manufactured · input
Polyvinyl chloride pressure pipe; AWWA C900 (4-12 inch) and C905 (14-48 inch) for potable water; JM Eagle and Charlotte Pipe are largest US producers; ~30-35% of US water distribution mains; no corrosion; cannot be hot-tapped; brittle fracture risk in cold soils
8
Source countries
8
Companies
1
Goods affected
0
Claims on record
What depends on it
1 essential American goods rely on pvc pressure pipe (c900, c905) for water distribution somewhere upstream in their supply chain.
Where it comes from
Share of global supply, by country.
| Country | Share of supply |
|---|---|
| CNChina | 40% |
| USUnited States | 17% |
| JPJapan | 8% |
| DEGermany | 6% |
| INIndia | 4% |
| MXMexico | 4% |
| KRSouth Korea | 2% |
| NLNetherlands | 2% |
Who makes it
8 companies produce pvc pressure pipe (c900, c905) for water distribution.
World's largest plastic pipe manufacturer; privately held; produces PVC and HDPE pipe for water, irrigation, sewer, and conduit applications; ~22 US manufacturing plants; has been the subject of antitrust claims from competitors Charlotte Pipe and Tube; $22.5M settlement in 2014 over alleged PVC price-fixing.
India market leader; 20-25% organized sector share; fast-growing domestic demand; serves water supply and irrigation segments
Global HDPE and PVC pipe extrusion business within Orbia group; supplies mainline irrigation pipe across agriculture and infrastructure.
Top US PVC pipe manufacturer; 8 facilities across US; AWWA C900 certified; also cast iron, CPVC, ABS; employee-owned company
US PVC resin and chlor-alkali manufacturer (NYSE: WLK, HQ Houston TX; ~$13B revenue); the world's largest PVC resin producer and North America's dominant supplier. Westlake acquired Axiall Corporation in 2016 for $3.8B, combining Axiall's chlor-alkali and PVC resin capacity with Westlake's ethylene and VCM operations. Westlake operates integrated PVC plants in Lake Charles, Louisiana (multiple trains) and Sulphur, Louisiana — the largest PVC resin complex in the US by volume, accounting for approximately 28% of US PVC resin capacity. Westlake's PVC resin is the primary feedstock for pipe, siding, window profiles, and wire insulation. The Lake Charles complex sits within the largest concentration of chlor-alkali/VCM/PVC production in the Western Hemisphere. Westlake also makes epoxy resins, caustic soda, and chlorine — the chlor-alkali co-products that finance PVC resin production economics.
9 US PVC pipe plants; AWWA C900/C905 certified; recent Calvert City KY and Yucca AZ additions; LASCO Fittings Brownsville TN
US subsidiary of Japan's Shin-Etsu Chemical Company (TYO: 4063, HQ Freeport TX); operates the largest single-site PVC resin production complex in the United States at Freeport, Texas. Shintech accounts for approximately 22% of US PVC resin capacity. Shin-Etsu Chemical is simultaneously the world's largest PVC producer globally (ahead of even Westlake), with PVC plants in Japan, Singapore, and the US. Shintech's Freeport complex sources chlorine from an adjacent chlor-alkali facility and ethylene from the Gulf Coast ethylene grid (Mont Belvieu hub), making it one of the most vertically positioned PVC resin producers in the US. The Freeport site is co-located with other major chemical facilities including BASF, Dow Chemical, and Huntsman — a dense concentration of interdependent chemical assets.
Wholly owned chemical subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY, HQ Dallas TX); one of the largest US PVC resin manufacturers, primarily from the Battleground Manufacturing Complex in La Marque (near Texas City), Texas. OxyChem is also one of the largest US chlorine and caustic soda (chlor-alkali) producers, operating in Texas, Louisiana, and Tennessee. OxyChem's PVC resin production is vertically integrated with its chlor-alkali operations — it produces its own chlorine and VCM. The Battleground complex sits on the Houston Ship Channel corridor, approximately 25 miles southeast of Houston, within the densest concentration of US chemical manufacturing. OxyChem's parent Occidental Petroleum carries significant upstream oil and gas exposure, creating financial linkage between crude oil prices and OxyChem's capital spending priorities for chlor-alkali and PVC assets.
