Negotiations on the July contract prices of expanded polystyrene (PSV-C) in Europe continue, ICIS reports with reference to market participants.

The contract price of styrene monomer in Europe was agreed at EUR1,295 per tonne for July deliveries, which is EUR50 per tonne lower than the level of the previous month. In this case, not all players have signed contracts for the delivery of PSV-S in July, and prices remained unchanged.

The demand for material for insulation production in July is slightly weaker than last month, when the peak season began in some parts of Europe. Traditionally, the “high” season begins in the summer against a background of high demand in the packaging sector.

At the moment, the availability of the material is balanced, there are no known production problems in Europe.

Most companies are likely to agree on contracts by the end of next week.

Players also expect a slight fall in prices for styrene in August.

According to the Price Review of ICIS-MRC, in Russia, against the background of moderate demand for PSV-S in the second quarter in June, the import of the material was a record low value of 0.79 thousand tons against 1.28 thousand tons a month earlier.