Nylon DTY prices have exhibited a classic pattern of wide-range volatility with a downward-shifting center over the past year. According to industry public data, from July 2025 to July 2026, the benchmark price fluctuated between 13,560 CNY/ton and 18,960 CNY/ton. The current price of 15,760 CNY/ton sits near the median, down just 0.51% from the start of the year. On the surface, these numbers seem unremarkable, but a closer look at the annual statistics reveals clear signals across the industrial chain.
Supply-Demand Dynamics Behind Price Stagnation
Two key data points stand out in the annual figures: the lowest price of 13,560 CNY/ton occurred in Q4 2025, while the highest of 18,960 CNY/ton appeared in Q1 2026. This means prices experienced a swing of over 5,000 CNY/ton within six months, then rapidly converged back to the median. Such a sharp contraction in volatility typically indicates a market entering a 'compressed spring' phase, awaiting a directional breakout.
The annual average of 15,067.49 CNY/ton is notably below the median of 16,260 CNY/ton, indicating that prices spent more time at lower levels. This aligns with feedback from downstream weaving mills reporting 'short, quick orders with no inventory buildup.' In key nylon DTY consuming sectors—warp knitting and circular knitting—capacity utilization has remained below 70% in the first half of 2026, as end-branders maintain extremely cautious inventory management.
Another overlooked metric is the top-bottom spread: a top deviation of -3,200 CNY/ton versus a bottom deviation of +2,200 CNY/ton. The significantly larger top deviation suggests that upward price resistance far outweighs downward support. In petrochemical pricing logic, this often indicates that upstream raw material (caprolactam, PA6 chips) margins are narrowing, while downstream acceptance of high prices continues to weaken.
Ripple Effects in Industrial Clusters
The downward shift in nylon DTY prices has first impacted clusters like Changle, Fujian, and Yiwu, Zhejiang. Changle, as China's largest warp knitting production base, consumes over 3,000 tons of nylon DTY daily. Given last year's extreme lows in Q4, local weavers' psychological price anchor has been set below 14,000 CNY/ton. This means that as long as spot prices exceed 15,000 CNY/ton, downstream mills will adopt a 'produce-to-order' model—only sourcing after securing orders, never proactively stocking. This procurement behavior in turn caps price rebounds, creating a negative feedback loop of 'median price → procurement wait-and-see → price pressure.'
The reaction in Yiwu market is more direct: as the core raw material for hosiery and seamless underwear, nylon DTY price fluctuations directly impact end-product pricing. At 15,760 CNY/ton, it is difficult for export enterprises to gain a premium over Southeast Asian competitors.
Export Window and Cost Management
For export-oriented companies, the current nylon DTY price sits in a 'acceptable but not advantageous' zone. Compared to the Q4 2025 low, costs have increased by about 16%; but compared to the Q1 2026 high, they have saved about 17%. This 'neither here nor there' position makes export quotations particularly tricky. More critically, exchange rate volatility and sea freight uncertainty add layers of complexity. If nylon DTY prices break below 15,000 CNY/ton (near the annual average) in the next three months, it would directly relieve cost pressure for exporters and potentially trigger a wave of concentrated restocking. Conversely, a break above 16,500 CNY/ton (above the median) would severely compress profit margins on export orders.