4.2% as the summer construction season, typically a period of firmer demand, failed to produce the expected uplift due to softening activity in the Chinese and South Korean real estate markets. A further 2.6% Q4 easing completed the year as buyers ran down inventories. Styrene feedstock deflation was the dominant pricing driver throughout 2025.

The marine composites segment, accounting for roughly 20% of global UPR demand, also experienced subdued activity in 2025 as the global recreational boating market digested the post-pandemic demand surge from prior years. Boatbuilders across China, Europe, and North America drew down resin inventories rather than restocking, contributing to the muted demand backdrop that limited price recovery through the year.

How We Can Help

Expert Market Research: Your Source for Real-Time UPR Price Intelligence

Expert Market Research delivers continuous UPR price tracking across Northeast Asia and key downstream market regions, identifying not simply that prices moved but specifically why, tracing causation through styrene monomer cost dynamics, propylene glycol feedstock economics, construction sector activity levels, wind energy installation demand, and marine composite procurement cycles. Forecasts integrate feedstock economics, trade flow data, capacity utilisation, and downstream sector project pipeline data to equip procurement managers with a forward-looking intelligence framework. Contact Expert Market Research today for UPR pricing data, bespoke market analysis, and strategic procurement advisory.