U.S. Polyether Trade Flows Shift as Export Volumes Fall and Imports Climb Through Mid-2026

August 24, 2026 5 min read

U.S. trade flows in polyethers shifted noticeably during the first half of 2026, as outbound volumes weakened while imports continued to expand. The latest data point to a gradual rebalancing of the U.S. market, with the country maintaining a net export position but by a significantly narrower margin than a year earlier.

Key Figures (H1 2025 vs. H1 2026)

• Total U.S. exports: down 10.4%, to 178.0 million kg
• Imports for consumption: up 9.1%, to 106.4 million kg
• Net trade surplus: narrowed 29.2%, to 71.6 million kg
• Fastest-growing export market: Peru, up over 500%
• Fastest-growing import source: Turkey, up 104.0%
• China: exports up 40.5% and imports up 28.8%, expanding in both directions

U.S. Trade Surplus Narrows Sharply

During January–June 2026, total U.S. polyether exports reached approximately 178.0 million kg, down 10.4% from 198.7 million kg during the same period of 2025.

Domestic exports, which exclude foreign-origin material subsequently re-exported from the United States, followed a similar trajectory. Volumes declined by 9.5%, from 193.9 million kg to approximately 175.4 million kg.

Imports moved in the opposite direction. U.S. imports for consumption increased by 9.1% year on year, reaching 106.4 million kg, compared with 97.5 million kg during H1 2025.

The result was a substantial contraction in the U.S. net trade surplus. The volume surplus narrowed from roughly 101.2 million kg in H1 2025 to 71.6 million kg in H1 2026, a decline of around 29%.

The movement is significant because it reflects pressure from both sides of the trade balance: the United States is shipping less product abroad while simultaneously absorbing more foreign material into the domestic market.

North American Export Markets Remain Dominant but Soften

Mexico and Canada continued to anchor U.S. outbound polyether trade, together accounting for more than 45% of total H1 2026 exports. Nevertheless, shipments to both countries declined from a year earlier.

Exports to Mexico fell 6.8% to approximately 42.2 million kg, while shipments to Canada decreased 6.2% to 38.5 million kg.

Although the reductions were moderate relative to some other destinations, their impact on the overall export total was amplified by the scale of the two markets.

More pronounced contractions were recorded across several South American, Asian and overseas destinations.

Exports to South Africa fell 38.9% to around 2.6 million kg, while shipments to Chile declined 38.4% to 2.3 million kg. U.S. exports to Colombia dropped 35.2% to 4.6 million kg and those to India fell 35.1% to 4.3 million kg.

Brazil, another important polyurethane market in the Americas, also purchased less U.S. material. Volumes fell approximately 21.0% year on year to 10.0 million kg.

Exports to Belgium, meanwhile, declined 11.6% to 16.4 million kg.

Taken together, the data suggest that the decline in U.S. exports was relatively broad rather than being driven by the loss of a single major destination.

Peru and China Buck the Export Downtrend

Not every export market weakened.

Peru recorded the strongest percentage increase among the major destinations reviewed, with U.S. shipments rising from roughly 650,000 kg in H1 2025 to approximately 4.0 million kg in H1 2026. This represented an increase of more than 500%, although from a comparatively small starting base.

Exports to China also increased strongly, rising 40.5% from 8.4 million kg to approximately 11.9 million kg. The increase elevated China to the fourth-largest destination for U.S. polyether exports during the first half of 2026.

Shipments to Taiwan increased by approximately 47.6%, from 1.7 million kg to 2.4 million kg, although volumes remained relatively modest compared with the largest destination markets.

These increases partially offset losses elsewhere but were insufficient to reverse the broader decline in outbound trade.

Imports Rise as South Korea Retains Leading Position

The import picture was markedly different.

South Korea remained the dominant supplier to the U.S. market, shipping approximately 40.4 million kg during January–June 2026. Volumes increased by 3.7% year on year, giving South Korea a share of roughly 38% of total U.S. imports for consumption.

China continued to strengthen its position as the second-largest source.

U.S. imports from China rose 28.8%, reaching approximately 23.5 million kg in H1 2026. The increase means South Korea and China together supplied close to 60% of total U.S. polyether import volume during the period.

Imports from Canada recorded an even faster percentage increase, rising 52.8% to approximately 9.7 million kg.

Other suppliers also expanded their presence. Shipments from Germany increased 11.4% to 8.1 million kg, while imports from Vietnam climbed 27.8% to approximately 4.9 million kg.

Turkey registered the largest percentage gain, with shipments more than doubling, although volumes remained comparatively small. Imports increased 104.0%, from approximately 358,000 kg to 731,000 kg.

By contrast, imports from Taiwan declined 32.3%, while volumes from the Netherlands fell 29.6%.

China Emerges as an Increasingly Important Two-Way Trade Partner

One of the more notable features of the data is the simultaneous expansion of polyether trade in both directions between the United States and China.

U.S. exports to China increased 40.5% to 11.9 million kg, while U.S. imports from China rose 28.8% to 23.5 million kg.

Rather than pointing to a straightforward substitution of U.S. production with Chinese supply, the figures indicate increasingly active two-way trade within the broad polyether category.

The U.S. nevertheless imported nearly twice as much polyether material from China as it exported there during H1 2026.

The development may also reflect differences in product grades, downstream applications, producer positioning and regional supply economics within the broad HS classifications. Because the trade codes aggregate several polyether products, the data alone cannot establish that identical grades are moving simultaneously in opposite directions.

What the Shift Means for the U.S. Polyether Market

The H1 figures indicate that the U.S. polyether market entered 2026 with a changing trade configuration.

The United States remains a substantial net exporter, supported particularly by its established trade relationships with Mexico and Canada. However, its export surplus is becoming less pronounced as overseas shipments decline and imported volumes gain ground.

The stronger presence of Asian supply is particularly notable. South Korea already represents the largest foreign source, while China continues to increase its share of the U.S. import market. Together with rising volumes from Vietnam, the figures point to continued Asian participation in U.S. polyether supply.

At the same time, weaker exports to several Latin American destinations, including Brazil, Colombia and Chile, suggest that U.S. suppliers faced greater difficulty maintaining volumes in some regional markets during the first half of the year. This could reflect changing regional sourcing patterns, competitive pricing from Asian suppliers, softer downstream consumption or a combination of these factors, although trade statistics alone cannot determine the underlying cause.

The direction of the trade balance will therefore be important to watch through the remainder of 2026. If import growth persists while exports remain below 2025 levels, foreign-origin supply could play an increasingly important role in U.S. market availability and competitive pricing.

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