In the second week of June 2026, the textile raw material market showed complex trading sentiment. Polyester filament and PTA continued their moderate rise, while nylon, cotton, and raw silk entered a correction channel. Industry monitoring data shows that this week, the textile sector had five rising and five falling products, with the overall average price slightly down by 0.14%.
This divergence is not accidental. Polyester products are strongly supported by the cost side of PTA, which surged 35.62% year-on-year, directly pushing up the bottom price of the polyester industry chain. Polyester DTY rose 0.65% weekly, with a year-on-year increase of 15.24%, indicating that downstream weaving mills still maintain certain rigid demand for stockpiling. Polyester FDY and POY also recorded positive gains, but the magnitude was relatively restrained, reflecting that terminal fabric orders have not shown explosive growth.
Chemical Fiber Sector: Cost Drive vs. Demand Game
PTA, as the core raw material of the polyester industry chain, directly influences the cost structure of polyester filament and staple fiber. This week, PTA rose 0.28% weekly, but the year-on-year increase of 35.62% means that the raw material procurement cost for polyester plants is more than 30% higher than the same period last year. This cost pressure is being transmitted downstream: polyester DTY is up 15.24% year-on-year, polyester FDY up 21.71%, and polyester POY up 18.43%.
However, polyester staple fiber fell 0.15% this week, diverging from the trend of filament yarn. Staple fiber is mainly used in spinning and nonwovens, and its weakness suggests that demand recovery in downstream blended yarn and nonwoven sectors is slower than expected. Acrylonitrile prices remained flat, with no weekly fluctuation, but the year-on-year increase of 24.17% indicates that the acrylic fiber industry chain also faces high cost pressure.
Spandex prices remained unchanged at a high of 29,833 yuan/ton, with a year-on-year increase of 21.77%. Spandex is mainly used in stretch fabrics, and its firm price reflects demand resilience in sportswear and underwear sectors. However, the flat trend also suggests that the current price has touched the psychological ceiling for downstream procurement, and transaction volumes may become cautious.
Cotton and Nylon: Weakness Under Substitution Effect
Cotton fell 1.32% this week, from 17,582 yuan/ton at the beginning of the week to 17,351 yuan/ton at the weekend. The year-on-year increase of 16.85% is weakening marginally. The price correction contrasts with flat cotton yarn prices: cotton yarn 21S and 32S showed no fluctuation this week, with year-on-year increases of only 5.41% and 4.11%, far lower than polyester. This reveals that textile enterprises are accelerating the adjustment of their cotton blending ratio—against the backdrop of high and volatile cotton costs, more orders are shifting to polyester-cotton blends or even pure polyester products, thereby suppressing cotton demand elasticity.
The nylon sector recorded the largest decline this week. Nylon POY fell 1.43% weekly, from 14,000 yuan/ton to 13,800 yuan/ton; nylon DTY also fell 0.37%. Although nylon FDY was flat, its year-on-year increase of only 8.37% is far lower than similar polyester products. The weakness in nylon prices is related to the release of upstream caprolactam capacity, coupled with the fact that nylon fabric orders have entered the off-season in summer, creating an obvious weak supply-demand pattern.
Raw silk prices fell 0.68% this week, with a year-on-year decline of 7.70%. Raw silk is the raw material for the silk industry, and its continued decline reflects pressure on silk fabric exports. The willingness of European and American markets to consume high-end silk products has decreased, coupled with increased sericulture capacity in Southeast Asia, leading to slow destocking of domestic raw silk inventory.
Industry Trends: Seeking Certainty Amid Divergence
This week's data sends several key signals. First, the price gap between chemical fiber and natural fibers continues to widen. The polyester industry chain gains cost support from strong PTA, while cotton and raw silk are under pressure from demand substitution. Second, the overall price fluctuation range has narrowed, with only two products (nylon POY and cotton) having a weekly change of more than 1%, indicating that the market is in a period of oscillation before a direction is chosen. Third, year-on-year increases are generally higher than weekly increases, meaning that the annual cost center has shifted upward as a fait accompli, and textile enterprises need to adjust their procurement rhythm and product mix.
For weaving and fabric processing enterprises, the current divergence in raw material prices provides arbitrage opportunities and a window for product innovation. Polyester products have a comparative advantage in cost performance, while the procurement timing for high-end raw materials such as cotton and raw silk can be appropriately delayed, waiting for clearer supply-demand signals.