Asia’s benzene values tipped below the $600/tonne (€462/tonne) mark on Tuesday morning on the back of weaker crude and styrene monomer (SM) values, traders and a producer said. Prices declined $20/tonne FOB (free on board) Korea from Monday’s close to $595-605/tonne FOB Korea towards mid-day, giving away some of the gains notched up in recent weeks, according to global chemical intelligence service ICIS pricing. Offers for June loading were cited at $605-610/tonne FOB Korea countered by a bid at $570/tonne FOB Korea. An overnight fall in crude values to $45/bbl along with weakening downstream SM prices were the key reasons for the benzene price drop, traders said. SM values also fell to $980-1,000/tonne CFR (cost and freight) China on Tuesday morning, $10-20/tonne lower than Monday’s close, after being on an uptrend in the past month. Demand for benzene from SM producers may decline in the coming weeks due to the softening trend in SM values seen since last week, a regional benzene trader said.