There is no single price for them in India. What you pay depends on grade, virgin or recycled content, volume, origin, incoterm, freight, taxes, currency and the date of the quote.
This article gives a dated price reference, explains the cost components and market drivers, and shows how to build a realistic per-kilogram budget.
Key Takeaways
- An India-specific benchmark is USD 2,441/MT (June 2026); grade and basis are often unstated.
- Styrene is falling while acrylonitrile and butadiene are rising, so feedstock pressure is mixed.
- Standard, flame-retardant, UV-resistant, recycled and PC/ABS grades are not like-for-like.
- Budget on delivered cost with equivalent specs, not the lowest headline quote.
How Much Does ABS Plastic Granules Cost in India?
ABS granules have no fixed market price. Any figure needs a date, grade, source, quantity, currency and pricing basis, or it tells you very little.
Misreading a price causes real damage:
- Underbudgeting landed cost
- Comparing different grades as if they were identical
- Missing minimum order quantities
- Accepting a low quote that excludes freight, taxes, testing or delivery
Typical Cost Range
A verified, current India ₹/kg range by grade is not publicly available. What exists are dated benchmarks that differ in period, geography and specification:
| Period | Market | Published figure | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | India ABS | IMARC's index shows USD 2,441/MT | Grade, incoterm and tax treatment not stated |
| Q3 2026 | Japan, injection grade | ChemAnalyst data shows USD 1,973.33/MT, down 0.97% on the quarter | FOB Tokyo, not delivered India |
| 4 Nov 2026 | Asia | Prices strengthened on firmer import offers | Numbers are behind a login |
Do not merge these into one India range. At the FBIL reference of ₹94.1402/USD (6 November 2026), USD 2,441/MT works out to roughly ₹230/kg. Treat that as a conversion of a market index, not a supplier quote.
Published sources do not break out standard, application-specific or specialised grade bands and their premiums. Ask suppliers for dated quotes and note what each includes: GST, duty, freight, insurance, packaging, testing and delivery.
Cost Breakdown
- Material price: spot or contract, shaped by grade, colour, formulation and quantity.
- Freight, insurance and handling: distance, shipment size, packaging and urgency all matter. Maersk lists a Nhava Sheva terminal charge of ₹13,100 per 20-foot container from 1 July 2026 (a handling example, not a resin surcharge).
- Duties and taxes: primary-form polymers attract 18% IGST from 22 September 2025. Verify customs duty and any anti-dumping duty for your specific transaction; do not assume zero.
- Qualification: certificates of analysis, batch testing, sample approval, colour matching and moulding trials.
- Inventory exposure: bulk buying and safety stock tie up cash, while spot buying in a volatile market exposes you to swings.
Key Factors That Affect the Cost of ABS Plastic Granules
Price is the product of technical, feedstock, commercial and supply-chain variables, not the material name alone.
Grade or Configuration of ABS
Each grade should be benchmarked against equivalent specifications. Standard, high-impact, heat-resistant, flame-retardant, UV-resistant, recycled and PC/ABS materials serve different jobs.
The monomer mix drives properties. Acrylonitrile adds thermal and chemical resistance, butadiene adds impact resistance, and styrene adds stiffness, processability and lower cost. No universal formulation ratio maps to a price premium.
Specification differences are documented, premiums are not. Examples:
- SABIC CYCOLAC FR15 lists UL 94 V-0/5VA flame ratings
- SABIC MG38U is an improved-UV, very-high-impact grade
- INEOS GP22 MR50/MR70 carry 50%/70% recycled content with RecyClass traceability
- PC/ABS blends such as SABIC CYCOLOY are not interchangeable with unblended ABS quotes
Order Volume, MOQ and Contract Structure
Truckload, pallet and trial quantities price differently per kilogram. Commercial terms that change your effective cost include:
- Minimum order quantities
- Payment terms and price validity
- Delivery frequency and volume commitments
A spot purchase in a rising market can cost more than a repeat contract with a fixed validity window.
Feedstock and Market Conditions
Early November 2026 feedstocks moved in opposite directions:
- Styrene: FOB Korea USD 1,305-1,315/MT, down USD 50 on weaker energy and benzene values
- Acrylonitrile: climbing sharply on higher feedstock costs and restricted availability
- Butadiene: surging on tighter supply and strong demand
So no single input predicts ABS offers.
On supply, Styrenix reports 100,000 TPA of Indian ABS capacity with another 50,000 TPA under implementation. Bhansali estimates imports meet about 30-40% of Indian demand. Chinese capacity additions add Asian supply pressure. Announced capacity is not commissioned capacity, so it is no guaranteed price floor or relief.
Quality, Additives and Compliance
These items can raise or lower price:
- Colour and additive packages
- Flame-retardant performance
- Food or medical contact requirements
- Recycled content and documentation
Separate a genuinely higher-specification grade from a premium created by branding or a small order size.
