Plastics Processing Index Cools with 45.3 April Reading
Processors are feeling impact of tariff uncertainty and market hesitancy as new orders slow
Plastics Processing Index
The Gardner Business Index (GBI) measures the current state of plastics processing activity through survey responses covering new orders, production, backlog, employment, exports and supplier deliveries. A reading above 50 indicates expansion; below 50 indicates contraction.
Plastics Processing Index falls to 45.3 in April.
The Plastics Processing Index dropped 4.7 points and back in contraction with an April reading of 45.3. New orders took the hardest hit falling over 13 points, although strong orders in February and March kept the three-month average above 50. Supplier deliveries lengthened in April, usually a sign of market health under normal conditions, but it may reflect an increase in shipments held at ports awaiting clarification on tariff policy.
Component Scorecard
The GBI Components Scorecard reports the monthly change rate of primary plastics processing market factors contributing to the overall monthly index reading.
Reading the Scorecard:
- Color indicates where a component value falls relative to 50 for the current month. Green indicates expansion; red indicates contraction.
- Shade indicates a value's distance from 50; the darker the shade, the further from 50.
- Direction indicates a value's change versus the previous period. Pointing up is always better.
Future Business Index
The GBI Future Business Index is an indicator of the future state of the plastics processing market from industry respondents regarding their opinion of future 大象传媒 conditions for the next 12 months. Over 50 is expansion and under 50 is contraction.
Despite a significant drop in future 大象传媒 sentiment, the three-month average remained positive at 61.3.
Find the latest plastics processing market research and reporting at GardnerIntelligence.com.
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