Polyethylene (HDPE, LLDPE, LDPE)
HDPE, LLDPE and LDPE by density, melt index and end-use grade
Polyethylene is one polymer sold as three resins, and the specification starts with density and melt flow index. High-density polyethylene (HDPE, 0.941–0.965 g/cm³) is the stiff one: blow-moulding grades at MFI 0.2–0.5 g/10 min (190 °C/2.16 kg) for bottles and jerrycans, injection grades at MFI 4–20 for crates and caps, and high-molecular-weight film grades at MFI 0.03–0.08 for carrier bags and T-shirt bags, plus PE100 pipe compound at MFI 0.2–0.4 under the 5.0 kg weight. Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE, 0.915–0.925 g/cm³) is the film workhorse: butene (C4) grades at MFI 0.9–1.0 for general blown film, hexene (C6) and metallocene grades for stretch film and heavy-duty sacks with better dart impact, and rotomoulding grades at MFI 3–6. Low-density polyethylene (LDPE, 0.918–0.930 g/cm³) is the branched autoclave or tubular resin used for clarity film, shrink hoods and extrusion coating at MFI 0.3–8. Every producer publishes its own grade names, so a buyer states the density, MFI, additive package (slip and antiblock for film, UV stabiliser for rotomoulding and outdoor use) and whether the material is prime, near-prime or off-grade. UN Comtrade 2025 export declarations under HS 3901 put the USA at 14.01 million MT at an average USD 1,178/MT, Saudi Arabia at 9.62 million MT at USD 992, Canada at 4.04 million MT at USD 934 and Oman at 0.80 million MT at USD 937; Thailand and Malaysia report value only for 2025, USD 2,948 million and USD 1,475 million respectively. Saudi Arabia's own 2025 destination list shows where Gulf polyethylene goes: China 1.94 million MT at USD 885/MT, Singapore 0.92 million MT, India 0.65 million MT at USD 1,009, Türkiye 0.60 million MT at USD 1,008, the UAE 0.56 million MT, Egypt 0.54 million MT at USD 1,070, Viet Nam 0.48 million MT at USD 958 and Pakistan 0.24 million MT at USD 998.
The buyer is a film extruder, a blow moulder, a pipe plant, a rotomoulder or a distributor stocking for all of them, and the price it pays is a delivered container price, not a vessel price. Polyethylene moves in 25 kg bags, 40 bags to a pallet or in 1,250 kg jumbo bags, stuffed into 40-ft containers at about 24.75 MT each; the chartering desk is not the point here, and container freight is quoted through forwarders against the destination port. CBIL is a commodity brokerage company and brokers polyethylene from the offtake traders of Gulf, US, Canadian and Southeast Asian producers, and from trader parcels of prime and near-prime material, against the producer's certificate of analysis and SGS or Intertek inspection at stuffing where the buyer wants it. Parcels run from a single 40-ft container of one grade to multi-container monthly programmes on FOB, CFR and CIF terms into Mersin, Alexandria, Mombasa, Karachi, Chittagong and Ho Chi Minh City. Send the grade you run today, the density and MFI band it must match, the additive package and the monthly volume, and we will work an origin and a landed number to it.
Need the ship as well? Our chartering desk prices part cargo and parcel space on LaycanDesk.
Indicative reference
$930–1,180 USD / MT
as at September 2026
Reference level only — not an offer, and reviewed quarterly. Levels shown are as at September 2026. Firm pricing is quoted per RFQ, subject to volume, terms and inspection.
Typical Specification
Specifications are indicative and adjusted to the agreed contract and destination requirements. Final spec confirmed on COA / SGS.
Available Grades
Applications
- Blown & cast film (carrier bags, stretch, shrink, agricultural)
- Blow moulding (bottles, jerrycans, drums)
- Injection moulding (crates, caps, housewares)
- PE100 pressure pipe & irrigation pipe
- Rotomoulding (water tanks)
- Extrusion coating & wire insulation
Category
Petroleum & Energy
Incoterms
FOB · CFR · CIF
Pricing basis
USD / MT
Inspection
SGS / Intertek at load port
Polyethylene (HDPE, LLDPE, LDPE) — buyer questions
What is the difference between HDPE, LLDPE and LDPE?
Chain structure, which shows up as density. HDPE (0.941–0.965 g/cm³) is linear with few branches, so it is stiff, opaque and chemically resistant: bottles, crates, pipe, thin high-strength film. LLDPE (0.915–0.925) is linear with short side-chains from a butene, hexene or octene comonomer, so it is tough and puncture-resistant: stretch film, heavy-duty sacks, general blown film. LDPE (0.918–0.930) is long-chain branched from high-pressure polymerisation, so it is soft, clear and processes easily: clarity film, shrink film, extrusion coating. Film lines commonly blend LLDPE with LDPE for processability.
How do I match a grade from a different producer?
Start from the datasheet of the grade you run and match density, melt flow index, comonomer type (for LLDPE) and additive package, then trial a container before committing to a programme. A butene LLDPE at MFI 1.0 from one producer will usually run in place of another's butene grade at the same MFI; swapping to a hexene or metallocene grade changes bubble stability and impact and needs a line trial. We ask for the current grade name, the property band that matters most on your line and the tolerance you can accept.
What do prime, near-prime and off-grade mean and how do prices differ?
Prime is in-specification material shipped under the producer's grade name with a certificate of analysis. Near-prime (or wide-spec) is material that missed one property window, commonly MFI or colour, sold under a lot number without a grade guarantee. Off-grade is transition or floor-sweep material sold on a best-efforts description. Near-prime typically discounts USD 50–150/MT to prime and off-grade more; the risk is variability between lots, so buyers of near-prime hold a retained sample per container and run a QC melt-flow check on arrival.
What parcel sizes and shipping terms do you work?
The unit is the 40-ft container, about 24.75 MT in 25 kg bags on pallets or 1,250 kg jumbo bags; a 20-ft container carries 17–20 MT depending on the route's road weight limits. Programmes run from one container of one grade to twenty or more containers a month across grades. Polyethylene is not a bulk-vessel cargo, so our chartering desk is not involved; container freight is quoted through forwarders on CFR and CIF enquiries, or you nominate your own forwarder on FOB terms. Payment terms are agreed per counterparty; letters of credit at sight are common for first business.
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