Kuraray raises elastomer prices for fourth time

Tokyo – Kuraray has announced that its elastomers business unit will raise the prices for a range of materials in all regions with effect from 1 August.

The increase of $0.33 per kilogramme covers all of the company’s Septon, Hybrar and TU-Polymer elastomers, the company announced 8 July. 

This is the fourth time in less than a year that Kuraray is raising prices for the same elastomers.

The company introduced similar price hikes on the materials at the start of December last year and in February and April this year.

Kuraray said the increasing feedstock prices, utility and logistics costs had “reached to the level beyond unilaterally absorbable by self-saving efforts.”

This time, it said, it is necessary to recover a portion of these increases to ensure ongoing supply and new product innovation.

According to Kuraray's website, Septon is a recyclable thermoplastic rubber that "possesses high elasticity, high strength, weather resistance, low temperature properties, chemical resistance (acid, alkali, alcohol), heat aging resistance, and electrical property (insulation)."

The material can be used in various applications including automotive parts, medical parts, toys and sporting goods.

Hybrar is a triblock co-polymer with polystyrene end blocks and a vinyl bonded rich polydiene mid-block.

The polymer has "high vibration damping and shock absorption properties," and can be processed in a variety of forms, including films, tubes and injection moulding.