In the second week of July 2026, the textile raw material market displayed a clear 'fire and ice' scenario. PTA led the entire sector with a 2.25% weekly gain, while acrylonitrile plunged 4.20%, becoming the worst performer. This contrasting data reflects fundamental divergences in supply-demand across different industrial chains.
Upstream Raw Materials: PTA Strengthens, Acrylonitrile Under Pressure
PTA prices rose from 5,780.66 yuan/ton at the start of the week to 5,910.50 yuan/ton by the weekend, with a year-on-year increase of 21.80%. This trend is directly linked to upstream PX cost support and sustained high operating rates in polyester production. Public industry data show that current PTA social inventory is at a low level for the year, with some plant maintenance further tightening supply.
In stark contrast, acrylonitrile prices fell sharply from 9,533.33 yuan/ton to 9,133.33 yuan/ton, a single-week drop of 4.20%. Despite a year-on-year increase of 15.61%, this short-term plunge reflects weak demand from downstream acrylic fiber and ABS resin sectors, coupled with new capacity additions, leading to a sudden oversupply.
Polyester Chain: Filament Weak, Staple Relatively Resilient
Polyester products also showed internal divergence. Polyester staple fiber rose 0.95% weekly, performing relatively steadily, while polyester FDY and DTY fell 1.68% and 1.28% respectively. This contrast indicates weakening demand for filament yarn from downstream weaving mills, while staple fiber still has rigid support from nonwovens and filling materials. Polyester POY also fell 0.77%, further confirming that profit margins in the texturing segment are being compressed.
For buyers, this suggests that polyester filament yarn may have further room for price declines, while staple fiber prices are unlikely to soften in the short term.
Cotton and Nylon: Slight Recovery, But Pressure Remains
Cotton yarn 32S and 21S rose 0.61% and 0.28% respectively, while cotton lint fell 0.92%. The slight recovery in cotton yarn prices is more a lagged reflection of earlier cotton cost pass-through than a substantive improvement in demand. Current overall operating rates in the textile industry remain lower than the same period last year, with no signs of terminal order volume picking up, making the foundation for cotton yarn price increases fragile.
Nylon FDY, DTY, and POY all declined, with drops ranging from 0.31% to 0.92%. The nylon chain is affected by loosening caprolactam costs, coupled with cautious stockpiling by downstream weaving companies, making a near-term recovery unlikely.
Viscose and Spandex: Stalemate at Plateau
Viscose staple fiber and spandex prices remained flat this week, at 14,200 yuan/ton and 29,666.67 yuan/ton respectively. Spandex has a year-on-year increase of 21.09%, but has been stagnant for several consecutive weeks, indicating slowing demand growth for stretch fabrics. Viscose staple fiber faces headwinds from weak demand for rayon yarn (also flat), with the market in a stalemate—unable to rise or fall significantly.
Raw silk prices edged down 0.07% and fell 10.07% year-on-year, the only variety with a negative annual change. The sericulture industry remains depressed, with silk reeling mills expanding losses, and the industry's capacity reduction process continues.