Denka plans price increase for chloroprene rubber

TOKYO—Denka Co. Ltd. is to raise prices for its chloroprene rubber (CR) materials by more than $500 per metric ton, the company has announced. The price increase will take effect Jan. 4, 2022.

Denka said the price revision for its CR products reflects rises in the cost of producing and supplying the materials as well as the current supply/demand balance.

"We are facing difficulty of continuous and huge cost-increase in our production such as raw materials and utility," the company said in a Dec. 17 announcement.

"Our effort alone cannot absorb all the increasing costs, although we are making the best effort to minimize it," it added.

Denka further noted that global CR demand has been "increasing continuously and significantly due to recovery from COVID-19, and it is impossible to cover all demand even from our existing customers.

"Hence, we decided to increase its selling price in order to maintain the stable supply and business continuity," the company added.

European Rubber Journal will report further on this development in a coming edition of the ERJ Daily Newsletter and in the Jan/Feb 2022 issue of ERJ print magazine.