Polyurethane Foam Shortages Due To Propylene Oxide

You may be aware that back in 2020, there was a shortage of TDI which caused a surge in polyurethane block prices. Fast forward to 2021 and we've now been hit with a new chemical issue - a sudden worldwide shortage of Propylene Oxide.

What is Propylene Oxide? Propylene Oxide is an organic bulk chemical, produced by several technologies and used in a large variety of products across multiple industries. Building and construction is the largest end user but it is also used, amongst others, in textile and furniture, automotive, electronics and packaging. Most notably for us, it is a major component in the polyurethane foam manufacturing process (forming Polypol).

What is causing the shortage? A number of factors including increased worldwide demand, supplies impacted by COVID-19 and the recent freeze in Texas (where a large proportion of worldwide Propylene Oxide is located).

But don't worry, here at Putnams, we are pre-prepared. We already expanded our site in 2020 giving us the ability to hold more foam stock. This puts us in a great position to be able to continue to supply our trade & retail customers with sheets of foam, cut to size foam and our usual product line.

We are also in regular talks with our suppliers to ensure we keep our stocks high to keep up with production. As things stand, we are hoping this shortage resolves itself quickly and we do not anticipate further price increases. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide you with any updates as soon as we can. 

Please contact us on the usual details if you would like trade prices for sheets and foam cut to size.

01752 345678 – info@putnams.co.uk