Chinaplas 2026 international plastics and rubber exhibition | tpu-related exhibitor guide

The annual rubber and plastics industry event - CHINAPLAS 2026 International Rubber and Plastics Exhibition will be grandly held from April 21-24, 2026, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) (Hongqiao).

TPU-related manufacturers will also be showcasing their products at this exhibition. Rate Consulting has compiled a list of exhibitors for your reference. (Scroll to the end of the article to view the full list.)

According to Rate Consulting, the TPU industry faced an undoubtedly challenging year in 2025. The industry's average gross margin declined by more than 50% compared to 2023, with profit margins for standard-grade products plummeting by over 100% into negative territory. Even the high profitability advantage of premium products narrowed significantly by 79%. Most companies found themselves in a paradoxical situation of rising order volumes but declining profits. Even those companies with integrated upstream raw material advantages saw their profit margins substantially squeezed, reflecting clear pressure on the industry's overall profitability.

After the Spring Festival in 2026, the TPU market experienced a rare collective price increase. Compared to the usual small post-holiday price hikes, this round of price increases, in terms of the number of participating manufacturers, the concentration of price hikes, and market attention, was significantly more pronounced. In their price increase letters, all TPU manufacturers cited "due to the rise in raw material prices."

Laguna Consulting believes that the price hikes after the 2026 Spring Festival can be seen as a more typical re-anchoring of the industry's expectations on costs and prices: on one hand, reflecting the consensus among companies on the pressure from costs/supply side, and on the other hand, it is also a correction action for the pricing system during the restart of transactions after the holiday.

Notably, the concentrated release of price-increase notices for 2026 occurred on February 26. Just two days later, on February 28, the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict officially erupted, triggering a sharp surge in prices of crude oil, natural gas, and other basic chemicals. Meanwhile, overseas production facilities’ temporary shutdowns and attacks further drove up prices of key TPU raw materials—including MDI, polyether polyols, and polyester polyols. Amid ongoing geopolitical instability and continuously rising upstream raw material prices, TPU manufacturers are facing increasingly severe uncertainties.

Over the past few years, the two fastest-growing application segments in the downstream TPU market have undoubtedly been TPU foamed shoe materials and TPU automotive protective films. However, both sectors are now mired in declining prices and intensifying competition. Against this backdrop, TPU manufacturers are pondering: where lies the next growth opportunity? Do emerging fields such as robotics hold breakthrough potential? And in traditional sectors like automotive and footwear, amid mounting cost-reduction pressures, is there still room for growth? Could TPU also face the risk of market share erosion from competing materials?

At the exhibition site, we can turn our attention to the core issues currently being focused on by TPU manufacturers: is it the stability of future raw material supply? Innovations and improvements in manufacturing processes? Or more promising downstream applications?

During the CHINAPLAS 2026 International Rubber and Plastics Exhibition held in Shanghai from April 21-24, 2026, the main manufacturers of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU) products are concentrated in halls 6.2 and 7.2.

TPU exhibitor list