CLOVERDALE, CA, July 31, 2014-

It looks like a mere bump in the road toward continued long-term growth, but industry observers say global superabsorbent polymer (SAP) markets are struggling with a bit of overcapacity at the moment. They stress that demand growth will eventually match current supply projections, but warn that a degree of uncertainty surrounding the amount of SAP capacity being added in China complicates markets today.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of this period of excess supply is that it has not had more impact on pricing. Nonwovens Markets research shows that SAP prices in the United States are coming down a bit in the third quarter, thanks to the availability of low-price polymer from Asia, particularly China. But all the impact seems to be on the top end of the North American price range, with the big-buyer end of the market remaining stable. Meanwhile, prices in Europe are actually going up to match the recent uptick in raw material costs there.

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