A consolidated view of where recycled PET pellet and hot washed flake are trading across Europe, North America, and Asia — with the observed movements that explain how we got here. Current prices are reviewed weekly; the historical series is extended monthly from public reporting by ICIS, S&P Global, Argus, OPIS, and CCFGroup. Every charted value is an observed reporting period — we publish no forecasts or projected prices.
Current prices
Prices last updated: 4 September 2026
Snapshot generated 2026-10-19. All non-USD figures converted at ECB reference rates of 31 August 2026 (EUR/USD 1.09, USD/CNY 7.20).
Region
Hot washed flake — clear, non-food grade
Pellet — food grade
Assessment basis
Source & figure type
30-day
Europe (NWE)
€1,350 / t
€1,780 / t
DDP Northwest Europe, quarterly contract, EUR/t
Public ICIS & Argus reporting — published midpoint
▼
North America (East of Rockies)
$0.50 / lb (~$1,102/t)
$0.74 / lb (~$1,631/t)
FOB reclaimer, spot, USD/lb
Public OPIS / APR reporting — reported trade range midpoint
→
China (Zhejiang/Fujian)
¥8,200 / t (~$1,137/t)
¥11,600 / t (~$1,610/t)
Ex-works Zhejiang/Fujian, spot, CNY/t
CCFGroup public postings — reported domestic trade
▲
Southeast Asia (FOB)
$1,130 / t
$1,650 / t
FOB Southeast Asia port, spot, USD/t
Public S&P Global (Platts) commentary — calculated reference
▲
Flake figures are clear, non-food-grade hot washed flake; pellet figures are food-contact approved (EFSA or FDA letter of no objection) rPET pellet. Reference midpoints for large-volume material on the delivery basis stated in each row. Spot trades and coloured grades (green, mixed-colour) typically settle €200–400/t below clear. Licensed ICIS, Platts and Argus assessments are not reproduced here — figures are public midpoints, publicly reported trades or BaleScan calculated references derived from them.
PET hot washed flake — observed history
USD / tonne
Show the data behind this chart
PET hot washed flake — observed history — historical values in USD / tonne
Month
Europe (USD / tonne)
North America (USD / tonne)
Asia (USD / tonne)
Jan 24
1180
880
760
Apr 24
1240
900
780
Jul 24
1310
940
800
Oct 24
1290
920
790
Jan 25
1260
905
780
Apr 25
1320
935
810
Jul 25
1410
990
860
Oct 25
1480
1030
905
Jan 26
1520
1055
930
Apr 26
1610
1090
985
Jul 26
1625
1070
980
Oct 26
1645
1050
975
rPET food-grade pellet — observed history
USD / tonne
Show the data behind this chart
rPET food-grade pellet — observed history — historical values in USD / tonne
Month
Europe (USD / tonne)
North America (USD / tonne)
Asia (USD / tonne)
Jan 24
1620
1320
1180
Apr 24
1690
1350
1210
Jul 24
1770
1400
1240
Oct 24
1740
1370
1220
Jan 25
1710
1355
1210
Apr 25
1780
1395
1245
Jul 25
1880
1460
1305
Oct 25
1970
1510
1365
Jan 26
2030
1545
1395
Apr 26
2140
1590
1460
Jul 26
2155
1560
1450
Oct 26
2180
1540
1445
Charts end at the most recent completed reporting period. No forecast, projected or placeholder values are shown.
EU virgin → recycled premium
EUR / tonne, recycled over virgin
Show the data behind this chart
EU virgin to recycled premium — historical values in EUR / tonne
Month
Flake premium (EUR / tonne)
Pellet premium (EUR / tonne)
Jan 25
280
540
Apr 25
320
600
Jul 25
410
700
Oct 25
480
780
Jan 26
520
830
Apr 26
610
910
Jul 26
615
915
Oct 26
625
925
The EU recycled premium has set fresh record highs through 2026 as energy costs, Middle East feedstock disruption, and recycled-content mandates have squeezed rPET supply (source: Argus Recycled Polymers, April 2026).
Weekly monitor
Global Recycled Polymer Price Monitor — Week Ending 9 October 2026
Public sources checked on 9 October 2026. Only identical grades, forms, regions and commercial bases are compared. No new like-for-like price observations were found this week; the latest verified values and effective dates are retained without implying prices were unchanged.
