The textile raw material price list for mid-July 2026 (Week 28) reveals the clearest 'fire and ice' pattern seen this year. The chemical fiber sector surged across the board, while cotton yarn prices were among the few decliners. This reflects a direct clash between cost-push and weak demand, narrowing the decision window for buyers and producers.
Chemical Fiber Sector: Cost-Driven Rally
Acrylonitrile topped the gainers, jumping from 9,133 to 9,600 yuan/ton, a weekly gain of 5.11% and a year-on-year increase of 22.29%. The direct driver was strengthening upstream propylene costs, compounded by supply tightness due to plant maintenance. This is rapidly building cost pressure for downstream products like acrylic fiber and ABS resin.
PTA and polyester staple fiber followed, with weekly gains of 1.48% and 1.30%, respectively. PTA prices are approaching 6,000 yuan/ton, up 25.68% year-on-year. Polyester filament products—DTY, POY, and FDY—also saw moderate increases of 0.69% to 0.75%. This indicates that the entire polyester chain, from PTA to polyester yarn, is absorbing cost inputs from the PX side.
Nylon products also performed well: POY rose 0.74% and DTY 0.25%, linked to rising caprolactam costs. Overall, the chemical fiber rally is clearly cost-driven rather than demand-led.
Cotton Yarn: A Signal of Weak Orders
In stark contrast, cotton yarn 32S and 21S fell by 0.60% and 0.57%, settling at 24,725 and 23,333 yuan/ton. Raw silk also edged down 0.14%. The decline in cotton yarn is not isolated—cotton prices were virtually flat, up only 0.13%.
This weakness reflects low purchasing appetite from downstream weaving and garment factories. July is traditionally a slow season, and apparel brands remain cautious about H2 orders. Cotton yarn traders and spinners are under destocking pressure. Even with cotton costs staying high, spinners cannot pass on costs, squeezing their margins.
Implications for the Supply Chain
This structural divergence means different things for different players.
For chemical fiber producers: rising raw material costs, but downstream products like polyester yarn and viscose staple fiber prices were unchanged this week. This suggests producers may be sacrificing margins to retain customers or waiting for demand to pick up.
For spinners (especially cotton): falling yarn prices with stable cotton costs means thin or negative processing margins. Some small and medium spinners may reduce operating rates or shift to blended products.
For fabric buyers: now is a good time to lock in polyester-based fabric costs, as upstream increases haven't fully passed through. For pure cotton fabrics, caution is needed as further cotton yarn price drops could lead to inventory devaluation.