What is the largest market for plastics today?

The packaging sector is the largest user of plastics today.

Who is the largest plastic manufacturer in the U.S.?

ExxonMobil is the largest producer of plastic resins and polymers in the U.S.

Which plastic company share is best?

There is no one perfect stock for all buyers. Investors looking for a business primarily focused on plastics might pick Dow. But investors seeking more diversification would likely prefer ExxonMobil, which has a large plastics business in addition to its oil and gas operations.

How profitable is the plastic industry?

Profitability can vary based on demand, but overall, plastics is not a high-margin sector. Profitability in the sector is affected by factors such as raw material costs, supply chain disruptions, and increasingly stringent environmental regulations, which can raise operating costs.

Are plastic stocks a good long-term investment?

Plastics are in demand from a wide range of industries, providing some predictability. This is not a high-growth sector, but plastics can be a good long-term investment for those seeking a combination of modest growth and income.

Can investing in plastic stocks help hedge against inflation?

Materials companies tend to hold up well during periods of inflation, and plastics are essential to so many industries that demand remains resilient. However, it is important to keep in mind that plastic is made from hydrocarbons. When inflation is driven by an energy crisis, the cost of plastic raw materials skyrockets.

5 Best Plastics Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

By Kristi Waterworth – Updated Sep 29, 2026 at 2:56 PM EST | Fact-checked by Frank Bass

Key Points

Global plastics market to grow at 4.4% annually, reaching $963.7 billion by 2025.
ExxonMobil increased polypropylene production for masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Invest in plastics stocks via a brokerage account, balancing risk with a barbell strategy.

Interested in investing in plastic stocks? Lucky for you, plastics are ubiquitous. From packaging to household goods to building materials to automotive components, there seems to be no limit to where plastics are found in our day-to-day lives.

With so much demand, there are many public companies focused on plastics for investors to choose from. It's a massive market opportunity: Global total plastic sales were estimated at $963.7 billion in 2025, and the market is forecast to grow at a compound annualized rate of 4.4% through 2033.

Investors can select from companies that make the raw ingredients used to make plastics, companies that make the end products we use as consumers, and a few that do a bit of both. Here's a look at some of the top names in plastics for investors to consider.

5 top plastics stocks for 2026

Loading paragraph...

Ticker Information Table
Name and ticker	Market capMarket cap calculated using publicly traded shares outstanding only. Does not include unlisted, private, or dual-class non-traded shares. Implied market cap may vary.	Dividend yield	Industry
ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM)	$694.7 billion	2.44%	Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels
Dow (NYSE:DOW)	$20.5 billion	4.93%	Chemicals
LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE:LYB)	$19.4 billion	5.73%	Chemicals
Amcor Plc (NYSE:AMCR)	$19.3 billion	6.23%	Containers and Packaging
AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR)	$7.7 billion	1.59%	Containers and Packaging

Data as of Oct 12, 2026. Showing 5 of 5 total entries.

Loading ticker_table...

1. ExxonMobil

NYSE: XOM

ExxonMobil

Premium Feature

Moneyball Superscore

70/100

Today's Change

(0.26%) $0.44

Current Price

$168.94

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$695B

Day's Range

$167.82 - $170.29

52wk Range

$110.39 - $176.41

Volume

10.6K

Avg Vol

13.9M

Gross Margin

20.88%

Dividend Yield

2.44%

Loading company_card...

ExxonMobil (XOM +0.26%) is best known as an oil and gas company, but it is also a major producer of specialized polypropylene, a raw material used in plastics. Propylene is a molecule produced as part of the oil-refining process, making it a natural offshoot of ExxonMobil’s core business.

ExxonMobil significantly increased polypropylene production in 2020 to meet rising demand for masks and medical supplies to support the COVID-19 pandemic response.

This company is deeply entrenched in the fossil fuel economy, but plastics offer some diversification from the oil giant's core petroleum offerings.

2. Dow

Loading paragraph...

NYSE: DOW

Dow

Premium Feature

Moneyball Superscore

48/100

Today's Change

(-0.59%) $-0.17

Current Price

$28.42

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$21B

Day's Range

$28.36 - $28.95

52wk Range

$20.89 - $42.74

Volume

363

Avg Vol

9.1M

Gross Margin

9.44%

Dividend Yield

4.93%

Loading company_card...

Today’s Dow (DOW -0.59%) is the product of a megamerger between DuPont (DD -1.87%) and legacy Dow Chemical that resulted in the two companies combining similar businesses and then splitting off into three more focused companies. While DuPont still has some plastic operations, Dow is the pick for this list.

