Price hikes continue to wend their way through the lubricants industry, for key ingredients as well as finished products. Dow Chemical recently announced markups in Europe on polyalkylene glycol synthetic base stocks and in the United States for high-temperature thermal fluids. FMC Lithium announced increases for lithium salts, while BASF said it will raise biocide prices.
Dows European subsidiary, Dow Europe GmbH, will raise prices on PAG synthetic lube base stocks by 10 percent, effective July 15. The change applies to products sold under the Synalox, Terralox, Ucon and Oxilube brand names. The company cited strong demand and increased costs as reasons for the increase.
Separately, Midland, Michigan-based Dow raised prices on bulk orders of Syltherm high-temperature thermal fluids by 10 percent, effective July 1. Syltherm is one of several brands of heat transfer fluids marketed by Dow.
FMC Lithium, of Charlotte, N.C., will raise prices on all lithium salts by 15 percent to 20 percent, effective Aug. 1. Among the products affected is lithium hydroxide, an important raw material in the manufacture of lithium greases. FMC blamed its increases on rising costs for raw materials and freight.
BASF said it willimpose 10 percent increases on Myacide HT and Myacide HT Technical Grade triazine biocides, which are used in metalworking fluids and other applications such as paints and coatings. Those hikes take effect July 15, as domarkups of 5 percent to 10 percent forthe companys othertriazine glutaraldehyde and phenoxyethanolbiocides.