Medical and food-contact claims attach to named grades and test conditions, not to ABS in general. India's ABS quality control order was rescinded from 12 November 2025, so do not treat the earlier mandatory BIS position as current without qualification.
Logistics, Origin and Commercial Basis
Ex-works, FOB, CIF, delivered and landed prices are different things. An FOB Tokyo figure is not CIF Nhava Sheva.
Imports add ocean freight, port handling, insurance, exchange-rate exposure, lead time, duties and inland transport. Local material skips most of that but may carry domestic freight and different payment terms.
Low-Cost vs High-Cost ABS Plastic Granules: What's the Difference?
Higher price does not automatically mean better quality. Compare documented performance, batch consistency, processing stability, surface finish, technical support and traceability.
Grade differences are real, but they are not the same as batch variability. Under ASTM D1238 (220 °C/10 kg), INEOS lists Terluran GP-22 at 19 g/10 min, GP-35 at 34 and HI-10 at 8.
Processing discipline matters as much as price:
- INEOS specifies residual moisture below 0.1% for GP-35, usually 2-4 hours at 80 °C, because moisture causes surface faults
- Regrind absorbs moisture faster than pellets, and virgin granules are advised for high-quality work
- Controlled recycled grades may be drop-in; unspecified recycled ABS is a different risk
Judge value by moulding yield, scrap, downtime, rejected parts, requalification and supply continuity. Industry-wide scrap percentages for ABS are rarely published, so base decisions on your own trial data.
How to Estimate the Right Budget for ABS Plastic Granules
Build your budget on equivalent specifications and total delivered cost, not the headline price per kg alone.
- Start with the material quote per kg for the exact grade and colour
- Add freight and insurance to the delivery point
- Add handling and clearance charges
- Add applicable duties and 18% IGST
- Add testing and qualification costs before production release
- Add inventory holding or financing cost for the order cycle
Document each assumption and the exchange-rate date.
What to Give Suppliers for Comparable Quotes
- Application plus annual and monthly volume
- Grade, colour and virgin or recycled content
- Melt-flow, impact and heat requirements
- Additive package and packaging format
- Delivery location, Incoterms and payment terms
- Required documentation
Testing Whether a Lower Quote Is Cheaper
Run samples through your own tool and compare processing consistency, yield, technical support and delivery reliability. Then add the cost of replacing any non-conforming batch before you treat a lower quote as cheaper.
What Most Buyers Miss When It Comes to the Cost of ABS Plastic Granules
- Fixating on resin price while ignoring freight, taxes, testing, storage, scrap and downtime
- Carrying excess inventory in a falling market
- Choosing a cheap, poorly specified grade that fails in production
- Over-specifying features the finished product never needs
Distil supplies engineering plastics including ABS, with Lotte Chemical's STAREX ABS in general-purpose, extrusion, flame-retardant, heat-resistant and metal-plating grades. Pricing is on request.
For teams developing or scaling application-specific polymer solutions, Distil's R&D team can discuss formulation, technical trials, flexible manufacturing and supply-chain coordination. No fixed price or grade availability is implied until confirmed in a quote.
Conclusion
ABS granule prices in India shift with grade, formulation, quantity, market conditions, commercial terms and landed-cost components. A reliable budget depends on dated, like-for-like quotations and a clear line between material price and total delivered cost.
The right purchase balances price against processing performance, consistency, compliance, supply continuity and long-term value.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current price of ABS material?
The latest India benchmark is IMARC's USD 2,441/MT for June 2026, with grade and delivery basis unstated. Asia prices strengthened on 4 November 2026. Request a dated quote for your grade.
How much does ABS plastic cost per pound?
Divide the per-kg price by 2.20462 (1 lb = 0.45359237 kg). For example, USD 2.441/kg is about USD 1.11/lb. Keep currency, grade, date and shipping basis consistent.
What is the price of ABS material per kilogram in India?
USD 2,441/MT converts to roughly ₹230/kg at ₹94.14/USD, but that is an unspecified-grade index. Excludes GST (18% IGST on primary polymers), freight and delivery.
What is the current price trend for ABS material?
Mixed but firming in Asia in early November 2026. Styrene fell, while acrylonitrile and butadiene rose. New capacity adds supply pressure, so check dated quotes.
Is ABS a cheap material?
ABS is often seen as a cost-effective engineering plastic, though how it compares depends on the grade and the alternative you measure it against. Value hinges on yield, compliance and total delivered cost.
What are ABS plastic granules?
They are pelletised ABS resin fed into injection moulding and extrusion machines. They differ from ABS powder, a separate supplied form, and from PC/ABS blends, which combine polycarbonate with ABS.