Dow makes a range of plastics, adhesives, sealants, and additives used in building, automotive, personal care, packaging, and industrial end markets. Investors get this plastics business housed within a massive and diversified materials sciences portfolio that generated $12.1 billion in the second quarter of 2026.

3. LyondellBasell Industries

Loading paragraph...

NYSE: LYB

LyondellBasell Industries

Premium Feature

Moneyball Superscore

45/100

Today's Change

(-0.51%) $-0.31

Current Price

$60.03

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$19B

Day's Range

$59.84 - $61.12

52wk Range

$41.58 - $83.94

Volume

1.8

Avg Vol

Gross Margin

13.30%

Dividend Yield

5.73%

Loading company_card...

LyondellBasell (LYB -0.51%) is a Dutch multinational chemicals company that ranks as the largest licensor of technologies to produce not just polypropylene but also polyethylene, two of the basic building blocks used to make plastic goods.

LyondellBasell is a cash-generation machine and has a history of returning that cash to shareholders through dividends. The company can get caught up in cyclical demand for chemicals, which tends to ebb during periods of economic uncertainty. Still, this is a diversified business that should be able to grow with increasing global demand and provide a steady source of income for your portfolio.

4. Amcor

Loading paragraph...

NYSE: AMCR

Amcor Plc

Premium Feature

Moneyball Superscore

70/100

Today's Change

(-0.38%) $-0.16

Current Price

$41.72

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$19B

Day's Range

$41.34 - $41.99

52wk Range

$36.25 - $50.94

Volume

1.7K

Avg Vol

3.5M

Gross Margin

17.54%

Dividend Yield

6.23%

Loading company_card...

Amcor (AMCR -0.38%) is a global manufacturer of packaging for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, medical, and personal care products. The company generated $6.4 billion in net sales in Q4 2026 and $23.5 billion in net sales during the 12 months ending June 30, 2026.

Amcor, formed in the 1860s as Australian Paper Manufacturers, has continuously evolved over the years. It sold its paper goods operations in 2000 and followed that with a series of deals, including the $7 billion purchase of Bemis in 2019 and an $8.4 billion merger with Berry Global, to establish itself as a global leader in packaging. Amcor trades on both the New York and Australian stock exchanges.

5. AptarGroup

Loading paragraph...

NYSE: ATR

AptarGroup

Premium Feature

Moneyball Superscore

70/100

Today's Change

(-1.17%) $-1.43

Current Price

$120.38

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$7.7B

Day's Range

$119.50 - $121.52

52wk Range

$103.23 - $146.91

Volume

1.1K

Avg Vol

458.1K

Gross Margin

28.26%

Dividend Yield

1.59%

Loading company_card...

AptarGroup (ATR -1.17%) has a range of businesses supplying packaging for the pharmaceutical, household, industrial, and food markets. However, it is best known for its fragrance, cosmetics, and personal care products, as well as its lineup of patent-protected specialty pumps, valves, and dispensing closures that those sectors require. The company generated more than $1 billion in sales in Q2 2026, up 6% year over year. Beauty saw the highest gain at 10%.

Aptar has a global presence, generating about two-thirds of its sales in Europe and nearly 20% in North America. The company has completed almost two dozen acquisitions, investments, and partnerships since 2016 to expand its reach and broaden its portfolio.

Loading paragraph...

How to invest in plastics stocks

Here is how to invest in plastics stocks.

Open your brokerage account: Log in to your brokerage account where you handle your investments. If you don't have one yet, take a look at our favorite brokers and trading platforms to find the right one for you.
Search for the stock: Enter the ticker into the search bar to bring up the stock's trading page.
Decide how many shares to buy: Consider your investment goals and how much of your portfolio you want to allocate to this stock.
Select order type: Choose between a market order to buy at the current price or a limit order to specify the maximum price you're willing to pay.
Submit your order: Confirm the details and submit your buy order.
Review your purchase: Check your portfolio to ensure your order was filled as expected and adjust your investment strategy accordingly.

Loading paragraph...

Benefits and risks of investing in plastics stocks

Investing in plastics stocks offers a mix of stability from traditional industrial demand and high growth potential from the emerging sustainable materials sector, but it's not without risk when oil supplies are unstable due to political upheaval.

