Textile bulk commodity prices in week 23 of 2026 (June 8-12) showed structural divergence. The overall average change was -0.14%, but polyester filament yarns bucked the trend with gains, while natural fibers and nylon chains faced notable pressure. Behind these numbers lies a three-way tug-of-war among raw material cost pass-through, downstream demand rhythms, and inventory cycles.
Polyester Chain: Temperature Gap Between Filament and Staple
Polyester DTY rose 0.65% week-on-week, FDY gained 0.37%, and PTA edged up 0.28%, forming a moderate uptrend. Notably, PTA's year-on-year increase reached 35.62%, the highest among all textile categories. Cost-side support remains strong, but polyester staple fiber dipped 0.15%, indicating weak downstream buying interest for staple varieties.
The divergence between polyester filament and staple suggests stronger demand resilience from weaving mills for filament, while spinning mills show insufficient restocking appetite for staple. This aligns with the trend of rising woven product share in final garment orders and weaker knit product demand. For polyester filament suppliers, current profit margins are acceptable, but they should watch for potential PTA pullback risks.
Nylon and Cotton: Leading Declines, Pressure Transmits Midstream
Nylon POY led all declines at -1.43%, followed by cotton at -1.32% and raw silk at -0.68%. Nylon DTY also fell 0.37%, indicating a broad-based price decline across the nylon chain. Cotton's drop is particularly noteworthy—despite a year-on-year gain of 16.85%, the weekly decline exceeding 1% suggests earlier high prices are loosening.
The decline in nylon POY is linked to ample supply of upstream caprolactam. Since 2026, new caprolactam capacity has been gradually released, weakening raw material cost support, dragging down nylon chip prices and consequently POY quotes. For nylon weaving mills, lower raw material costs help ease profit pressure, but they must guard against inventory devaluation losses.
Cotton's decline more directly reflects weak demand. Downstream cotton yarn prices (21S, 32S) were flat this week, but trading volumes were thin, with spinners mostly on the sidelines. Cotton yarn year-on-year gains of only 4%-5% lag far behind cotton's 16.85%, indicating severely compressed margins for spinners. If cotton prices continue to fall, cotton yarn prices may follow suit.
Spandex and Viscose: High-Level Sidelines, Awaiting Direction
Spandex prices remained flat at 29,833 yuan/ton for consecutive weeks, up 21.77% year-on-year. Viscose staple fiber also plateaued at 14,060 yuan/ton, up 6.84% YoY. The stalemate reflects a standoff between upstream cost support and downstream buyer resistance to high prices.
Spandex's high-level plateau is particularly telling. As a key raw material for stretch fabrics, spandex prices have climbed since H2 2025, but demand growth slowed in Q2 2026. If garment export orders fail to pick up in Q3, spandex prices may face downward pressure.