Zone
Product
Grade, form & basis
Average price
WoW movement
Direction
Notable information
Europe
rPET Food Grade
Food-grade pellet; DDP Northwest Europe; published midpoint
€1,860/t
No new comparable observation
—
Latest verified: 25 September
Europe
rPET Non-Food Grade
Clear hot-washed flake; DDP Northwest Europe; published midpoint
€1,415/t
No new comparable observation
—
Latest verified: 25 September
Europe
rHDPE Natural Food Grade
Food-grade natural pellet
N/A — not publicly available
N/A
—
Current assessment remains licensed
Europe
rHDPE Natural Non-Food Grade
Natural non-food pellet
N/A — not publicly available
N/A
—
Public observations do not disclose the required grade
Europe
rHDPE Coloured Non-Food Grade
Coloured/grey non-food pellet
N/A — not publicly available
N/A
—
No current grade-and-basis match
North America
rPET Food Grade
Food-grade pellet; FOB reclaimer East of Rockies; reported midpoint
78¢/lb / US$1,720/t
No new comparable observation
—
Latest verified: 25 September
North America
rPET Non-Food Grade
Clear hot-washed flake; FOB reclaimer spot; range midpoint
52¢/lb / US$1,146/t
No new comparable observation
—
Latest verified: 25 September
North America
rHDPE Natural Food Grade
Food-grade natural pellet
N/A — not publicly available
N/A
—
Current assessment remains licensed
North America
rHDPE Natural Non-Food Grade
Natural HDPE bottle bale; collected; published average
36.5¢/lb / US$805/t
No new comparable observation
—
Latest public monthly average: 9 September
North America
rHDPE Coloured Non-Food Grade
Coloured HDPE bottle bale; collected; published average
Sources: Waste Bale Audit rPET tracker, natural rHDPE tracker, coloured rHDPE tracker, Resource Recycling and CCFGroup. The North American HDPE figures remain the latest public September averages; October's report was not yet publicly available. Indicative market information only — specifications, contract terms, freight, certification and volume materially affect price. Not financial or trading advice.
What's moving the market in 2026
EU regulation. The 25% recycled-content minimum for PET beverage bottles comes from the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (2019/904) and has applied since 2025; the 30% minimum extends to all plastic beverage bottles from 2030. Those targets — not the PPWR — are what lock in demand for food-grade rPET pellet today.
Energy & feedstock. The 2026 Middle East conflict pushed virgin PET feedstock higher and raised wash-plant energy costs, hitting rPET margins harder than virgin (OPIS, March 2026).
Bottle bale tightness. Deposit-return schemes have improved bottle quality but not increased volumes fast enough — bale prices are at multi-year highs across NWE and the US East.
Asia oversupply. Chinese flake capacity additions in Zhejiang and Guangdong have kept Asian prices roughly flat while Europe ran away — widening the arbitrage to ~€500/t.
How flake and pellet prices relate
Food-grade rPET pellet is typically priced at a €450–900/t premium over hot washed flake. The spread covers extrusion, solid-state polycondensation (SSP), EFSA / FDA decontamination, yield loss, and the food-grade certification overhead. When that spread compresses, pelletizers cut run rates; when it widens, flake demand strengthens and bale prices follow within weeks.
From bottle bale to rPET pellet — the cost stack
PET bottle bale (PRF clear): €450–650 / t depending on region and quality.
Wash & sort to hot washed flake: +€350–500 / t (energy, labor, ~30% yield loss).
Extrusion + SSP to food-grade pellet: +€450–800 / t.
Certification, logistics, margin: +€100–250 / t.
That stack is why auditing the inbound bale composition matters: a 10-point swing in bale purity can move the finished pellet cost by €150–250 / t.
Frequently asked questions
What is rPET and how is it priced?
rPET is recycled polyethylene terephthalate, sold either as hot washed flake (the intermediate, from washed bottle bales) or as food-grade pellet (the finished resin, after extrusion and decontamination). Prices are quoted per tonne in Europe and Asia and per pound in North America, and move with bottle bale costs, energy, virgin PET, and brand-owner recycled-content demand.
Why are EU rPET prices so much higher than Asia?
Europe is structurally short. The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (2019/904) has required 25% recycled content in PET beverage bottles since 2025, rising to 30% for all plastic beverage bottles from 2030, which locks brand owners into rPET demand. Bottle bale supply is tight and energy costs for washing and pelletizing are high. Asia has more flake capacity and lower input costs, so the same material can clear €400–600/t cheaper.
What drives PET hot washed flake prices?
Bottle bale cost is the biggest lever, typically 55–70% of flake cost. After that: wash plant energy and labor, yield loss (typically 25–35% from bale to clean flake), and the bid from downstream pelletizers and fiber spinners competing for the same material.
How does the virgin–recycled spread affect buyers?
When recycled trades at a premium to virgin (the current situation in Europe), brand owners with voluntary recycled-content pledges face real cost pressure, while regulated minimums force them to buy anyway. Argus has tracked the EU food-grade pellet premium widening past €800/t in 2026, the largest gap on record.
Where can I get live rPET prices?
Subscription pricing services include ICIS, S&P Global Commodity Insights (Platts), Argus Recycled Polymers, OPIS PetroChem Wire, and CCFGroup for China. The data on this page is synthesized from their public reporting for planning purposes — not a substitute for a paid feed if you're trading.
Know what's in the bale before you price it
BaleScan turns a phone photo of any PET bale into a composition breakdown in seconds — so the price you quote matches the material that's actually inside.
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Sources: ICIS R-PET, S&P Global Commodity Insights, Argus Recycled Polymers (Issue 26-16, April 2026), OPIS PetroChem Wire, CCFGroup, Fibre2Fashion Polyester Value Chain. Figures are reference midpoints for planning, not a tradable quote.
rPET and PET flake prices from the WasteBaleAudit price database
These sections are generated from reviewed price records with their region, currency, unit, pricing basis, effective date and source category. Where no verified record exists, the section shows a pending state rather than an estimate.
Verified price update pending.
Prices shown are indicative market observations and may differ according to specification, contamination, volume, location, freight, payment terms and contractual conditions.