Polyester staple fiber rose 0.56% in a single day, polyester yarn climbed 0.42%, and polyester FDY followed with 0.30%—these were the most striking signals in the July 13, 2026 textile commodity price monitoring. But what deserves real attention is not the gains themselves, but the fact that upstream PTA recorded a 0.20% decline on the same day.
The Signal of Profit Shifting Downstream
When polyester staple fiber, yarn, FDY, and POY all turned positive while PTA fell alone, the profit distribution along the chemical fiber chain is undergoing a substantive shift. Year-on-year, PTA still boasts a 21.56% increase, but its daily weakness suggests the previous cost-push logic is unsustainable. Polyester staple fiber is up 10.57% YoY, FDY up 18.28%—these gains are more driven by downstream weaving restocking demand than by PTA cost pass-through.
For fabric buyers, this means the price floor for polyester-based fabrics may have been established. Polyester staple fiber at 7373 yuan/ton and FDY at 8320 yuan/ton are both near yearly highs. If PTA continues to weaken, profit margins for polyester products will expand further, but downside price risk actually decreases—because the chance of cost collapse is shrinking while demand support is strengthening.
Cotton and Viscose: Calm Surface, Hidden Currents
Cotton nudged up just 0.01% to 17707 yuan/ton, while cotton yarn 21S and 32S were flat. Seemingly calm, but pressure lurks beneath. Cotton yarn YoY gains of 7% to 8% trail far behind polyester FDY's 18.28% and spandex's 21.09%. The cotton textile chain is squeezed from both ends: high upstream cotton prices and limited acceptance of yarn price hikes from downstream apparel orders.
Viscose staple fiber held at 14200 yuan/ton, with rayon yarn at 17925 yuan/ton, both flat. Viscose staple fiber is up 9.06% YoY, but rayon yarn only 3.17%, meaning margins in the viscose spinning segment are narrowing. For knitting mills using rayon yarn, now may be the window to lock long-term order prices—raw material gains have not yet fully passed through to the yarn level.
Spandex and Nylon: The Strength of Elastic Fibers
Spandex prices stayed flat at 29666 yuan/ton, but its YoY increase of 21.09% is the highest among all monitored varieties. This data underpins sustained demand from sportswear and stretch fabrics. Nylon DTY, FDY, and POY all held steady, with YoY gains between 6% and 9%, relatively moderate.
Spandex's high YoY gain warrants caution for buyers: if downstream apparel brands continue to increase stretch fabric procurement, spandex prices could see another surge in Q3 or Q4. The current sideways consolidation looks more like the market waiting for new order catalysts.