Typhoon Disruptions and Cautious Buying: Shengze-Jiaxing Polyester Filament Market Enters a Wait-and-See Phase

On July 11-12, the polyester filament market in Shengze and Jiaxing experienced a notable downturn in trading activity, with transaction volumes shrinking compared to earlier periods. Major polyester factories maintained flat price offers, but downstream weaving and texturing mills, influenced by the approaching typhoon, adopted a cautious 'small batch, multiple orders' replenishment strategy.

Product Differentiation: Commodity Yarns Under Pressure, Specialty Items Hold Ground

From a product perspective, the market shows clear structural divergence. Standard grades such as semi-dull FDY 150D/96F, quoted at 9,050 CNY/ton, and DTY 150D/48F, at 8,150 CNY/ton, traded sluggishly. However, certain fine-denier and functional varieties remained in demand: semi-dull FDY 54D/24F, 68D/24F, and 75D/36F continued to sell steadily, supported by warp knitting needs. Bright FDY 150D/84F, priced at 8,350-8,400 CNY/ton, saw stable demand for use in water-jet oxford fabric and polyester-nylon blended weft yarns.

Black yarns emerged as a bright spot in this cycle. FDY 75D/36F black yarn gained traction in water-jet imitation memory fabrics, while DTY 75D black yarn was used in lining materials such as black spot silk and black twill silk, with decent downstream orders. Semi-dull DTY 75D/72F and 100D/144F network yarns performed well in both water-jet and warp knitting applications. Notably, DTY 150D/144F prices became chaotic, while DTY 150D/96F and 200D/96F network yarns maintained stable volumes due to their broad applicability in oxford fabric and satin damask.

Dual Pressure from Costs and Weather: PTA/MEG Trends Hold the Key

Current polyester filament prices remain range-bound, but the market generally lacks a clear directional driver in the short term. Fluctuations in upstream PTA and MEG prices will directly determine the pricing floor for polyester factories. The typhoon not only disrupted logistics and procurement rhythms but also heightened uncertainty in end-use garment export orders. Weaving mills, still burdened with finished goods inventory, showed low willingness to stock raw materials.

In the yarn market, demand for cotton yarn 21s and J32s air-jet varieties saw a slight uptick, mainly for air-jet cotton-nylon fabrics, though overall trading remained subdued. Polyester yarn 45s outperformed other counts, with polyester staple fiber 1.56*38mm center price at around 7,650 CNY/ton. Viscose yarn 30s moved well driven by diamond cotton fabric, with viscose staple fiber center price at 14,200 CNY/ton. Going forward, polyester and viscose yarn prices may see moderate adjustments.

Practical Recommendations

For Buyers - Lock prices in batches: Given the narrow oscillation range, split regular yarn purchases into 2-3 tranches based on PTA futures trends to avoid chasing highs. - Focus on differentiated products: Black yarn and network yarn are in relatively tight supply; communicate production schedules with mills in advance. - Weather window: After the typhoon passes, logistics recovery often creates a replenishment window—stay alert.

For Weaving Mills - Control standard yarn inventory: Commodity grades like FDY 150D and DTY 150D are well-supplied; avoid overstocking. - Adjust product mix: Increase the use of fine-denier warp-knit yarns, black yarns, and network yarns to enhance finished product value. - Monitor cost side closely: If PTA/MEG experience unexpected drops, consider increasing POY purchases to capture processing margins through texturing.