As the second quarter of 2026 draws to a close, the textile raw material market has delivered a clear signal of divergence. According to industry public data, during the week of June 22-26, out of 17 monitored textile bulk commodities, only two recorded gains, while as many as 13 saw price declines. The overall weekly average change was -1.65%. Acrylonitrile and PTA led the decline with weekly drops of 6.92% and 5.10% respectively, while cotton yarn 21S and 32S edged up 0.14% and 0.10%.
Upstream Raw Material Cost Collapse
Acrylonitrile prices fell from 10,833 yuan/ton to 10,083 yuan/ton in a single week, a decline of nearly 7%. This is rare among textile raw materials and is directly linked to a loosening of upstream propylene prices and weak demand from downstream sectors such as acrylic fiber and ABS resin. PTA also plunged 5.10%, from 6,041 yuan/ton to 5,734 yuan/ton, driven by crude oil price corrections and supply pressure from new PX capacity. Notably, despite these sharp weekly falls, both products are still up 25% and 12.8% year-on-year, suggesting the current drop is more a correction from highs rather than a trend reversal.
The entire polyester filament segment declined, with DTY, POY, and FDY falling between 1.62% and 2.60%. Polyester staple fiber also dropped 0.91%. This synchronized decline indicates that cost-side weakness is transmitting down the supply chain. For weaving mills heavily reliant on polyester, lower raw material costs should be a positive, but terminal orders have not expanded in tandem, leaving mills hesitant to restock and adding to upstream selling pressure.
Cotton Yarn Defies Trend: Resilience of Rigid Demand
Amid broad declines, cotton yarn 21S and 32S rose 0.14% and 0.10% respectively. Though marginal, the direction contrasts sharply with the overall market. Cotton yarn's strength is underpinned by cotton cost support and rigid demand from downstream apparel. Raw cotton prices fell 1.23% to 17,417 yuan/ton this week, but are still up 16.08% year-on-year. Cotton yarn 21S is up 7.50% year-on-year, and 32S up 6.57%, indicating that yarn price gains lag behind raw material increases, compressing spinning margins.
Viscose staple fiber and rayon yarn prices were flat this week at 14,200 yuan/ton and 17,925 yuan/ton respectively. This consolidation reflects a wait-and-see market—while chemical fiber raw materials have slumped, substitution effects have not yet materialized, and demand for viscose has not visibly contracted. Spandex prices edged down 0.56%, but remain 21.09% higher year-on-year, showing this product is still in a high-price range.
Industry Logic Behind the Divergence
This week's price table reveals the core contradiction in the textile industry: upstream raw materials are under pressure from capacity release and cost corrections, midstream yarns maintain resilience due to rigid end demand, and downstream weaving and apparel face a double squeeze from insufficient orders and cost volatility. The nylon segment saw modest declines of 0.88%-1.21%, while raw silk fell sharply by 1.99% and is down 10.12% year-on-year, reflecting consumption downgrading and substitution pressure on this high-end category.
Looking at the transmission pace, the sharp drop in PTA and acrylonitrile may further impact downstream products like polyester and acrylic fibers over the next 2-4 weeks. For textile enterprises, inventory management becomes critical—restocking too early risks mark-to-market losses, while delaying too long may miss low-price windows.