Geopolitical headwinds to slash SBS output by 12% in H1 2026

Despite the operation of additional units, China's SBS output is anticipated to drop in the first half of the year on a year-on-year comparison, as geopolitical tensions triggered a sharp rise in production costs.

The output of styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (SBS) is expected to contract significantly in the first half of the year, as the outbreak of the conflict on February 28 triggered a sharp rise in crude oil prices, which in turn pushed up costs for SBS's key feedstocks--butadiene and styrene. The total