Anyone keeping an eye on the epoxy resin and coatings supply chain probably noticed something unusual happening this spring: the Epichlorohydrin (ECH) Price Trend moved up almost everywhere at once in the second quarter of 2026, then partly reversed course by June. It was not a simple, one-direction story. Some markets saw only mild gains, others saw prices jump by nearly a third, and almost all of them cooled off toward the quarter end. For anyone tracking Epichlorohydrin (ECH) Prices across Asia and Europe, Q2 2026 is a quarter worth understanding in detail, because the pattern tells you a lot about how feedstock costs and global logistics can move a market in a short window of time.

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What Drove the Whole Quarter

Before getting into individual countries, it helps to step back and look at the common thread running through nearly every regional market. Two feedstocks sit at the heart of epichlorohydrin production — allyl chloride and chlorine — and both became more expensive to source through April and May. On top of that, broader geopolitical tensions made raw material logistics slower and less predictable, adding friction at almost every stage of the supply chain. Put those two pressures together, and you get a market where availability tightens even without an outright shortage, which is exactly the kind of environment that pushes prices upward.

What makes this quarter especially interesting is how it ended. By June, many of those same pressures started to ease. Propylene supply improved, geopolitical tensions calmed down a bit, and freight costs began settling. That shift shows up clearly on the Epichlorohydrin (ECH) Price Chart, which reveals a fairly synchronized climb through April and May across most regions, followed by a noticeable pullback in June — sharpest in China, but visible almost everywhere else too. Demand itself never really wavered; epoxy resin and coatings manufacturers kept buying steadily throughout, which is part of why the Epichlorohydrin (ECH) Price Index stayed elevated overall even as individual monthly numbers started to soften.

China: The Mildest Mover, With a Sharp June Twist

China's market behaved differently from the rest of the pack this quarter. On an FOB Shanghai basis, prices rose only about 6% compared to the previous quarter's average — a relatively modest increase by the standards of what happened elsewhere. Higher allyl chloride and chlorine costs still played a role, and geopolitical friction still added some constraint to supply, but Chinese buyers responded with measured purchasing rather than aggressive stockpiling, which kept the overall increase fairly contained.

June, however, told a very different story. Prices in China dropped sharply, falling about 17% from May's average. Improved propylene availability, easing geopolitical pressure, and a pullback in speculative buying all combined to pull the market back down and reset it to more normal levels. Of all the regions covered here, China's swing from mild increase to sharp correction was the most dramatic single-month move of the quarter.

Thailand: A Steady Climb, Then a Gentle Pullback

Thailand's market firmed up more noticeably than China's, with prices rising about 13% for the quarter on an FOB Laem Chabang basis. The same feedstock cost pressures were at work, and tightening supply availability pushed buyers in the epoxy resin and coatings sectors to step up their purchasing, worried about further shortages down the line. That sense of urgency kept prices climbing through most of the quarter.

By June, conditions eased somewhat, with prices declining around 4% from May's level as propylene availability improved and geopolitical tensions calmed. It was a milder correction than what China experienced, but the direction was the same — a market that ran hot through spring and then cooled slightly as supply caught up.

Germany: The Sharpest Rally in Europe

Germany saw one of the strongest price moves of the entire quarter, with prices climbing roughly 32% above the previous quarter's average on an FOB Hamburg basis. Feedstock costs rose here too, but the bigger factor seems to have been how German buyers reacted to the uncertainty. Epoxy resin and coatings manufacturers pulled their procurement forward, essentially trying to get ahead of any further tightening rather than risk running short later in the year. That forward-loaded buying pattern is really what pushed the German market up so sharply compared to its neighbors.

Even Germany saw a bit of relief by June, though nowhere near enough to offset the quarter's gains — prices eased only about 2.5% from May's average as calmer conditions and improved propylene flows took some pressure off freight costs.

Netherlands: A Similar Story Along the Coast

The Dutch market, priced on an FD Rotterdam basis, followed a path very close to Germany's, with prices rising about 31% for the quarter. The drivers were nearly identical — rising feedstock costs and tighter availability caused by disrupted logistics routes. Dutch buyers, much like their German counterparts, leaned heavily into early and defensive procurement, unwilling to risk falling short as supply concerns mounted through the quarter.

June brought a similar modest easing, with prices dipping about 2.5% from May's levels as geopolitical tensions cooled and propylene supply became more available, gradually taking the edge off freight-related cost pressure.

South Korea: Moderate Gains, Mirroring Thailand

South Korea's import market, priced CIF Busan on material sourced from Thailand, moved in a pattern very similar to Thailand itself, with prices rising about 13% for the quarter. The same combination of higher feedstock costs and tighter logistics played out here, and South Korean epoxy resin and coatings manufacturers responded with steady, consistent procurement rather than any dramatic buying spree, mindful of ongoing supply risk.

By June, South Korea saw a decline of about 4% from May's average, matching Thailand's correction almost exactly, as improving propylene supply and calmer geopolitical conditions let the market settle down.

India: A Strong Rally Driven by Defensive Buying

India's domestic market, priced Ex-Bhiwandi, posted one of the larger increases of the quarter, up about 26% compared to the previous quarter's average. Rising feedstock costs combined with broader supply chain pressure tied to global tensions, making sourcing both slower and more expensive for producers operating in the domestic market. Indian epoxy resin and coatings manufacturers responded in much the same way as their German and Dutch counterparts — buying ahead of need to avoid getting caught short as availability concerns grew through the quarter.

That defensive buying pattern was the main force behind India's price strength for most of Q2. Come June, though, the market eased back by about 5% from May's levels, as improved propylene availability and lighter supply pressure allowed the domestic market to settle into a steadier rhythm.

What the Broader Pattern Tells Us

Looking across all seven markets together, a clear shape emerges. The size of the price increase varied a lot — from a modest 6% in China up to a much sharper 32% in Germany — but the underlying cause was largely shared: costlier allyl chloride and chlorine feedstock, combined with geopolitical tensions that made logistics harder and supply tighter. Markets that leaned into defensive, forward-loaded procurement, like Germany, the Netherlands, and India, tended to see the sharpest gains, while markets with steadier, more measured buying, like China and South Korea, saw comparatively gentler increases.

The June correction across nearly every region is the other big takeaway. It suggests that much of the April-May rally was tied to genuine supply tightness and buyer anxiety rather than a permanent shift in the cost base. Once propylene availability improved and geopolitical pressure eased even slightly, prices in almost every market pulled back, some sharply and some only modestly. That pattern is worth watching closely heading into Q3, since it raises the question of whether this was a temporary spike working its way out of the system, or the first phase of a longer, choppier cycle.

About Price Watch™

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