The price range for isopropanol (IPA) continues to narrow as fewer buyers are willing to pay the March-mid-April price. Despite this, IPA demand remains strong and prices are much higher than before the COVID-19 outbreak.

For now, demand for hand sanitizers remains high among consumers and hospitals alike. The high-end price of IPA has come down, but the bottom price is stable. After soaring more than two months ago, IPA prices are gradually falling, but they are at least twice what they were before the COVID-19 outbreak, at 105 to 140 cents a pound ($2,315 to $3,086 a ton) in the United States.

Us market fundamentals remain strong and demand has tapered off since mid-April, particularly for bulk purchases. IPA import prices in the United States also declined modestly, and IPA export prices continued to decline. Latin America continues to import IPA, with coVID-19 cases increasing in Chile, Peru and Brazil in particular. Us GULF of Mexico FOB price is estimated at 85~120 cents/lb (1874~ us $2,646 / ton), with high-end prices down 15 cents/lb and low-end prices holding steady.