The textile raw material market saw a rare divergence in mid-July 2026, with multiple varieties moving out of sync. According to industry public data monitoring, on July 17, only acrylonitrile and polyester staple fiber posted gains, while PTA, polyester POY, and raw silk recorded declines. The overall average price edged down 0.01%, but beneath the calm surface, undercurrents were stirring.
Logic Behind the Divergence
Acrylonitrile rose 0.35% day-on-day to 9,600 yuan/ton, with a year-on-year increase of 22.29%. This performance is not isolated—upstream propylene prices remain high, coupled with maintenance at some plants, keeping supply tight. For downstream acrylic fiber and ABS resin producers, cost pressure is mounting and profit margins are being squeezed.
Polyester staple fiber gained 0.30% to 7,469.43 yuan/ton, up 12.73% year-on-year. The strength is linked to moderate recovery in end-use textile demand, particularly in nonwovens and filling materials. However, within the polyester filament family, FDY was flat while DTY and POY fell—POY dropping 0.23%. This 'staple strong, filament weak' pattern reveals demand divergence across applications.
PTA fell 0.44% to 5,985.91 yuan/ton, the biggest daily decline. Despite a 25.68% year-on-year gain, the short-term retreat is clear. As the core raw material for polyester, PTA's decline usually signals weakening upstream PX cost support or lower downstream polyester operating rates. Polyester POY followed with a 0.23% drop, further confirming overall pressure in the polyester chain.
Raw Silk's Persistent Weakness and Industry Concerns
Raw silk continued its decline, falling 0.14% to 425,100 yuan/ton, with a year-on-year drop of 10.34%—the only variety to show a negative annual comparison. This warrants industry attention. The sustained weakness stems from shrinking global demand for real silk, as European luxury market growth slows and competition from alternative fibers in Southeast Asia intensifies. The traditional silk industry chain faces structural adjustment pressure.
For major sericulture regions like Guangxi and Jiangsu, raw silk prices have lingered near or below cost, leading some farmers to abandon silkworm rearing or switch to other crops. If prices fail to stabilize in the short term, supply could contract, setting the stage for a rebound.
Viscose and Cotton Yarn: Calm with Underlying Tensions
Viscose staple fiber was flat at 14,200 yuan/ton, up 9.74% year-on-year. It has been supported by rising dissolving pulp costs. However, downstream rayon yarn also held flat at 17,925 yuan/ton, up only 4.06% year-on-year, significantly less than the raw material increase. This suggests viscose producers' margins are being eroded by weak downstream pass-through.
Cotton yarn 21S and 32S both held flat, with year-on-year gains of 6.71% and 6.23%, respectively. Cotton lint edged down 0.02% to 17,729.33 yuan/ton, up 15.31% year-on-year. The cotton market is in a transitional period between crop years, with Xinjiang cotton areas seeing normal weather and new crop expectations capping spot prices. For textile mills, this is a window to lock in lower-cost cotton yarn inventory.