China Q1 Plastic Products Output Rises 3.9% as East Leads

China's plastic products production rose in March 2026, with the eastern region continuing to account for the majority of national output, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China.

China produced 7.148 million metric tons of plastic products in March, up 2.6% year-on-year. Total production in the first quarter reached 18.773 million tons, representing a 3.9% increase compared with the same period last year.

Among provincial-level regions, Zhejiang Province remained the country's largest producer in March, with output reaching 1.37 million tons, accounting for 19.2% of the national total.

Guangdong Province ranked second with 1.066 million tons, representing 14.9% of total output, followed by Hubei Province at 576,000 tons, or 8.1%.

Jiangsu Province produced 565,000 tons during the month, accounting for 7.9% of national production, while Shandong Province contributed 513,000 tons, or 7.2%.

By region, eastern China continued to dominate the sector in the first quarter, with cumulative production reaching 11.651 million tons, accounting for 62.1% of the national total.

Central China produced 4.646 million tons during the January-March period, representing 24.7% of total output. Western China recorded production of 2.085 million tons, accounting for 11.1%, while northeastern China produced 391,000 tons, making up 2.1% of the country's total plastic products output.