China Styrene Output Surges as April Operating Rates Hit 2026 High

China's styrene industry operating rate is estimated at 74.84% in April, up 1.96 percentage points from the previous month and 6.26 percentage points higher than a year earlier, as recovering supply outweighed production losses caused by shutdowns and maintenance, according to industry data.

The April figure marked the highest average monthly operating level recorded so far in 2026. During the first four months of the year, the industry's average operating rate stood at 73.19%, down 1.69 percentage points from the same period last year.

Regional performance showed significant divergence across China's major production hubs.

In South China, operating rates declined sharply as ongoing maintenance at Gulei Petrochemical was compounded by phased production reductions at Guangdong Petrochemical and Guangxi Petrochemical. Average utilization in the region fell 8.2 percentage points month-on-month to 64.91%.

Northwest China recorded the strongest increase, supported by the restart and stable operations of Ningxia Baofeng. Due to the region's relatively smaller production capacity base, the average operating rate surged 21.43 percentage points to 82.71%.

Operating rates in North China and Northeast China also posted notable gains, with increases broadly ranging between 9% and 10%.

China's total styrene output in April was estimated at approximately 1.5643 million metric tons, down 0.62% from March but up 19.36% year-on-year, according to industry statistics.

For January through April, China's cumulative styrene production reached about 6.1157 million tons, representing an increase of 6.86% compared with the same period in 2025.

Looking ahead to May, analysts expect a clear decline in industry operating rates as several major production units are scheduled for shutdowns and maintenance. Although May contains more calendar days, maintenance-related production losses are projected to reach the highest level of the first half of the year.

Preliminary estimates from market analysts indicate that China's styrene production in May could fall to around 1.51 million to 1.52 million metric tons.