Platts discontinues FOB USGC front-quarter assessment May 4

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, has discontinued its Q1 FOB US Gulf Coast benzene price assessment, effective May 4, to align more closely with current trading dynamics, which now typically involve trading up to three months forward.

Platts first proposed to reshape the coverage of US Gulf and Brazil benzene assessments on Jan. 28, 2026, in a subscriber note available here. The communication to implement these changes was subsequently published on Feb. 17 in a note available here.

The discontinued assessment, as well as its associated monthly average, reflected deliveries during the front quarter (Q1), was published in cents/gal and reflected a minimum of 10,000-barrel clips.

The last daily Q1 assessment and the associated monthly average for April have been databased on May 1, 2026.

The discontinued assessment is listed below:

Separately,on March 23, 2026, Platts launched the new DDP USGC (HTC) Benzene price assessment to reflect deliveries during the third month from the date of publication (M3), moved the FOB Brazil benzene assessment to a daily frequency, and updated its loading laycan to the current month, to align with the USG benzene coverage. The subscriber note announcing these changes is available here.

Platts benzene assessments in the US and Brazil are published on S&P Global Energy Core, in Europe and Americas Petrochemicalscan, and on Petrochemical Alert fixed pages PCA0061.

Please send all comments, feedback, and questions to petchems@spglobal.com with a copy to pricegroup@spglobal.com. For written comments, please provide a clear indication if comments are not intended for publication by Platts for public viewing.

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