Plastics are foundational to the modern economy, and a push toward bioplastics and other more sustainable materials has created new growth opportunities for the industry.
Regulatory risks are always in play, with bans on things like single-use plastics looming in more areas. Compliance with new recycling laws can also be costly for manufacturers.
Because plastics are generally made from petroleum, violent swings in the price of this raw material can cause plastic prices to swing as well, which can cut into profits.

Tips for investing in plastic stocks

Investing in plastics stocks in 2026 requires moving beyond the "commodity" mindset. With the market divided between traditional giants and high-growth sustainability pioneers, your strategy should focus on resilience and regulatory positioning.

Investors use a "barbell strategy" to balance risk and reward, investing in both value names, such as large, established plastics manufacturers, and higher-growth sustainable materials companies.

Methodology: How these stocks were chosen

At the Motley Fool, we choose stocks based on their potential for long-term growth in highly diversified portfolios. The stocks we pick today are the ones we believe will go the distance and remain good companies in the long term.

Should you invest in plastic stocks?

Environmentalists criticize plastics for their fossil fuel–intensive production processes and the long time they take to degrade, but there are no good alternatives for many applications. All of the companies on this list are exploring how to manufacture plastics from more environmentally friendly sources and, when possible, create products that degrade faster. Despite the concerns, plastic demand should continue to grow for the foreseeable future.

Plastics aren't likely to match other sectors, such as tech, in terms of massive growth potential. But these companies should be reliable performers selling into stable, growing markets that can provide ballast in a tech-heavy portfolio.

Loading paragraph...

Plastics stocks FAQ

Loading faq...

About the Author

Kristi Waterworth has been a contributing real estate and financial expert at The Motley Fool, covering real estate, investing, and personal finance topics, since 2020. Kristi has been interviewed by various TV media outlets and podcasts for her real estate investing expertise – from residential real estate to digital real estate and everything in between. Kristi’s journalist career spans over 25 years, and she has written about real estate investing, homeownership, and home construction specifically for the last decade. She was also previously a licensed Realtor and general building contractor before the Great Recession and housing market collapse. She holds a bachelor’s degree in American history from Columbia College in Missouri.

TMFMaldivesBlue

@MaldivesBlues

5 Best Plastics Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

Key Points

5 top plastics stocks for 2026

1. ExxonMobil

Key Data Points

2. Dow

Key Data Points

3. LyondellBasell Industries

Key Data Points

4. Amcor

Key Data Points

5. AptarGroup

Key Data Points

How to invest in plastics stocks

Benefits and risks of investing in plastics stocks

Tips for investing in plastic stocks

Methodology: How these stocks were chosen

Should you invest in plastic stocks?

Related investing topics

5 Best Metals Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

7 Best Materials Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

4 Best Cyclical Stocks to Buy in 2026 and How to Invest

9 Best Dividend Stocks to Buy and Hold for October 2026

Plastics stocks FAQ

What is the largest market for plastics today?

What is the largest market for plastics today?

Who is the largest plastic manufacturer in the U.S.?

Who is the largest plastic manufacturer in the U.S.?

Which plastic company share is best?

Which plastic company share is best?

How profitable is the plastic industry?

How profitable is the plastic industry?

Are plastic stocks a good long-term investment?

Are plastic stocks a good long-term investment?

Can investing in plastic stocks help hedge against inflation?

Can investing in plastic stocks help hedge against inflation?

About the Author

Read Next

Stocks Mentioned

Motley Fool Stock Advisor’s Latest Pick

Premium Investing Services

5 top plastics stocks for 2026

Key Data Points

2. Dow

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

5. AptarGroup

Key Data Points

How to invest in plastics stocks

Benefits and risks of investing in plastics stocks

Tips for investing in plastic stocks

Methodology: How these stocks were chosen

Should you invest in plastic stocks?

5 Best Metals Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

7 Best Materials Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

4 Best Cyclical Stocks to Buy in 2026 and How to Invest

9 Best Dividend Stocks to Buy and Hold for October 2026

Plastics stocks FAQ

What is the largest market for plastics today?

What is the largest market for plastics today?

Who is the largest plastic manufacturer in the U.S.?

Who is the largest plastic manufacturer in the U.S.?

Which plastic company share is best?

Which plastic company share is best?

How profitable is the plastic industry?

How profitable is the plastic industry?

Are plastic stocks a good long-term investment?

Are plastic stocks a good long-term investment?

Can investing in plastic stocks help hedge against inflation?

Can investing in plastic stocks help hedge against inflation?

Key Data Points

4. Amcor

3. LyondellBasell Industries