The divergence between chemical fiber feedstocks and the cotton spinning chain has become the most notable signal in the textile market in mid-July 2026. According to industry public data, during the week of July 13-17, among 17 monitored bulk textile commodities, 8 rose, 3 fell, and 6 were flat, with an average weekly change of +0.54%. However, beneath this moderate surface lies a sharp contrast: acrylonitrile surged 5.11% weekly, hitting a new high for the year, while cotton yarn 32S continued its sluggish decline by 0.6%, extending the weakness since the second quarter.
Chemical Fiber Feedstocks: Acrylonitrile Leads, PTA and Polyester Chain Resonate
Acrylonitrile posted the strongest performance of the week with a 5.11% gain, jumping from 9,133 yuan/ton to 9,600 yuan/ton, up 22.29% year-on-year. This spike was not isolated—PTA rose 1.48% to 5,986 yuan/ton, polyester staple fiber gained 1.30% to 7,469 yuan/ton, and polyester DTY, POY, as well as nylon POY and DTY, also recorded gains between 0.25% and 0.75%. From an industrial chain perspective, the rise in acrylonitrile directly pushes up costs for acrylic fiber and ABS resin downstream, while PTA, as the core feedstock for the polyester chain, is transmitting price pressure through the ‘PTA → polyester staple fiber/filament’ route to fabric mills. Notably, polyester yarn prices remained flat at 11,867 yuan/ton, indicating that the spinning segment has not yet fully passed on the raw material cost increases, meaning cost pressure on weaving mills is accumulating.
Cotton Spinning Chain and Raw Silk: Price Softening Amid Weak Demand
In contrast to the strength in chemical fiber feedstocks, cotton yarn 32S and 21S fell 0.60% and 0.57% respectively this week, to 24,725 yuan/ton and 23,333 yuan/ton. Although raw cotton edged up 0.13% to 17,729 yuan/ton, the decline in cotton yarn prices implies that profit margins in the spinning segment are being squeezed. Raw silk fell 0.14% to 425,100 yuan/ton, with a year-on-year decline of 10.34%—the only product showing a negative annual change this week—reflecting a persistent oversupply in the cocoon feedstock market. From the end-use perspective, the recovery in home textile and apparel orders during the traditional July off-season has been weaker than expected, which is the main reason for the pressure on cotton yarn prices. Meanwhile, prices of viscose staple fiber, rayon yarn, and spandex remained flat, further confirming that downstream purchasing is limited to essential needs, with no active inventory replenishment.
Year-on-Year Divergence: Cost Push vs. Demand Absorption Capacity
Looking at year-on-year comparisons, most products this week are significantly higher than the same period last year. PTA is up 25.68%, acrylonitrile up 22.29%, spandex up 22.34%, polyester FDY up 18.45%, and polyester POY up 19.74%. These figures indicate a clear cost-push effect over the past year. However, cotton yarn 32S is only up 6.23% year-on-year, and 21S up 6.71%, far below the feedstock gains—meaning profit distribution in the cotton spinning chain is concentrating upstream, while downstream weaving and garment factories face the dual squeeze of high raw material costs and weak orders. For buyers, the risk is that if end-use demand fails to recover effectively in the third quarter, cotton yarn prices may face greater downside, and the high feedstock support could then loosen.