The textile commodity market is experiencing a sharp divergence of hot and cold. According to industry data, in week 25 of 2026 (June 22-26), only two out of 17 monitored textile commodities saw week-on-week price increases: cotton yarn 21S and 32S, up 0.14% and 0.10% respectively. In stark contrast, 13 varieties posted declines, with acrylonitrile and PTA plunging 6.92% and 5.10% respectively, becoming the hardest-hit categories.
Chemical fiber chain hit by dual pressures of cost and demand
The collapse of acrylonitrile and PTA is not an isolated event. From an industrial chain perspective, these two varieties are upstream raw materials for acrylic and polyester fibers. Their sharp decline means the entire chemical fiber sector is under tremendous cost deflation pressure. Polyester DTY, POY, and FDY fell 2.60%, 2.36%, and 1.62% respectively, while nylon products also weakened across the board, with nylon FDY and POY dropping over 1%. This implies that production costs for chemical fiber fabrics and yarns are rapidly shifting downward, posing inventory depreciation risks for traders and weaving mills that have signed long-term contracts.
Notably, viscose staple fiber and rayon yarn prices remained flat this week, not following the chemical fiber decline. This reflects the relatively independent supply-demand dynamics of the viscose chain, whose raw material (dissolving pulp) price cycle differs from petrochemical-based materials. For buyers, this means price risk exposure varies fundamentally by category and requires differentiated treatment.
Cotton yarn's resilience: supply-demand logic
In the generally sluggish market, cotton yarn's strength is striking. Although the weekly gains for 21S and 32S were tiny, their direction was completely opposite to chemical fiber varieties. Given that raw cotton prices fell 1.23% this week, cotton yarn's rise cannot be attributed to raw material support but rather to actual order pull from downstream. This suggests a structural shift in textile end demand: cotton-based products (especially home textiles, underwear, and baby clothing) have relatively stable orders, while demand for chemical fiber products (especially outdoor, sportswear, and fast fashion) may have slowed.
For weaving mills, this divergence means production scheduling decisions can no longer rely on a one-size-fits-all macroeconomic judgment. They need more granular tracking of inventory and order data for different end-use categories. Mills with low cotton yarn inventory should replenish moderately, while those with high chemical fiber yarn stocks need to accelerate turnover to avoid book losses from raw material price drops.
Price transmission and procurement window
The current market landscape offers a rare 'window period' for buyers. The collapse of acrylonitrile and PTA will significantly lower costs for downstream products like acrylic yarn, polyester yarn, and polyester DTY. Factory-gate prices for these items are expected to follow downward within the next 2-4 weeks. For buyers with large volumes of chemical fiber fabrics and yarns, it is advisable to postpone bulk purchases and wait for prices to stabilize.
However, rapid price drops may trigger upstream plant maintenance or production cuts. Once supply side actively contracts, prices could bottom out and rebound quickly. Therefore, procurement timing is critical: adopt a 'batch buying, short-term orders first' strategy to avoid being trapped by a single heavy position or missing the bottom entirely.