The U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) rose 0.4% in November following a 1.1% gain in October and a 0.6% gain in September, according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). During November, chemical output expanded in all regions, with the largest gains occurring in the Gulf Coast and Midwest regions. The U.S. CPRI is measured on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis.
In November, chemical production continued to improve in many segments, including fertilizers, synthetic dyes and pigments, chlor-alkali, other inorganic chemicals, and organic chemicals, ACC said. Production trends eased in coatings, manufactured fibers, consumer products, adhesives, synthetic rubber and crop protection chemicals.
As nearly all manufactured goods are produced using chemistry in some form, manufacturing activity is an important indicator for chemical demand. The manufacturing recovery continued for a fifth straight month in November, with overall factory activity up 0.7% (3MMA). The trend in production rose in nearly all key chemistry end-use industries, with the strongest gains seen in iron and steel, aerospace, rubber products, paper, structural panels, and printing.
Compared with November 2019, U.S. chemical production was off 4.2% on a year-over-year basis, the eighteenth consecutive month of Y/Y declines, but shows continued improvement over the past several months. Chemical production remained lower than a year ago in all regions, with the largest year-ago declines occurring in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and West Coast regions.