Chemical and Material Shortage Alert – April 2015

The purpose of this blog is to identify chemical and material shortages reported on the Internet.  The sources of the information reported here are primarily news releases issued on the Internet.  The issue period of the news releases is April 2015.

Section I below lists those chemicals and materials that were on the previous Chemical and Material Shortage Alert list and continue to have news releases indicating they are in short supply. Click here to read the March 2015 Chemical and Material Shortage Alert list.

Section II lists the new chemicals and materials (not on the March alert).  Also provided is some explanation for the shortage and geographical information.  This blog attempts to list only actual shortage situations – those shortages that are being experienced during the period covered by the news releases.   Chemicals and materials identified in news releases as only being in danger of being in short supply status are not listed.

Section I.   Chemicals and materials that continue from March to be reported as in short supply are:  polypropylene (Europe)

Section II.   Shortages Reported in April not found on the Previous Month’s List

Ethylene:  Korea; Europe; production not keeping up with demand

Iron Ore:  India; government regulations; mining not keeping up with demand

Scrap Metal:  Ukraine; supply not keeping up with demand

Reasons for Section II shortages can be broadly categorized as: 

1.  Mining not keeping up with demand: iron ore

2.  Production not keeping up with demand: ethylene

3.  Government regulations: iron ore

4.  Sources no longer available: none

5.  Insufficient imports:  none

6.  Supply not keeping up with demand:  scrap metal